Freshfields boosts its presence in Japan with two partner hires in Tokyo

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has appointed Noah Carr and Gordon Palmquist as partners in the firm’s Tokyo office.

Carr joins from Latham & Watkins’ Tokyo office and has also worked as a partner at Morrison & Foerster in the city. He advises on complex public and private acquisitions, carve outs, private equity and growth capital investments, joint ventures and strategic alliances, serving a variety of Japanese corporates and investors as well as international financial sponsors.

Gordon Palmquist joins from Mayer Brown in Tokyo, where he was a partner in the M&A practice after previously working for Shearman & Sterling in the city. He advises Japanese trading houses, corporates, and financial services institutions on outbound M&A, carve-outs and sales of businesses, corporate governance and private equity, real estate, infrastructure and venture capital investments.

Carr and Palmquist are both US-qualified and registered foreign lawyers in Japan. Both have broad experience of advising clients on complex cross-border transactions, including those involving the US. They will work closely with Freshfields’ existing Tokyo-based M&A, antitrust and disputes teams and colleagues from across Asia, the US and Europe.

“Our partners are pleased to welcome Noah Carr and Gordon Palmquist to Freshfields,” said Thomas Ng, regional managing partner, Asia at Freshfields. “Both are highly regarded by their peers, with strong track records of advising some of Japan’s most recognized companies and leading international investors on a range of business-critical transactions and other matters.

“Their hires represent the latest step in our growth drive in Japan, and their impressive cross-border Japan–US credentials will strengthen our respected Tokyo team and grow our M&A business even further.”