Mori Hamada & Matsumoto is a full service law firm that has served clients with distinction since its establishment, in December 2002, by the merger of Mori Sogo and Hamada & Matsumoto. Even as business conditions have rapidly shifted both within Japan and internationally, the firm’s goal has been to grow with our clients through tireless effort and constant innovation.
Led by top-rated lawyers across a wide array of practice areas, our large team of legal professionals and support staff offer the firm their experience, expertise and hard work to bring our clients the best results in every matter we handle. Our team strives to build new frameworks to tackle cutting-edge problems, to break down barriers on tough cases, and to find a common resolution in matters with many conflicting interests.
Based on this solid foundation of experience, Mori Hamada & Matsumoto also contributes significantly to the constant evolution and improvement of the Japanese legal system, and to the creation of a legal infrastructure that will enable our clients to excel.
Founded in 2002
50 people in their team
Ensuring successful M&A outcomes drawing on our expertise, experience, and creativity
We handle a diverse range of matters relating to mergers and acquisitions, investments, restructurings, and corporate alliances across various industries and sectors around the world. To meet our clients’ M&A needs, we offer seamless and integrated service for the whole transaction process, including the evaluation of business opportunities, participation in sales processes as buyers or sellers, conducting due diligence, and the structuring, negotiation, and completion of the transaction.
Our lawyers have advised on some of the largest and most complex cross-border transactions and can draw on their extensive experience in managing and conducting due diligence, drafting and negotiating transaction documents, and communicating and liaising with applicable regulatory authorities. Our lawyers are regularly seconded to governmental agencies and regulatory bodies and are involved in the development of Japanese laws and regulations relating to M&A.
We are particularly well positioned to handle large and complex transactions that require the quick assembly of a team of lawyers with expertise across a range of practice areas. We are able to draw upon our size and breadth of practice areas; our extensive experience in a variety of business sectors; the strong relationships we enjoy with Japanese regulatory authorities, stock exchanges, and industry experts; and our deep understanding of the Japanese court system. Whether it is a matter of corporate law, finance, labor, antitrust, tax, intellectual property, real estate, litigation, bankruptcy, or other area of law, we have the lawyers suited to serve our clients’ needs.
Broad experience in providing support for the restructuring and rehabilitation of businesses
The success of our sizable insolvency practice is a result of our broad experience in representing different parties in bankruptcy disputes and claim collection activities. We act on behalf of debtors, creditors, and financial advisers, in all types of Japanese bankruptcy and reorganization proceedings, out-of-court workouts, and pre-packaged reorganizations involving listed companies and small and medium-sized enterprises. Our lawyers also serve as administrative receivers and trustees in bankruptcy proceedings.
We draw upon the expertise of our corporate, M&A, and finance practices in increasingly complex insolvency cases. We are consistently retained in pioneering transactions that involve a variety of corporate, M&A, and financing techniques in conjunction with insolvency proceedings, including corporate demergers, securitizations, debtor-in-possession financings, asset-backed lending, debt-equity swaps, and debtor-in-possession related corporate reorganizations. The depth and breadth of our practice enable us to provide a comprehensive range of services in transactions and proceedings involving financially distressed companies.
We also serve as a one-stop law firm for international insolvency and restructuring cases by working in close collaboration with major overseas law firms.
Protecting our clients’ rights and interests in arbitration and mediation, both in Japan and overseas
Since our firm’s formation, we have been in the forefront of dispute resolution in Japan. Today, we continue to lead the Japanese dispute resolution practice both in court and in alternative dispute resolution.
Our alternative dispute resolution practice extends inside and outside Japan, as legal representatives of clients or arbitrators before the JCAA, the ICC, the SIAC, and other international arbitration institutions. Two of our lawyers are admitted to appear before the newly established Singapore International Commercial Court.
Advice on a broad variety of general and complex matters based on the latest developments and risks in the dynamic area of labor law
Our Labor Law Practice Group provides advice on a comprehensive range of labor matters including human resources, employee benefits and compensation, and tax and regulations, in connection with general labor matters, complex business transactions, and disputes and litigation. We serve diverse clients, including companies, boards of directors, board committees, management teams, and individual employees, executives, and business owners.
With our history of engaging in a broad variety of general and complex labor matters, we are able to provide effective, practical, and innovative advice based on the latest developments and risks in labor law, other relevant law, and business practices. We also work seamlessly with lawyers from all our Practice Groups to provide a one-stop, full service solution for clients in connection with all types of business transactions and disputes.
Labor law is a dynamic area of law, as theory, interpretation, and practice continue to evolve, reflecting changes in the workplace and decisions of Japanese courts and authorities that modify past rulings. Labor disputes are growing rapidly with a number of new labor cases heard in recent years by courts or labor tribunals in Japan. We have the experience to advise businesses of all sizes and in all industries to uncover, understand, and address all types of risks relating to labor law.
