Morrison Foerster strengthens private equity real estate with the appointment of Tabitha Saw in Singapore

Morrison Foerster strengthens private equity real estate with the appointment of Tabitha Saw in Singapore

Morrison Foerster, a top 40 US law firm, has hired a new partner, Tabitha Saw, from White & Case to strengthen its private equity practice in Singapore.

Tabitha Saw brings over nine years of experience from White & Case, and a track record of advising on data centre transactions, which is a key specialisation of Morrison Foerster's Asia team. She will join the firm's global private equity real estate (PERE) group.

Saw specialises in advising investment managers, institutional investors, and owner-operators on complex real estate and data centre transactions.

She has experience in establishing capital-raising platforms across the Asia-Pacific region, as well as in hyper-scale leasing and co-location arrangements, greenfield and brownfield acquisitions, and operational arrangements.

"Tabitha is a highly regarded private equity real estate lawyer in the region, whose practice in logistics and data centres aligns with our existing strengths in these areas," said Eric Piesner, Morrison Foerster's Asia managing partner.

"Data centres in particular are an increasingly important asset class for our PERE clients. Since 2019, our Asia offices have advised on more than 50 data centre transactions, and we anticipate our clients will remain very active in this sector. Tabitha's extensive data centre credentials, combined with her experience in the logistics/industrial real estate space and cross-border practice, aligns closely with our clients' needs," Piesner further explained.

Saw has advised the global asset manager in industrial real estate ESR on the development of a multi-phase data center campus in Osaka worth US $2.15 billion and advised FLOW Digital Infrastructure on establishing a joint venture platform for developing carrier-neutral data centres in the Philippines with AyalaLand Logistics.

Saw stated that the firm has a strong private equity real estate (PERE) practice and a leading reputation across Asia, including in Japan, which is important for his clients.

"We're delighted to continue 2023 on a high note by welcoming Tabitha to the Singapore office and our corporate group, hot on the heels of Steve Tran's arrival. She is a great strategic and personal fit for the firm," Shrin Tang, the Singapore managing partner said.