Message from the 
Managing Partner

Over 20 years ago, when I was a young lawyer looking to launch my career and we were a firm of just 50 lawyers or so, our founding partner Toshiro Nishimura said to me, “One day, I hope to make this firm a platform of knowledge that would uphold the rule of law.” Since my appointment as our firm’s Managing Partner in 2021, I often think back to Mr. Nishimura’s words and can’t help being amazed at how far we have come.

While we continue to embrace our roots in Japan, we have become so much more - we now have 20 offices across three continents, and some 800 professionals* advising on the biggest and most complex cross-border matters across the world. We are taking on new challenges and gaining ground in new areas of business and law on multiple fronts.

Going back to Mr. Nishimura’s words, we are passionate about providing the best legal services to our clients, but we are also highly focused on how we can contribute to society. Since the firm’s establishment in 1966 to this day, our mission to realize an affluent and fair society based on “the rule of law” remains unchanged and is part of our DNA.

While these words may seem lofty, we are committed to putting these ideals into action at all levels - in our work, in our culture, and in how we interact with society. We are committed to supporting and developing diverse talent, and fostering an inclusive culture conducive to everyone being able to bring their whole selves to work, which we believe is essential to delivering on our mission.

Business is becoming more global and speed-oriented by the day – we maintain a steady program of investment in our people and systems to ensure that we can respond effectively and efficiently to these changes. We pride ourselves on not just being about the law - we understand how the law impacts your business. Some people think that we are a Japanese firm, but I challenge that idea. We are growing, we are changing, we are future-oriented, and we are becoming a truly global firm. I am excited to be a part of the team in these dynamic times, as we grow further with our clients and stakeholders, wherever their businesses are.

Ryutaro Nakayama, Managing Partner