Anderson Mori & Tomotsune (AMT) is set to become the first Japan Big Four to allow foreign lawyers to become equity partners after it launched a foreign law joint enterprise.

This move is now legally possible after the joint enterprise was launched under the Act on Special Measures concerning the Handling of Legal Services by Foreign Lawyers. Following this, the official firm name in Japanese will change to Anderson Mori & Tomotsune Gaikokuho-Kyodo-Jigyo, while the name in English will remain unchanged

In a statement, the firm said it was “committed to actively recruit talented foreign qualified lawyers who are passionate about building bridges between Japan and the rest of the world.”

According to the ALB Top 50 rankings for 2020, AMT was the third-largest law firm in Japan, with 476 lawyers, and the 47th largest domestic law firm in the Asian region.

 

To contact the editorial team, please email ALBEditor@thomsonreuters.com

Related Articles

Yulchon continues disputes hiring spree with AMT practice head

by Nimitt Dixit |

International arbitration veteran David MacArthur is moving from Tokyo to Seoul, joining the partnership at South Korean Big Six firm Yulchon as co-leader of the disputes practice. His move comes at a time when Yulchon has been aggressively bulking up its disputes offering.

Nishimura, NO&T, AMT advise on $3.3 bln Lawson privatization bid

by Mari Iwata |

Nishimura & Asahi has advised Japanese telecommunication company KDDI on its 496.5 billion yen ($3.3 billion) offer to take convenience store chain Lawson private. Lawson is being represented by Anderson Mori & Tomotsune, with Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu guiding current shareholder Mitsubishi Corp.

FORUM: Chaos and Opportunity

by Sarah Wong |

2023 has been characterised by continued economic challenges, geopolitical tumult, and strategic pivots by governments and businesses. Law firms in Asia emerging from this trial by fire have also harvested valuable takeaways to better navigate their jurisdictions’ shifting commercial and political landscapes.