Atsumi & Sakai

Managing Partners: Mr Hiroo Atsumi

Number of partners: 110

Number of lawyers: 210+

Languages: Japanese, English, German, Chinese, Korean, Hindi, Marathi, Russian, Vietnamese

Firm Overview: 

■ Full-service independent Japanese law firm

■ Frequently recognised as a ‘top tier’ firm by independent legal commentators

■ First Japanese law firm to create a foreign law joint venture

■ Foreign partners and other non-Japanese lawyers with real experience in leading US and international law firms

■ Market leader in diversity and employee satisfaction

■ Only independent Japanese law firm with an office in London, affiliate offices in New York and Frankfurt and an affiliated law firm in Vietnam

The Firm: 

Atsumi & Sakai is a multi-award-winning, independent Tokyo law firm, and one of the ten largest independent full-service law firms in Japan. The firm was the first Japanese law firm to create a foreign law joint venture, which enables it to admit foreign partners and so offer its clients the quality of service that the modern international business community demands. Expanding from its highly regarded finance practice, the firm now acts for a wide range of international and domestic companies, banks, financial institutions and other businesses, offering a comprehensive range of legal expertise.

International Practice: 

Atsumi & Sakai has an outward-looking approach to its international practice, and has a number of foreign partners, consultants and attorneys with extensive experience at leading international law firms, so offering its clients the benefit of a combination of Japanese law expertise and real international experience. Atsumi & Sakai is the only independent Japanese law firm with an office in London, affiliate offices in New York and Frankfurt and an affiliated law firm in Vietnam. Over half of the firm's work now includes an international element.

In addition to lawyers admitted in Japan (including Japanese lawyers who are admitted and maintaining qualification to practice in California, New York, and England and Wales), the firm includes foreign lawyers registered in Japan to advise on the laws of the US States of New York and California, India, England and Wales, the State of Queensland, Australia, United States and Australian Federal laws, and the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany (also in collaboration with Janssen Foreign Law Office).

Innovation & Diversity: 

The firm constantly seeks to anticipate its clients’ needs for new legal services, most recently those arising from rapid technological developments in the financial services industry, and strives to provide high-quality and cost-effective services and solutions to support start-up companies. The firm also offers a flexible alternative fee arrangement tailored to meet the specific needs and goals of each client company.

Atsumi & Sakai takes a proactive approach to diversity, with around 25% of all lawyers being women and 11% non-Japanese, and encourages its lawyers to maintain a good work/life balance, all of which contributed to the firm being recognised as Japan’s leading law firm for employee satisfaction.

Main Areas of Practice: 

■ Antitrust/Competition

■ Banking & Finance

■ Capital Markets/Securitisation, Structured Finance

■ Construction/Infrastructure

■ Corporate/M&A Corporate

■ Investigations/Anti-Corruption

■ Data Protection & Privacy

■ Dispute Resolution, Domestic & Cross-Border Litigation & Arbitration

■ Energy (including Oil & Gas, Renewable Energy)

■ Financial Services Regulation

■ Funds Regulation

■ Information Technology (AI/IoT)

■ Insolvency/Corporate Restructuring

■ Insurance

■ Intellectual Property

■ International Trade

■ Investment Funds/Joint Ventures

■ Labour & Employment

■ Life Sciences/Medical and Pharmaceutical Business

■ PFI/PPP

■ Private Equity & Venture Capital

■ Projects/Project Finance

■ Real Estate (Acquisition, Financing, Development)

■ Risk Management

■ Securities Regulation

■ Shipping/Aviation

■ Sports/Entertainment

■ Tax

■ TMT (Technology, Media & Telecommunications)

■ White-Collar Crime/Criminal Defence