Big Four's Deloitte Rebuilds Tokyo Law Firm With Jones Day Partner Duo
Takashi Tanazawa and Hirokazu Ina were both longtime lawyers at Jones Day
July 02, 2019 at 01:43 PM
3 minute read
Photo: shutterstock.com
The Tokyo law firm affiliated with Big Four accounting firm Deloitte has hired two former Jones Day partners, helping it to recover from a four-lawyer departure to Withers last year.
Takashi Tanazawa and Hirokazu Ina join DT Legal Japan as partners after a combined 27 years with the U.S. firm.
Tanazawa, who also leads DT Legal's dispute resolution practice, specialises in disputes related to product liability, general tort, contract, labour, unfair competition and consumer matters in the information technology, construction, engineering, life science, automobile and consumer products industries.
He leaves Jones Day after almost 14 years with the firm, where he also led its Tokyo office's disputes practice. Tanazawa joined the U.S. firm in 2005 and made partner in 2014.
Ina focuses on financial transactions, securitisations and regulatory issues in the real estate and energy sectors. In 2017, he represented the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ Ltd., Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. and Mizuho Bank Ltd. as lenders of a $500 million syndicated credit facility to Chilean mining company Minera Escondida Ltda.
Ina leaves Jones Day after 13 years with the firm. He joined in 2006 as an associate and made partner in 2008; in 2017, he retired from the partnership and became of counsel.
Earlier this year, DT Legal also recruited a corporate lawyer from local firm T. Hasegawa & Co. and three newly qualified lawyers. The six additions this year make up for the four-lawyer team departure in September of last year to Withers, led by investment funds partners Koji Yamamoto and Yoshiyuki Omori.
DT Legal, which joined Deloitte's global legal network in 2015, has 21 lawyers and is led by managing partner Yasunobu Tsujihata, who joined in 2017 from EY Law Co., where he was a partner.
In addition to Tsujihata, DT Legal poached at least six other lawyers in recent years from Big Four rival EY's affiliated law firm in Tokyo, including former executive director Yuki Sakamoto in 2018. Separately, Yutaka Kitamura, who founded EY Law Co. in 2013, also jumped to Deloitte's tax arm as a director in 2017.
The only other Big Four auditor that has an affiliated law firm in Tokyo is PricewaterhouseCoopers, which launched PwC Japan Legal in 2014. Sydney-based Tony O'Malley, who was appointed global leader of PwC's global legal services network last month, told Law.com's The Asian Lawyer that his top priorities are expanding in Japan, as well as in Hong Kong and Singapore.
Related Stories:
Withers Expands Tokyo Office With Nine-Lawyer Hire
Deloitte's Hong Kong Law Firm Hires Another Partner From China's Zhong Lun
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View All
Hengeler Advises On €7B Baltica 2 Wind Farm Deal Between Ørsted and PGE
2 minute read
Israeli Firm Pearl Cohen Combines with San Francisco IP Boutique
Trending Stories
- 1Uber Files RICO Suit Against Plaintiff-Side Firms Alleging Fraudulent Injury Claims
- 2The Law Firm Disrupted: Scrutinizing the Elephant More Than the Mouse
- 3Inherent Diminished Value Damages Unavailable to 3rd-Party Claimants, Court Says
- 4Pa. Defense Firm Sued by Client Over Ex-Eagles Player's $43.5M Med Mal Win
- 5Losses Mount at Morris Manning, but Departing Ex-Chair Stays Bullish About His Old Firm's Future
Who Got The Work
J. Brugh Lower of Gibbons has entered an appearance for industrial equipment supplier Devco Corporation in a pending trademark infringement lawsuit. The suit, accusing the defendant of selling knock-off Graco products, was filed Dec. 18 in New Jersey District Court by Rivkin Radler on behalf of Graco Inc. and Graco Minnesota. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi, is 3:24-cv-11294, Graco Inc. et al v. Devco Corporation.
Who Got The Work
Rebecca Maller-Stein and Kent A. Yalowitz of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer have entered their appearances for Hanaco Venture Capital and its executives, Lior Prosor and David Frankel, in a pending securities lawsuit. The action, filed on Dec. 24 in New York Southern District Court by Zell, Aron & Co. on behalf of Goldeneye Advisors, accuses the defendants of negligently and fraudulently managing the plaintiff's $1 million investment. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick, is 1:24-cv-09918, Goldeneye Advisors, LLC v. Hanaco Venture Capital, Ltd. et al.
Who Got The Work
Attorneys from A&O Shearman has stepped in as defense counsel for Toronto-Dominion Bank and other defendants in a pending securities class action. The suit, filed Dec. 11 in New York Southern District Court by Bleichmar Fonti & Auld, accuses the defendants of concealing the bank's 'pervasive' deficiencies in regards to its compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and the quality of its anti-money laundering controls. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, is 1:24-cv-09445, Gonzalez v. The Toronto-Dominion Bank et al.
Who Got The Work
Crown Castle International, a Pennsylvania company providing shared communications infrastructure, has turned to Luke D. Wolf of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani to fend off a pending breach-of-contract lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 25 in Michigan Eastern District Court by Hooper Hathaway PC on behalf of The Town Residences LLC, accuses Crown Castle of failing to transfer approximately $30,000 in utility payments from T-Mobile in breach of a roof-top lease and assignment agreement. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Susan K. Declercq, is 2:24-cv-13131, The Town Residences LLC v. T-Mobile US, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Wilfred P. Coronato and Daniel M. Schwartz of McCarter & English have stepped in as defense counsel to Electrolux Home Products Inc. in a pending product liability lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 26 in New York Eastern District Court by Poulos Lopiccolo PC and Nagel Rice LLP on behalf of David Stern, alleges that the defendant's refrigerators’ drawers and shelving repeatedly break and fall apart within months after purchase. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Joan M. Azrack, is 2:24-cv-08204, Stern v. Electrolux Home Products, Inc.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250
