Hiroo Atsumi, Atsumi & Sakai Founder and CEO: “As a firm, we aim to set new precedents by working together with our clients to tackle their issues based on an accurate understanding of what they are seeking, even if their issues are regarded as impossible, difficult, or unprecedented”

Atsumi & Sakai, a leading law firm in Japan, traces its roots back to 1994 when it was founded by Hiroo Atsumi as Atsumi & Usui. Initially established as a small boutique with only a few attorneys, the firm has grown significantly over the past 30 years. The pivotal moment in the firm’s evolution came in 2005 when new legislation allowed partnerships with non-Japanese lawyers, enabling Atsumi & Sakai to become the first domestic firm in Japan to form such a partnership. This strategic move expanded the firm’s ability to provide comprehensive international legal services to both domestic and international clients. In 2010, with the addition of Yutaka Sakai, the firm adopted its current name, Atsumi & Sakai (A&S). This marked a new chapter in its development, emphasizing its commitment to innovation and international expansion. The firm opened its first international affiliate offices in London and Frankfurt in 2015, followed by an office in New York in 2021. Most recently, in 2024, the firm expanded further by establishing offices in Brussels and Ho Chi Minh City.

As of January 2024, Atsumi & Sakai has grown to include 244 attorneys, cementing its position as one of Japan’s leading law firms. The firm’s growth and success are driven by its management philosophy, which emphasizes innovation, respect for diversity, and the balance between individual capability and teamwork. This philosophy underpins the firm’s efforts to take on new challenges and maintain its cutting-edge approach in the legal industry. Through its international partnerships and global presence, Atsumi & Sakai continues to set the standard for legal excellence in Japan and beyond

In conversation with Hiroo Atsumi, Founder and CEO of Atsumi & Sakai

Q. Atsumi & Sakai is known for providing highly convenient one-stop services. How do you ensure that your clients receive seamless and integrated legal support across various practice areas?

The firm has 57 internal practice teams. All lawyers belong to one or more of these teams. Belonging to multiple practice teams allows attorneys to leverage cross-disciplinary knowledge when responding to client matters. In addition, in order to respond seamlessly to our clients’ needs not only for legal services but also for tax and accounting services, we have formed an alliance with A&S Tax and Accounting and have established a system that enables us to provide efficient and smooth services in collaboration with our affiliate.

Top Ranked, a British law firm rating organization, has selected A&S as one of the top five law firms in Japan, based on this structure. Legal 500 rates A&S in Tier 1 in Investment Funds and Tier 2 in Antitrust and Competition, Corporate and M&A, Intellectual Property, Projects and Energy, Risk Management and Investigations, and TMT. IFLR 1000 also ranks A&S as Tier 1 in Capital Markets: Structured Finance and Securitization and Tier 2 in Banking and Project Development and Project Finance.

Q. Atsumi & Sakai’s extensive international platform spans approximately 120 countries. How do you maintain and enhance such a vast network? What strategies do you use to maintain such a wide-reaching and effective network?

We are a member of several international law firm networks. In most of those networks, we are the only members from Japan. The countries covered by these networks bring the firm’s total affiliations to over 300 law firms. In order to become a member of these international networks, a firm must endure a rigorous screening process. Our membership in these networks is in itself an endorsement of our international reputation.

In addition, as mentioned above, as of August 2024, the firm has five affiliated overseas offices in New York, London, Frankfurt, Brussels, and Ho Chi Minh City, and attorneys in each of these offices have established and maintain friendly and collaborative relationships with local law firms and legal organizations. Lawyers in the Tokyo and Fukuoka offices also actively participate in events such as international legal conferences.

Q. Your firm promotes sustainability and contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Can you elaborate on specific initiatives or projects that highlight this commitment?

The firm actively promotes SDGs and, in January 2023, established a Sustainability Committee. We released a Sustainability Declaration in February 2023.

In particular, the firm has a culture that emphasizes diversity and inclusion. In 2015, we received the “Family Friendly Award” from the Daini Tokyo Bar Association and have fostered a culture of accepting people from diverse backgrounds, regardless of gender, age, nationality, background, or disability. In a 2023 survey, the percentage of female partners was about 22%, compared to less than 20% at other large law firms in Japan. The percentage of foreign attorneys is also significantly higher at approximately 11%, compared to 2-6% at other large firms. As an action plan for the future, we have set a diversity goal of 30:30:20, meaning 30% women among lawyers participating in the firm’s management, 30% women among our lawyers in total, and 20% non-Japanese lawyers among our lawyers. In addition, to enhance the working environment for staff, we have established an action plan to (1) introduce a unique leave system so that employees undergoing infertility treatment can balance the treatment and work, and (2) introduce a mentoring system for employees returning from parental leave.

In terms of relationships with outside organizations, we are a member of the GX League led by the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry, as well as the Japan Climate Change Partnership and other organizations.

The firm is highly regarded by third parties, winning the ESG and Sustainability Law Firm of the Year ALB Japan Law Awards 2023, being shortlisted for the British Business Awards 2023 sponsored by the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan (BCCJ) in the Responsible Business category, and being highly rated in The Legal 500 Asia Pacific Green Guide 2024 (published by Legalease).

Q. As a leader in the legal industry, what is Atsumi & Sakai’s vision for the future of legal practice? How do you plan to continue setting trends and leading innovations in the legal field?

Compared to the U.S., where mobility of human resources between the government and the private sector is high, the fields in which lawyers are active in Japan tend to be limited to private practice. However, the number of in-house counsels has increased recently, and in the long term, it is expected that lawyers will expand their activities not only in the practice of law but also in policy making. Therefore,  our firm took the unusual step of establishing a Policy Research Institute within our firm including outside experts to facilitate advocacy on cutting edge emerging legal issues.

Our Policy Research Institute is a first step in expanding new opportunities for lawyers.

One of our management philosophies is to accept the challenge of innovative legal work. We aim to set new precedents by working together with our clients to tackle their issues based on an accurate understanding of what they seek to achieve, even if their goals are regarded as impossible, difficult, or unprecedented. We will continue this approach into the future.

In addition, lawyers are required to offer a higher level of global responsiveness in the current global business circumstances. From a corporate legal perspective, it is no longer possible for corporate activities to be completed in only one country, and recently, especially with the emergence of geopolitical risks, there is a growing demand for advice to enable global transactions to proceed in a safe and predictable manner. Thus, it is clear that there is a need for lawyers with a global perspective and an international viewpoint. As a firm with five overseas offices, we aim to create lawyers who can respond to such legal demands. Since we are a Japanese law firm, we wish to contribute to the development and prosperity of Japan. Recently, the Japanese government has adopted a policy to increase foreign direct investment into Japan, which has been accompanied by an increase in investment in Japan by foreign companies and investors. We are receiving an increasing number of consultations related to this trend at our overseas offices, including our affiliated office in New York.

For details of recent policy of Japanese government regarding foreign direct investment, please click here.

Meet the leader behind the success of Atsumi & Sakai

Hiroo Atsumi is the Founder and CEO of Atsumi & Sakai, a leading Japanese law firm managed collegially by an Executive and Management Committee of equity partners. Renowned for his expertise in Banking & Finance and Capital Markets, Mr. Atsumi holds the prestigious “Senior Statesman” ranking from Chambers & Partners. In 2019, he was honored as Best Managing Partner of the Year at the Asian Legal Business Japan Law Awards, where his firm also received the Overseas Practice Law Firm of the Year award. Recognized as a leading lawyer by Asialaw in 2023/2024, Mr. Atsumi was also named one of the 20 Icons among Japanese lawyers by Asia Business Law Journal in July 2024, underscoring his influence and contributions to the legal field. 

“We are a member of several international law firm networks. In most of those networks, we are the only members from Japan”