The document summarizes an interview with Tomoo Nishikawa, Managing Partner of Sidley's Tokyo office. Some key points:
- Nishikawa helped establish Sidley's Japan practice through a joint enterprise in 2002, bringing Japanese law capabilities. This allowed Sidley to rapidly grow its regulatory work in Japan requiring international collaboration.
- Sidley was initially unknown in Japan but distinguished itself through its bilingual lawyers qualified in both U.S. and Japanese law, and its capabilities in cross-border regulatory matters.
- Nishikawa's experience in Japanese government informed Sidley's work navigating complex regulatory systems and achieving success representing global clients that enhanced its reputation.
- Nish
Ferraiuoli LLC, a full-service law firm in Puerto Rico, has been nominated for Law Firm of the Year by Chambers & Partners for its quality work and expertise despite only being established for eight years. The firm has expanded rapidly from its original focus on intellectual property into other practice areas like corporate law and labor law by recruiting talented attorneys. Ferraiuoli added 13 new attorneys this year with experience in emerging fields like environmental law and energy law, demonstrating its commitment to advising clients on current legal issues. The firm aims to guide clients through challenges of doing business in Puerto Rico with its expertise across various areas of law.
Five new partners at law firms discuss how they achieved partnership ahead of schedule. Robert Biasotti had 20 years of business experience as a CFO before attending law school in his 40s, motivated by a desire to better communicate with clients. His business background provided a foundation that helped him excel, such as providing crucial insights in an insurance case. Biasotti made partner after five years under his firm's new associate acceleration program, the first to do so. He advises associates to apply relevant experience directly to cases and work with talented lawyers and mentors.
On June 19th, the Austin Human Resource Management Association will be hosting their annual Legislative Action Day. In this month's podcast, attorney Kevin Lashus and lobbyist Terral Smith discuss the importance of lobbying and the Legislative Action Day agenda.
International opportunities are increasingly available for attorneys at large law firms. Many firms now have overseas offices and encourage associates to accept temporary or permanent placements abroad to work on international deals and transactions. This provides valuable experience for associates and allows them to take advantage of the learning opportunities, responsibility, and travel that come with such positions. Firms benefit from having a more globally experienced talent pool and from being able to better serve multinational clients.
This document is a resume for Ket-Bong Ku, a recent law graduate from Bond University in Australia seeking a position as a solicitor. Ku has legal work experience in both Australia and Malaysia, including positions at McLaughlins Lawyers and Albar & Partners. Ku is fluent in English and Mandarin with decent proficiency in Malay. The resume outlines Ku's education, qualifications, skills, interests and referees to support an application for a legal role.
The law firm RHHC was established in 2004 and provides quality legal expertise. It aims for excellence in its work. The firm has professionals with over 45 years of combined legal experience. It represents local and international businesses, government organizations, and other clients.
Law-themed education programs can be highly effective by making learning engaging, relevant to real-world skills, and rigorous. Such programs capitalize on the legal community's resources and relationships to provide mentoring, internships, and collaborative teaching. When implemented well through sequenced curriculums and community partnerships, law-themed education can foster critical thinking, raise aspirations, and better prepare students for in-demand careers.
Kurt Hilbert is a managing partner at The Hilbert Law Firm, LLC located in the greater Atlanta area. He has over 15 years of experience in commercial litigation. Previously, he was a commercial litigation partner at A&Y. Hilbert obtained his law degree from Northwestern University School of Law and has been recognized as a "Rising Star" by Georgia Super Lawyers. The Hilbert Law Firm handles cases in state and federal courts in Georgia, focusing on preventative dispute resolution and civil litigation.
Ferraiuoli LLC, a full-service law firm in Puerto Rico, has been nominated for Law Firm of the Year by Chambers & Partners for its quality work and expertise despite only being established for eight years. The firm has expanded rapidly from its original focus on intellectual property into other practice areas like corporate law and labor law by recruiting talented attorneys. Ferraiuoli added 13 new attorneys this year with experience in emerging fields like environmental law and energy law, demonstrating its commitment to advising clients on current legal issues. The firm aims to guide clients through challenges of doing business in Puerto Rico with its expertise across various areas of law.
Five new partners at law firms discuss how they achieved partnership ahead of schedule. Robert Biasotti had 20 years of business experience as a CFO before attending law school in his 40s, motivated by a desire to better communicate with clients. His business background provided a foundation that helped him excel, such as providing crucial insights in an insurance case. Biasotti made partner after five years under his firm's new associate acceleration program, the first to do so. He advises associates to apply relevant experience directly to cases and work with talented lawyers and mentors.
On June 19th, the Austin Human Resource Management Association will be hosting their annual Legislative Action Day. In this month's podcast, attorney Kevin Lashus and lobbyist Terral Smith discuss the importance of lobbying and the Legislative Action Day agenda.
International opportunities are increasingly available for attorneys at large law firms. Many firms now have overseas offices and encourage associates to accept temporary or permanent placements abroad to work on international deals and transactions. This provides valuable experience for associates and allows them to take advantage of the learning opportunities, responsibility, and travel that come with such positions. Firms benefit from having a more globally experienced talent pool and from being able to better serve multinational clients.
This document is a resume for Ket-Bong Ku, a recent law graduate from Bond University in Australia seeking a position as a solicitor. Ku has legal work experience in both Australia and Malaysia, including positions at McLaughlins Lawyers and Albar & Partners. Ku is fluent in English and Mandarin with decent proficiency in Malay. The resume outlines Ku's education, qualifications, skills, interests and referees to support an application for a legal role.
The law firm RHHC was established in 2004 and provides quality legal expertise. It aims for excellence in its work. The firm has professionals with over 45 years of combined legal experience. It represents local and international businesses, government organizations, and other clients.
Law-themed education programs can be highly effective by making learning engaging, relevant to real-world skills, and rigorous. Such programs capitalize on the legal community's resources and relationships to provide mentoring, internships, and collaborative teaching. When implemented well through sequenced curriculums and community partnerships, law-themed education can foster critical thinking, raise aspirations, and better prepare students for in-demand careers.
Kurt Hilbert is a managing partner at The Hilbert Law Firm, LLC located in the greater Atlanta area. He has over 15 years of experience in commercial litigation. Previously, he was a commercial litigation partner at A&Y. Hilbert obtained his law degree from Northwestern University School of Law and has been recognized as a "Rising Star" by Georgia Super Lawyers. The Hilbert Law Firm handles cases in state and federal courts in Georgia, focusing on preventative dispute resolution and civil litigation.
The legal firms today are very competitive, streamlined, and accessible and at the same time thoroughly professional. In this issue of Insights Success, we are glad to enlist “The 10 Most Influential Law Firms in Maharashtra”. These legal firms are providing legal advises in a manner that is relevant with the times today.
A Blockchain Revolution: The rise of Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies
Blockchain was the technology story of 2017, as the paradigm shift that has been gathering among developers for several years finally hit the mainstream.
News organisations have devoted much time trying to explain to the general public these new virtual concepts including cryptocurrencies, smart contracts and initial coin offerings (ICOs). Riding the crest of this wave is Bitcoin, the first cryptocurrency with mass appeal, and a name that trips off most people’s tongue when this topic comes up.
The following discussion draws on the expertise of IR Global’s commercial lawyers to drill down into cryptocurrency and blockchain developments in an effort to answer these questions.You will hear from ten experts in nine different jurisdictions - Switzerland, UAE, USA, Singapore, Luxembourg, Brazil, Slovakia, Germany and The Netherlands.
To view the full publication please see IR Global's e-publications page - https://www.irglobal.com/news/e-publications
Final File_The 10 Most Influential Leaders in Legal Services, 2021-compressed...TycoonSuccess
The document profiles 10 influential leaders in the legal services industry in 2021. It discusses Nilo T. Divina, the Managing Partner of DivinaLaw, one of the largest law firms in the Philippines. It details his career path and accomplishments, as well as the growth of DivinaLaw under his leadership. It also provides a brief profile of Axis Geffen, the President and Founder of Axis Vero Incorporated, a private investigation agency based in Ontario, Canada that offers investigative services worldwide.
The document discusses an interview with Sharyn Ch'ang, Director of the Global Office of the General Counsel at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Hong Kong. She describes her varied role managing complex cross-border legal matters and PwC's global brand. She emphasizes important qualities for in-house counsel like being brave, resilient, insightful, gracious, happy, and thoughtful. Her career highlights include working as the first female associate to a prominent Australian jurist and establishing IBM's IP function in Australia. She explains how in-house counsel can become indispensable by deeply understanding their organization's objectives and communicating legal advice clearly without jargon.
This document summarizes the president's column from the Defense Trial Counsel of West Virginia newsletter. It discusses two main challenges facing the organization: recruiting and retaining members, and becoming more politically relevant in a changing legislative environment. It describes steps taken in the past year to address membership declines, including revitalizing events and committees. It also discusses the organization's involvement monitoring and lobbying on legislative bills during the recent session, with a goal to be better prepared for future sessions.
Yuki Sato is an attorney admitted to practice law in Japan and New York. She is currently a partner at the Toranomon Chuo Law Firm in Tokyo, Japan. Her experience includes working at Yamamoto Sogo Law Offices from 2005-2006 and at White & Case LLP from 2006-2013. She specializes in general corporate law, M&A/corporate restructuring, compliance and risk management, intellectual property, and finance.
The Wolf Theiss law firm held a unique lawyer retreat in Austria that brought together over 300 lawyers from across 12 offices to focus on business development training. The retreat program directly engaged 8 top in-house counsel from major companies to provide objective guidance to the lawyers on how to secure client work. Through case studies and presentations evaluated by the in-house counsel, the young lawyers from Wolf Theiss gained confidence and skills in client relations. The retreat succeeded in further integrating the firm and empowering the next generation of lawyers, and has led to new client mandates and awards for the firm.
Law Firm Partnership: Models, Fears/Challenges and SolutionsUkire
This document discusses law firm partnerships in Nigeria, including their history and models. It notes that most law firms were traditionally structured like English barristers' chambers but some have begun adopting partnerships. Various partnership models are described, including lockstep and eat what you kill. Challenges of partnerships like lacking shared vision or flexibility are outlined. Solutions proposed include honesty, trust, adhering to agreed rules, and ability to adapt to changes. The conclusion questions what the future holds for law partnerships in Nigeria, such as potential foreign involvement and alliances.
This document provides an overview of the 10th Corporate Registers Forum (CRF) conference held in New Zealand. It discusses the history and founding of CRF in 2003 and highlights some of the keynote speakers and topics that will be covered at the conference, including challenges facing emerging economies, comparisons between registration systems, and ensuring integrity. It also summarizes recent legislative changes in New Zealand to address issues like shell companies and money laundering through increased accountability, transparency and enforcement requirements for companies.
- Novus Law, a legal services company, is saving corporate clients like Fireman's Fund Insurance Co. 15-30% on outside counsel fees compared to traditional large law firms by handling document review and litigation support more efficiently.
- Alternative legal service providers are taking a significant amount of work from large law firms and tripling their revenue each year. They embrace technology and process-driven approaches to save clients an estimated $25 billion per year.
- A technology-driven revolution is transforming the legal industry, with the boundaries between legal work and services blurring. Nearly half of companies at LegalTech now offer legal products, not just services. This new model is where future legal industry growth and jobs will be.
Insights Success’ latest edition titled ‘The Most Trusted Corporate and Commercial Law Firms’ makes it easy for you by listing some of the best and most compassionate law firms.
Read More :- https://www.insightssuccess.in/the-most-trusted-corporate-and-commercial-law-firms-edition-2-december2021/
This document provides information about Kus&Co Law Office in Indonesia. It discusses the firm's commitment to professionalism and ensuring clients' rights are secured. The law office offers a range of legal services, including business law, intellectual property, taxation, land, and litigation services. It aims to guide clients and represent their interests in accordance with Indonesian law. Contact information and the firm's locations in Jakarta are also provided.
The document is Latham & Watkins' 2013 Pro Bono Annual Review. It summarizes the firm's extensive pro bono efforts around the world in 2013. Some key details include: the firm provided over 190,000 hours of pro bono legal services valued at over $102 million to help individuals and nonprofits; pro bono work was conducted in many practice areas across the US, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East; and highlights are provided on pro bono activities and partnerships in various offices.
The document provides an overview of pro bono efforts across Latham & Watkins offices in 2012. It describes various pro bono initiatives and clients in each major office location, including advising non-profits on legal and corporate matters. Offices around the world participated in pro bono, from advising human rights organizations in Europe to assisting microfinance institutions in the Middle East. Overall, Latham & Watkins provided over 176,000 hours of pro bono services globally in 2012.
Marc Gravely, founder of Gravely PC, as he graces the cover of the renowned World’s Leaders Magazine, recognized as the World's Irrefutable Leaders in Law, 2023
Marc Gravely, founder of Gravely PC, as he graces the cover of the renowned World’s Leaders Magazine, recognized as the World's Irrefutable Leaders in Law, 2023
Constructing Legal Strategy in the New Economy: Alternative Servicing and Bil...jonneiditz
This document introduces the panelists for a roundtable discussion on constructing legal strategy in the new economy. It provides brief biographies of each panelist, including their professional backgrounds, experiences, and affiliations. The roundtable was hosted by Stites & Harbison and Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough law firms and moderated by the Dean of Emory Law School. It covered how law firm and in-house business models are evolving in a changing economy.
This document provides information about A&Z Law Firm, a full-service law firm founded in 2004 with offices in Shanghai, Beijing, Dalian, Wuhan, and Tokyo. The firm has 50 staff including 7 senior partners and 25 attorneys. A&Z Law Firm practices 10 areas of business law and can service clients in 5 languages. The firm prides itself on its rapid response time, high quality international standard services, legal excellence, and reasonable costs. It represents over 300 global clients from a variety of industries.
SPEAKER SERIES
2020 JAPAN EXECUTIVE TEAM
Institutional Investor Research's Speaker Series were held in August and October. Lively panel discussions focused on effective engagement with investors on ESG topics and the impact of shareholder activism on corporate value creation post shareholder engagements.
The legal firms today are very competitive, streamlined, and accessible and at the same time thoroughly professional. In this issue of Insights Success, we are glad to enlist “The 10 Most Influential Law Firms in Maharashtra”. These legal firms are providing legal advises in a manner that is relevant with the times today.
A Blockchain Revolution: The rise of Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies
Blockchain was the technology story of 2017, as the paradigm shift that has been gathering among developers for several years finally hit the mainstream.
News organisations have devoted much time trying to explain to the general public these new virtual concepts including cryptocurrencies, smart contracts and initial coin offerings (ICOs). Riding the crest of this wave is Bitcoin, the first cryptocurrency with mass appeal, and a name that trips off most people’s tongue when this topic comes up.
The following discussion draws on the expertise of IR Global’s commercial lawyers to drill down into cryptocurrency and blockchain developments in an effort to answer these questions.You will hear from ten experts in nine different jurisdictions - Switzerland, UAE, USA, Singapore, Luxembourg, Brazil, Slovakia, Germany and The Netherlands.
To view the full publication please see IR Global's e-publications page - https://www.irglobal.com/news/e-publications
Final File_The 10 Most Influential Leaders in Legal Services, 2021-compressed...TycoonSuccess
The document profiles 10 influential leaders in the legal services industry in 2021. It discusses Nilo T. Divina, the Managing Partner of DivinaLaw, one of the largest law firms in the Philippines. It details his career path and accomplishments, as well as the growth of DivinaLaw under his leadership. It also provides a brief profile of Axis Geffen, the President and Founder of Axis Vero Incorporated, a private investigation agency based in Ontario, Canada that offers investigative services worldwide.
The document discusses an interview with Sharyn Ch'ang, Director of the Global Office of the General Counsel at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Hong Kong. She describes her varied role managing complex cross-border legal matters and PwC's global brand. She emphasizes important qualities for in-house counsel like being brave, resilient, insightful, gracious, happy, and thoughtful. Her career highlights include working as the first female associate to a prominent Australian jurist and establishing IBM's IP function in Australia. She explains how in-house counsel can become indispensable by deeply understanding their organization's objectives and communicating legal advice clearly without jargon.
This document summarizes the president's column from the Defense Trial Counsel of West Virginia newsletter. It discusses two main challenges facing the organization: recruiting and retaining members, and becoming more politically relevant in a changing legislative environment. It describes steps taken in the past year to address membership declines, including revitalizing events and committees. It also discusses the organization's involvement monitoring and lobbying on legislative bills during the recent session, with a goal to be better prepared for future sessions.
Yuki Sato is an attorney admitted to practice law in Japan and New York. She is currently a partner at the Toranomon Chuo Law Firm in Tokyo, Japan. Her experience includes working at Yamamoto Sogo Law Offices from 2005-2006 and at White & Case LLP from 2006-2013. She specializes in general corporate law, M&A/corporate restructuring, compliance and risk management, intellectual property, and finance.
The Wolf Theiss law firm held a unique lawyer retreat in Austria that brought together over 300 lawyers from across 12 offices to focus on business development training. The retreat program directly engaged 8 top in-house counsel from major companies to provide objective guidance to the lawyers on how to secure client work. Through case studies and presentations evaluated by the in-house counsel, the young lawyers from Wolf Theiss gained confidence and skills in client relations. The retreat succeeded in further integrating the firm and empowering the next generation of lawyers, and has led to new client mandates and awards for the firm.
Law Firm Partnership: Models, Fears/Challenges and SolutionsUkire
This document discusses law firm partnerships in Nigeria, including their history and models. It notes that most law firms were traditionally structured like English barristers' chambers but some have begun adopting partnerships. Various partnership models are described, including lockstep and eat what you kill. Challenges of partnerships like lacking shared vision or flexibility are outlined. Solutions proposed include honesty, trust, adhering to agreed rules, and ability to adapt to changes. The conclusion questions what the future holds for law partnerships in Nigeria, such as potential foreign involvement and alliances.
This document provides an overview of the 10th Corporate Registers Forum (CRF) conference held in New Zealand. It discusses the history and founding of CRF in 2003 and highlights some of the keynote speakers and topics that will be covered at the conference, including challenges facing emerging economies, comparisons between registration systems, and ensuring integrity. It also summarizes recent legislative changes in New Zealand to address issues like shell companies and money laundering through increased accountability, transparency and enforcement requirements for companies.
- Novus Law, a legal services company, is saving corporate clients like Fireman's Fund Insurance Co. 15-30% on outside counsel fees compared to traditional large law firms by handling document review and litigation support more efficiently.
- Alternative legal service providers are taking a significant amount of work from large law firms and tripling their revenue each year. They embrace technology and process-driven approaches to save clients an estimated $25 billion per year.
- A technology-driven revolution is transforming the legal industry, with the boundaries between legal work and services blurring. Nearly half of companies at LegalTech now offer legal products, not just services. This new model is where future legal industry growth and jobs will be.
Insights Success’ latest edition titled ‘The Most Trusted Corporate and Commercial Law Firms’ makes it easy for you by listing some of the best and most compassionate law firms.
Read More :- https://www.insightssuccess.in/the-most-trusted-corporate-and-commercial-law-firms-edition-2-december2021/
This document provides information about Kus&Co Law Office in Indonesia. It discusses the firm's commitment to professionalism and ensuring clients' rights are secured. The law office offers a range of legal services, including business law, intellectual property, taxation, land, and litigation services. It aims to guide clients and represent their interests in accordance with Indonesian law. Contact information and the firm's locations in Jakarta are also provided.
The document is Latham & Watkins' 2013 Pro Bono Annual Review. It summarizes the firm's extensive pro bono efforts around the world in 2013. Some key details include: the firm provided over 190,000 hours of pro bono legal services valued at over $102 million to help individuals and nonprofits; pro bono work was conducted in many practice areas across the US, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East; and highlights are provided on pro bono activities and partnerships in various offices.
The document provides an overview of pro bono efforts across Latham & Watkins offices in 2012. It describes various pro bono initiatives and clients in each major office location, including advising non-profits on legal and corporate matters. Offices around the world participated in pro bono, from advising human rights organizations in Europe to assisting microfinance institutions in the Middle East. Overall, Latham & Watkins provided over 176,000 hours of pro bono services globally in 2012.
Marc Gravely, founder of Gravely PC, as he graces the cover of the renowned World’s Leaders Magazine, recognized as the World's Irrefutable Leaders in Law, 2023
Marc Gravely, founder of Gravely PC, as he graces the cover of the renowned World’s Leaders Magazine, recognized as the World's Irrefutable Leaders in Law, 2023
Constructing Legal Strategy in the New Economy: Alternative Servicing and Bil...jonneiditz
This document introduces the panelists for a roundtable discussion on constructing legal strategy in the new economy. It provides brief biographies of each panelist, including their professional backgrounds, experiences, and affiliations. The roundtable was hosted by Stites & Harbison and Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough law firms and moderated by the Dean of Emory Law School. It covered how law firm and in-house business models are evolving in a changing economy.
This document provides information about A&Z Law Firm, a full-service law firm founded in 2004 with offices in Shanghai, Beijing, Dalian, Wuhan, and Tokyo. The firm has 50 staff including 7 senior partners and 25 attorneys. A&Z Law Firm practices 10 areas of business law and can service clients in 5 languages. The firm prides itself on its rapid response time, high quality international standard services, legal excellence, and reasonable costs. It represents over 300 global clients from a variety of industries.
SPEAKER SERIES
2020 JAPAN EXECUTIVE TEAM
Institutional Investor Research's Speaker Series were held in August and October. Lively panel discussions focused on effective engagement with investors on ESG topics and the impact of shareholder activism on corporate value creation post shareholder engagements.
1. A CONVERSATION WITH MR. TOMOO NISHIKAWA,
MANAGING PARTNER OF SIDLEY’S TOKYO OFFICE
AND HEAD OF THE FIRM’S JAPAN PRACTICE
A conversation with Mr. Tomoo Nishikawa, Managing Partner of Sidley’s Tokyo office and head of the firm’s Japan practice.
What first led you to Sidley?
Prior to being asked to join Sidley, I had been a partner at one of
the most well-regarded law firms in Japan. I led efforts, as I do
now, in structured finance matters—in particular, in aircraft and
film financing projects. Sidley had an office in Tokyo at the time,
although the four lawyers there weren’t qualified to practice
Japanese law. They functioned primarily as liaisons through
which clients in Tokyo worked with Sidley’s offices in the United
States.
The partner in the Tokyo office, Mr. Mark Schultz, happened to
be good friends with me and my wife, the Honorable Akira
Matsu, Member of the House of Councilors [Upper House] of the
Diet, the Japanese Parliament. Mark, who has since left the firm,
was very focused on expanding Sidley’s practice in Tokyo to
include substantive work in Japanese law. So he began efforts
to recruit a Japanese lawyer fluent in both English and
Japanese. Those efforts ultimately led me to establish a foreign
law joint enterprise in partnership with Sidley.
We formed that partnership, Sidley Austin Nishikawa Foreign Law Joint Enterprise, in October 2002, and I became the
Managing Partner of the Tokyo Office. I also brought with me two lawyers from my previous firm who were qualified to
practice Japanese law. After that, Sidley’s practice in Japan began to grow very rapidly with the assistance of the firm’s
lawyers worldwide. Our focus, regulatory work, of course requires international collaboration with Sidley’s offices in the U.S.
Tell us a bit about Sidley’s history in Tokyo and what has distinguished us in the minds of those in the business
community.
When I first formed the joint enterprise with the firm, Sidley was already well-known and highly regarded in the U.S.
However, it had yet to develop name recognition in Japan. In fact, during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo office, where
former Prime Minister Mori and also Cabinet Members were present, one of the cabinet ministers mistook the firm’s name
for “Sydney,” the city in Australia [[laughs]].
The foreign law joint enterprises on the landscape at that time were not very well established. Most had the significant
disadvantage of not being qualified to practice Japanese law. Our office in Tokyo was quite distinct, in that from its inception,
the team featured fully bilingual bengoshi—lawyers qualified and experienced in Japanese law. They were also very familiar
with U.S. law, having received law degrees in the States.
Nowadays, there are some foreign law joint enterprises in Tokyo with qualified Japanese lawyers. However, our practice
stands apart for its significant cross-border regulatory capabilities. We have been the catalyst for resolving many regulatory
issues for Japanese clients and other clients around the world.
Like other lawyers at Sidley, you have had significant experience in government. How has that informed your work?
I had served as a government officer at the Ministry of Construction—now Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and
Tourism—from 1972 to 1975. I was also a member of the Japanese House of Representatives from 1996 to 2000. This
2. 2
experience has given me a wealth of knowledge in the complex administrative and legislative systems in Japan. The laws in
Japan in many cases lack transparency, making it difficult for global businesses operating in Japan to interpret them.
Being able to properly guide clients with the relevant authorities and also the legislatures is critical. Regulations can be
handled well enough by any lawyer—you can read a book to get that information. However, to truly be successful in the
complex transactions, you have to read between the lines and understand how the regulations really apply to the clients’
unique business opportunities. It is also essential to have the cooperation of lawyers in the U.S. Many law firms in Japan
lack that collaborative international component.
In one of our cases where governmental experience was essential, we represented a leading global insurance company in
its negotiations with the Japanese Financial Services Agency (FSA). In the course of those discussions, we successfully led
the FSA to establish its own no-action letter system. This, in turn, lent much more transparency to the regulatory process.
We also helped a major airline carrier through talks with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and key
Diet members.
Achieving such success on behalf of our clients has significantly enhanced our reputation in Japan, as well as the breadth
and volume of matters we handle. Our regulatory strength now encompasses a wide range of practice areas, including life
sciences, finance and customs.
What have you found particularly gratifying about the work?
We have been involved in numerous high-profile cross-border regulatory transactions that are both exciting and complex.
Such sophisticated matters require us to navigate the geographical boundaries, as well as the inherent differences in
language, legal systems and business practices. It is truly gratifying when we can guide our clients in such endeavors.
One such matter was the transfer of part of the Japan-based business operations of another leading global insurance
company to a major Japanese insurance company. We worked very closely with Sidley’s Chicago office on this project. The
Tokyo office handled the Japanese legal issues, including the negotiations for the FSA’s approval. Our understanding of
both the Japanese and American legal and business practices, combined with the ability of our colleagues in Chicago to boil
down the Japanese legal requirements and relay them to our client in a way that was comprehensive but also easy to
understand, were essential for the successful closing of the transaction. The matter was widely reported in the media in
Japan and the U.S. This is but one of many excellent examples of cross-collaboration for which the firm is known in Japan.
How would you describe the distinctive culture and inner workings of the Tokyo office?
Our office has a relatively small number of lawyers, as compared to the teams in the U.S. offices. We are a tight-knit group
that works very well together. Each lawyer here is aware of all the projects the Tokyo office is involved in—not just the ones
he/she is directly working on. This helps expand the horizon of our lawyers—to see how everyone’s work has the potential to
intersect and expand.