Blake Dawson says its pioneering move of being the first Australian firm in Japan may help other Australian firms launch there too. Having announcing its intentions late last year, the firm has since coordinated with the Japanese Ministry of Justice to obtain regulatory approvals and has secured its licence to operate as a foreign firm advising on Australian law. The new office officially opened its doors on 12 April.
“It was a fairly lengthy process in confirming that our office would satisfy all the legal requirements of the ministry,” said resident partner Natsuko Ogawa. “It was probably made more difficult in that the Australian system has not had to come into their scrutiny in the past. That in some ways may benefit other firms following in our footsteps if they choose to, but it’s hard to say.”
Managing partner John Carrington said the office is the fruit of many years of focus on Japan: “Attaining the licence represents not just a major step for Blake Dawson but for the Australian legal profession,” he said. “It follows extensive discussions and engagement with the Japanese regulatory authorities.”
Ogawa is accompanied by three other lawyers stationed at the new office, with another to join later this year. Although the firm has a stable list of Japanese clients such as Kirin and Mitsui, there is scepticism that the market for an Australian firm in Japan may not be sustainable. Critics have said that while there has been a surge of investment transactions from Japan to Australia in the past two years, the fact that
all of that work has been accomplished and serviced without any permanent Australian presence in Tokyo illustrates that the large investment to open offices and staff people to Tokyo is not justified.
Ogawa says that the firm is focusing on building relationships with clients and Japanese firms on the ground. “Australian firms have done very well serving clients from Australia over the years and their clients may well be more than happy with that arrangement,” she said. “In that sense, us opening a Tokyo office may make no difference – but it’s a case by case basis and for [companies] less familiar with the Australian market there will be some level of attraction in having someone close by, with a local presence.”
Ogawa added that the firm does not see itself in competition with international and domestic firms in Japan.
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