Morrison & Foerster (MoFo) Tokyo has raided rival US firm O’Melveny & Myers for a corporate team.

MoFo has snared partners Gary Smith, Randy Laxer and David Litt. The three appointments, who join the firm’s corporate team in Tokyo, increase the MoFo Tokyo office’s lawyer headcount to more than 100, one of the largest foreign presences in Japan.

Managing partner of the firm’s Tokyo office, Ken Siegel said: “The group (of lawyers) provides further depth into our operations in Tokyo.”

He added that the partners enhance the firm’s ability to execute transactions across the full range of the corporate scene, including capital markets, M&A, finance and real estate.

The hires come just days after the firm relocated its Japanese offering from an office in Tokyo’s AIG building to two floors in the newly-opened Shin-Marunouchi building. At the time of opening, Siegel said the office had tripled in size over the last five years and that he anticipated continuing growth.