Atsutoshi Maeda to lead Anderson Mori & Tomotsune's London office
Atsutoshi Maeda to lead Anderson Mori & Tomotsune's London office
The Japanese law firm has sought to expand its reach outside Asia for the first time
Anderson Mori & Tomotsune (AMT) has opened an office in London. It will be led by corporate partner Atsutoshi Maeda, who has been with the firm for almost 15 years. For eight years, he represented the firm's Singapore office.
The firm will offer advice to European companies seeking to invest in Japanese entities or real estate via M&A or joint venture transactions. (The Japanese Yen fell to a 24-year low against the dollar this week, making Japanese investments cheaper for foreign investors).
The firm would also advise clients on international disputes related to their businesses in Japan and legal issues related to entry into the Japanese market. These include group restructuring or employment matters. AMT intends to rely on its network of relationships with local firms in Europe to advise Japanese companies seeking to do business in the region.
AMT is one of the largest full-service international firms in Japan, comprising over 600 legal professionals.
The London office is AMT's eighth outside of Japan but it is the first outside of Asia. It has a presence in Beijing, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Ho Chi Minh City, Singapore, and Jakarta. And three offices in Japan – Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka.
In June 2020, the firm launched an alliance with Singapore firm DOP Law Corporation to allow it to offer local legal advice, adding to similar arrangements in its Jakarta and Hong Kong offices where it has alliances with H&A Partners and Nakamura & Associates, respectively.
In December, the firm set up a foreign law joint enterprise to allow its foreign lawyers to become partners, using the same structure that international law firms use to hire local lawyers in Japan.
