Former Paul Hastings IP lawyer Etsuo Doi has signed up to co-head Foley & Lardner's Tokyo office.

Doi will work across the firm's New York and Tokyo offices, advising local and international clients on corporate cross-border, intellectual property, e-commerce, joint venture, and licensing matters. He will co-manage the Tokyo office alongside its current managing partner, Michael Kaminski.

The former Paul Hastings lawyer has also held in-house positions, most notably as chief legal counsel for eBay's Japan branch. Following eBay, Doi moved to Orrick and co-authored the paper on his former company, What Japanese Companies Need to Know About eBay.

The head of Foley's intellectual property department, Sharon Barner said that the appointment will meet a growing demand from Japanese companies with innovative assets looking to expand internationally. "His presence in Tokyo will help enhance the firm's relationships with our Japanese clients for counseling and litigation that crosses IP and related areas," she added.

Foley & Lardner has two Asia offices in total, the other being in Shanghai.