Anderson Mori & Tomotsune has brought about 50 lawyers from Bingham Sakai Mimura Aizawa on board in Tokyo, effective Apr. 1.

The new hires will bolster Anderson Mori’s insolvency and restructuring practice, an area that was not previously a core specialisation of the Big Four Japanese firm, according to the Nikkei Asian Review. 

Anderson Mori’s practice now comprises roughly 350 lawyers. 

The remaining 10 lawyers and six support staff from Bingham McCutchen’s Tokyo office joined U.S. firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius. The 16-person team included financial regulatory partners Christopher Wells and Tomoko Fuminaga, intellectual property partner Chris Mizumoto, and corporate partners Lisa Valentovish and Tsugumichi Watanabe.

Philadelphia-headquartered Morgan, Lewis & Bockius acquired Bingham McCutchen last November, taking on 227 partners from the Boston law firm worldwide.