Japanese law firm Miura & Partners has launched its second U.S. office in Seattle after absorbing local boutique Baxter Law International, marking its latest move in an aggressive global expansion strategy.

Baxter Law’s founder, Eriko “Elly” Baxter, will join Miura as the managing attorney of its new Seattle office and her firm will operate under Miura & Partners US, the Japanese firm’s U.S. concern launched in San Francisco in 2023. Miura Tokyo partners Naomi Koshi and Norika Yuasa will travel regularly to Seattle to oversee the integration and maintain the strategic alliance.

“Miura & Partners US specializes in supporting Japanese companies entering the US market as well as US companies entering the Japanese market, providing legal advice on M&A, tax, and employment matters for cross-border businesses,” the firm said in a statement. 

Baxter, who launched her namesake firm in 2016, has built a practice focused on the U.S.-Japan business corridor, providing legal advice to U.S. companies expanding into Japan, Japanese businesses entering the U.S. market, and local Japanese business owners operating in the United States.

This acquisition mirrors Miura's initial U.S. market entry strategy from 2023, when it formed a strategic alliance with San Francisco-based Yorozu Law Group, which had been providing legal services to Japanese companies and their U.S. subsidiaries for more than two decades.

Founded in 2019, Miura has rapidly built an international presence focused on cross-border Japanese practice groups. The firm opened offices in London and Jakarta, and Vietnam in 2023, and Thailand and Malaysia earlier this year. Miura now has over 100 attorneys across its offices.