JAPAN
- Japan’s biggest firms consolidate their positions in the ‘Big Four’ through increasing fee-earner headcounts.
- Elevation of the first gaiben to partnership in local firms: is this the start of a trend?
Atsumi & Partners
- Managing partner/s: Hiroo Atsumi (managing partner); Hiroaki Takahashi (vice managing partner)
- Number of partners/other fee earners: 21/60
- Asia offices: Tokyo
|
|
Partners
|
Fee
earners
|
|
2008
|
19
|
49
|
|
2009
|
21
|
60
|
Summary:
An ALB Fast 30 law firm last year, Atsumi & Partners returns to the list this year after another year of strong organic growth. Apart from increasing its partner and fee earner numbers by two and 11 respectively (including the elevation of John Shanahan to partnership), the firm also sealed memberships with international organisations such as the World Services Group and ALFA International.
Mori Hamada & Matsumoto
- Managing partner/s: Toru Ishiguro, Yasuzo Takeno, Satoko Kuwabara, Hideki Matsui, Masanori Sato, Soichiro Fujiwara
- Number of partners/other fee earners: 81/214
- Asia offices: Tokyo, Beijing & Shanghai
|
|
Partners
|
Fee
earners
|
|
2008
|
73
|
174
|
|
2009
|
81
|
214
|
Summary:
Another Japanese law firm returning to our ALB Fast 30, albeit after a year’s hiatus, is Mori Hamada, which consolidated its position in Japan’s ‘Big Four’ through some impressive organic growth over the past year. In March this year, the firm elevated nine associates to its partnership, brought in a total of 35 newly-qualified lawyers in two intakes in January and September 2009 and also made two high-profile senior hires. Former Prosecutor-General of the Public Prosecutors Office Keiichi Tadaki joined in October while Chuo University Law School professor Hiroshi Takahashi came on board in July.
Nishimura & Asahi
- Managing partner: Akira Kosugi
- Number of partners/other fee earners: 81/362
- Asian offices: Tokyo
|
|
Partners
|
Fee
earners
|
|
2008
|
77
|
339
|
|
2009
|
81
|
362
|
Summary:
Nishimura & Asahi returns to our ALB Fast 30 list this year after it increased its fee earner ranks by 23 and the number of partners from 77 to 81. Like fellow Japanese firm Atsumi & Partners, Nishimura tapped into the gaiben employment market bringing on board Go Hashimoto, Eiji Kobayashi, James Emerson, Lee Hill, Sun Ing Chian, Deborah Im and Yin Xiuzhong. The firm is also in the process of establishing its first international office – in Beijing – which it expects to open in April 2010.
NEXT: Korea's fastest growing firms 2009
Go to page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7