Squire Patton Boggs has announced the appointment of Corporate partner Rika Beppu. Ms. Beppu was previously head of Corporate and M&A at Hogan Lovells in Tokyo, and she also served as office managing partner and head of the corporate department at Simmons & Simmons in Tokyo.
Dual-qualified in the UK and Hong Kong, and a Registered Foreign Lawyer in Japan since 2001, Ms. Beppu focuses principally on advising Japanese multinational companies on corporate and M&A transactions. She is recognized as a Leading Individual for Corporate/M&A in the Chambers Global and Chambers Asia Pacific guides, as well as other leading legal directories, with a track record in leading multi-jurisdictional deals, particularly across Europe. She also has extensive experience in the life sciences field.
Since 2015, Ms. Beppu has served as the Chair of the Legal Services Committee of the European Business Council in Japan. She is also a founding member and chair of Women in Law Japan. Tokyo Managing Partner and Asia Practice Coordinator Ken Kurosu comments: “We are delighted to welcome Rika to the firm. Rika has a wealth of international experience gained from a long and distinguished career at top-tier law firms which will complement and enhance our practice on a regional and global level.
“As a senior UK qualified lawyer in Japan, we also believe Rika is well-placed to advise Japanese clients on their investments in the UK, particularly in light of Brexit. She will be a real asset to the firm and our clients.”
“Rika is an established and well-known corporate practitioner in Japan,” comments Corporate Practice Group Leader for Asia Pacific, Stephen Chelberg. “Her skills and experience fit well with the firm’s existing practice both within Tokyo and internationally, and we see substantial cross-selling opportunities in areas such as life sciences, dispute resolution and automotive.”
“Squire Patton Boggs’ long history in Asia, its strong institutional Japanese client relationships and the global strength of its corporate and M&A practice are among the reasons I am pleased to be joining the firm,” said Ms. Beppu.
Ms. Beppu is the firm’s third senior appointment in Tokyo over the past year, with the hire of the former Tokyo head of commercial disputes at K&L Gates, Haig Oghigian, and former general counsel for Sega and senior attorney at Microsoft Japan, Scott Warren.
In 2014, the firm combined with Tokyo-based corporate and transactional practice, Mamiya Law Offices.
The Squire Patton Boggs global Corporate Practice Group has more than 370 corporate lawyers across its 46 offices. It is one of the world’s leading practices for both domestic and cross-border corporate transactions, particularly in the mid-market, whether M&A, joint ventures, divestitures, leveraged buyouts, equity investments or public takeover offers. The team is also well known for its work advising clients in industry sectors such as chemicals, diversified industrials, energy and natural resources, financial services and Fintech, technology, healthcare and life sciences, media and communications, retail, and sports and entertainment.
Source: www.squirepattonboggs.com
