Blake Dawson opens up new base in Tokyo
Blake Dawson has opened an office in Tokyo, becoming the first Australian firm to be licensed to practice in Japan, reports The Am Law Daily. The new office, which will be led by relocated Melbourne partner Natsuko Ogawa, is intended to funnel business to Blake Dawson's energy and natural resources practices.
April 14, 2010 at 10:57 AM
2 minute read
Blake Dawson has opened an office in Tokyo, becoming the first Australian firm to be licensed to practice in Japan, reports The Am Law Daily.
The new office, which will be led by relocated Melbourne partner Natsuko Ogawa, is intended to funnel business to Blake Dawson's energy and natural resources practices.
The firmwide Japan team will continue to be led by Sydney-based partner Ian Williams and Perth-based partner Rupert Lewi, both specialists in cross-border resources transactions.
Blake Dawson announced plans to open in Tokyo last autumn but then waited several months for a licence from the Japanese Government and national Bar group.
Foreign law firm partners in Japan are generally required to register as gaikokuho-jimu-bengoshi, or gaiben, meaning they can only advise on their home country law. Some foreign firms in Tokyo, such as Morrison & Foerster, have entered into joint ventures to hire locally-qualified lawyers, or bengoshi, to advise on Japanese law.
"Attaining the [gaiben licence] represents not just a major step for Blake Dawson but for the Australian legal profession," said Blake Dawson managing partner John Carrington.
Last month a Blake Dawson team led by Melbourne partner Justin Shmith represented PetroChina in its $3bn (£1.9bn) joint venture with Royal Dutch Shell to take over Australian coal seam gas company Arrow Energy. Fellow Australian firms Allens Arthur Robinson and Mallesons Stephen Jaques represented Shell and Arrow respectively.
The growth of such deals has energised a longstanding debate among large Australian firms about their role in Asia, as many have been hesitant about the costs of competing directly in the region with bigger and wealthier US and UK firms.
Alhough Blake Dawson has opened offices in Shanghai and Singapore, the firm has generally lagged behind rivals like Allens Arthur, Mallesons, and Minter Ellison in terms of Asian expansion.
The Am Law Daily is the website of The American Lawyer, Legal Week's US sister title.
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