Firm Description

Established in 1994 with five lawyers, Atsumi & Sakai (previously Atsumi & Partners) now has over 90 lawyers and 60 support staff, paralegals and translators, ranking the firm among the top ten largest independent Japanese law firms. The firm has doubled in size in the last five years and this phenomenal growth has led to the development of a comprehensive range of legal expertise, including in the areas of finance, capital markets, corporate law, M&A, private equity, real estate, employment, dispute resolution, insurance and insolvency.

Atsumi & Sakai is a recognized leader in its core capabilities of finance and corporate law, particularly for innovative and award-winning work in structured finance and securitization. The firm has an active private equity/M&A practice, advises on the creation and management of investment funds and handles a host of transactional, regulatory and day-to-day matters for its corporate, employment, real estate, investment fund and financial sector clients.

In April 2005, Atsumi & Sakai became the first Japanese law firm to create a foreign law joint venture (gaikokuhou kyoudou jigyo). This allows the firm to admit experienced foreign lawyers as partners, so creating a unique combination of international expertise and capabilities and an extensive Japanese law practice. The firm not only advises on the law of Japan but can also advise on New York, California, Ohio, English, German, Chinese and Victoria State (Australia) law, and has a significant cross-border transactional practice.