Withers welcomes projects and energy team with new partners Ean MacPherson and Fumihiko Hori, and special counsel Keisuke Misuda

International law firm Withers has expanded its Asia practice with the arrival of a projects and energy team led by partner Ean MacPherson and comprising partner Fumihiko Hori and special counsel Keisuke Misuda. The trio join from leading international firms in Tokyo, bringing together market-leading expertise covering all aspects of project development, construction, finance, and regulation. 

As head of the practice for Asia, Ean will be based across Withers' Tokyo and Singapore offices, reflecting the firm's regional focus. Ean has worked across the Asia Pacific region including Australia, Thailand, Japan, and Singapore for over 20 years. He focuses on renewable and conventional energy power projects (including offshore wind, solar and biomass), data centre, joint ventures, major projects, and corporate work. He joins from Baker McKenzie in Tokyo, where he co-headed the Renewable and Clean Energy Group. In addition to advising Japanese and international clients on domestic projects in Japan, Ean also works closely with Japanese companies investing in power and infrastructure projects outside Japan; and has represented leading Japanese utilities and trading houses to acquire interests in energy, mining and oil, and gas joint ventures across the APAC region. 

Fumihiko advises on Japan's evolving regulatory and policy landscape, with deep experience in energy, Green Transformation (GX) initiatives, national security regulations affecting inbound and outbound investment, and telecommunications regulations especially for digital and advanced technology sectors, including start-ups with cutting-edge technologies. He joins from Morrison & Foerster Law Offices in Tokyo, where his work included advising multinational clients on energy, national security, and telecommunications regulatory matters. 

Keisuke focuses on project finance and real estate transactions, including large-scale solar and wind projects, asset securitisation, and structured finance. He also joins from Baker McKenzie in Tokyo, where he advised Japanese and foreign companies on project finance, real estate, and structured finance transactions. Together, they bring complementary strengths that broaden Withers' renewable energy and infrastructure offering across the region. 

Jeremy Wakeham, CEO of Withers' Business division, comments: "Ean, Fumihiko and Keisuke together represent one of the most accomplished renewable energy teams in Asia. Their combined energy project experience, encompassing corporate, regulatory, and finance, positions Withers at the forefront of the region's growing clean energy market. Operating between our Tokyo and Singapore offices, Ean will ably lead our projects and energy practice as investors seek out high-quality renewable assets."

Ean says: "Withers has an outstanding track record in advising fund and corporate investors, with its APAC offices having acted on numerous high-profile transactions across the region in the real estate and data centre sectors. With investment continuing to grow in the energy sector, I am excited to join the Withers team to further expand this practice area. Bringing together our team's energy, finance, real estate, corporate, and tax strengths will enable us to support investment funds, developers, lenders, and Japanese energy and trading companies investing in energy projects, including in Japan, Indonesia, other parts of Southeast Asia, and Australia."

Fumihiko says: "Japan's push towards Green Transformation and energy transition is accelerating. By combining Withers' international platform with our regulatory and policy insight, we can help clients navigate this evolving landscape and capture new opportunities across the renewable energy value chain." 

Keisuke says: "Withers' integrated cross-border team enables us to support clients from project financing through to development and operation, across multiple jurisdictions."

As part of Withers' APAC projects and energy group, Ean, Fumihiko and Keisuke will work closely with a strong multidisciplinary team including Gary Beh, Kazumitsu Goto, and Daniel Tang from the corporate practice; Daniel Yong and Simon Wong from the funds practice; Toshihiko Tsuchiya, Akinari Nakano, Chau Hwei Lee, Mabel Lui, and Chen Guan Feng from the real estate and finance practice; Eric Roose and Leon Kwong Wing from the tax practice; and Joseph Chu, Chenthil Kumarasingam, Pardeep Khosa and Mohammed Reza from the dispute resolution practice.