Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

The firm: Orrick is focused on serving clients in the technology and innovation, energy and infrastructure, and finance sectors globally. Founded more than 150 years ago, today the firm has 1,400+ lawyers focusing on key markets across the United States, Europe, and Asia. Its team of lawyers in Asia work seamlessly with its global team to provide the best and most responsive legal solutions for clients.

For over two decades, the firm’s lawyers in Tokyo have handled many of Japan’s cutting-edge domestic and cross-border transactions. With U.S. and Japanese law capabilities, the Tokyo team provide clients with comprehensive support in both languages and jurisdictions. As a result, Orrick is a preferred advisor to local and international companies with inbound and outbound business activities that require sophisticated cross-border legal solutions.

Areas of practice

Technology and innovation:Leading Japan-based and multinational tech companies, private equity and venture capital firms turn to us for growth and investment strategies. We represent major Japanese and multinational companies, on inbound and outbound M&A, sales of closely held companies, corporate venture investments, IP and data strategies, and other strategic alliances. Our tech sector experience – automotive technology and mobility, e-commerce, life sciences, and fintech – helps support the fast-growing and disruptive tech market, with our client base including some of the biggest Japanese tech companies.

Corporate: Our lawyers in Japan provide clients with a unique combination of practical business experience and well-proven legal knowledge in key client industries. Our approach gives us a better understanding of our clients’ needs and their business goals, enabling us to provide them with superior legal services on transactional matters and valuable input with respect to strategic planning. This often includes identifying potential sources of financing and partners for strategic alliances and joint ventures. We advise clients in the areas of mergers & acquisitions, joint ventures and strategic alliances, emerging companies and venture capital, technology transactions and general corporate representation.

Energy and infrastructure: The Orrick Japan team has long been at the forefront of the Asia renewable energy market with close ties to energy regulatory bodies and specialist renewable energy experience in solar, wind and biomass matters. Orrick has one of the leading global offshore wind platforms and teams in Asia working closely with our US and European teams on cross-border projects. We are a preferred advisor to local and international companies with inbound and outbound business activities that require sophisticated cross-border legal solutions.

Intellectual property: We assist multinationals in all aspects of IP in Japan, the US and beyond. Tokyo-based IP lawyers are known for handling complex disputes in Japanese courts with experience handling disputes involving the representation of plaintiffs and defendants in patent, copyright and trademark actions, as well as unfair competition and trade secret actions.

Litigation and dispute resolution: We offer companies one of the leading litigation platforms – including litigators who have experience understanding the unique risks and considerations Japan-based clients facing disputes around the world. We represent clients in commercial litigation, product liability, trade secrets misappropriation, intellectual property and regulatory investigations. We have a renowned international arbitration practice that represents clients and sovereign states before all major arbitral institutions.

Cyber, privacy and data protection: Our cyber, privacy and data protection practice assist Japan-based and multinational corporations in their most critical privacy and cybersecurity projects at global and regional level. Our global reach and experience allow us to advise clients from a global regulatory perspective, adhere to differing compliance requirements, helping reconcile the varying legal requirements in multiple jurisdictions. We also work on the most demanding and urgent cybersecurity matters specific to each country and help multinational clients handle high-stakes cross-border investigations, litigation, and compliance matters.

Employment: Orrick’s employment team has a wide range of experience related to complex issues encountered by employers in Japan, particularly in the context of the interconnected global economy. We go beyond the legal requirements and resolve problems in the most commercially acceptable way, taking into account the particular needs of each client’s business. We act as global employment counsel, providing a single point of contact solution for all of the client’s employment and employee-benefits needs in all countries of operation. Clients benefit from consistent and high-quality advice delivered efficiently and economically.