Marcia Ellis, partner and global co-chair of the firm’s Private Equity practice, was named by the Financial Times as the Most Innovative Legal Practitioner in the Asia-Pacific region at the FT Asia-Pacific Innovative Lawyers 2023 Awards. The award recognizes the region’s leading legal innovator who has changed the way legal work is done and had a major influence on their firm, the legal industry, business, and wider society. Morrison Foerster was also ranked in tenth place in the Most Innovative Law Firm Headquartered Outside Asia-Pacific list, reflecting its position as one of the region’s top law firms in Asia.

Marcia Ellis is one of the most experienced and sophisticated private equity lawyers active in the Asian market. Known as a “super-skilled technical lawyer” with “incredible problem-solving skills on all aspects of matters,” Marcia has advised on matters with a total aggregate value over US$237 billion in the last three years alone and has built MoFo’s private equity offering into the thriving practice it is today. This recognition is one of several that Marcia has recently received, including being named Private Equity Lawyer of the Year at the 2023 Asia Legal Awards and being named Dealmaker of Asia 2022 by Asian Legal Business, the third consecutive year Marcia was named in this category. In 2022, Marcia was named to Law360’s 2022 Private Equity Editorial Board and IFLR1000’s Women Leaders 2022, and under her leadership, the MoFo Private Equity Group was, for the first time ever, named 2021 Practice Group of the Year by Law360.

As part of the FT award series, Morrison Foerster’s comprehensive secondment program was “Commended” in the Innovation in People & Strategy section. Through the collaboration of our partners, lawyer development, and business development teams, our secondment program provides practical support for our secondees and explores ways to ensure that the secondments fulfill clients’ business objectives and ultimately strengthen our client relationships.

Morrison Foerster’s extensive recognition highlights its position as one of the preeminent law firms in Asia, offering both integrated local and U.S. law advice. Marking the 40th anniversary of its presence in Asia, MoFo is one of the largest and longest standing international law firms in Asia, continuing to consistently deliver exceptional client service to both Asia-based and multinational clients. The Tokyo office is the largest office in Japan of any global firm and MoFo is one of the largest law firms in Japan, domestic or international. With offices in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, the firm has a strong presence in China, handling major matters in the region for 40 years. The Singapore office, which opened in 2013, features lawyers with many years of experience in South and Southeast Asia and was named by The Legal 500 as Law Firm of the Year 2020 and 2021.

In partnership with RSGI, founder of the report and award series, the FT Asia-Pacific Innovative Lawyers Report began a decade ago and is dedicated to recognizing the most innovative lawyers, private practices, and in-house legal departments in the region.

You can view the full list of winners on the Financial Times website.