TMI Associates
| Headquarters | Minato, Tokyo, Japan |
|---|---|
| No. of offices | 8 |
| No. of attorneys | 380 (Feb. 2014)[1] |
| No. of employees | 626 (Feb. 2014)[1] |
| Major practice areas | General practice |
| Date founded | October 1, 1990 |
| Company type | Partnership under Japanese law |
| Website | http://www.tmi.gr.jp/english/ |
TMI Associates (TMI総合法律事務所, TMI Sōgō Hōritsu Jimusho) is the fifth-largest law firm in Japan.
The firm was founded in 1990 by ten intellectual property specialists who left the law firm of Nishimura & Partners. It grew quickly in ensuing years, with 33 attorneys as of 1998 and 84 attorneys as of 2004.[2]
TMI is headquartered in the Roppongi Hills Mori Tower in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It has branch offices in Beijing, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Shanghai, Singapore and Yangon.[3] It opened its first domestic branch office in Nagoya in 2012.[4] It was the first Japanese law firm to open an office in Myanmar.[5]
The firm has joint ventures with the American law firm of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, the British law firm of Simmons & Simmons and the German law firm of ARQIS Rechtsanwälte. The Simmons & Simmons venture, begun in 2001, was the first registered joint venture between a major Japanese law firm and an international law firm under the attorney at foreign law system.[2][6] TMI's Singapore office is also shared with Simmons & Simmons.[7]
The firm is particularly known for its intellectual property practice, being ranked one of the top 3 trademark firms in Japan by World Trademark Review[8] and winning the "Best Japanese IP Firm 2013" award at the International Legal Alliance Summit & Awards.[9] In 2010, the firm hired a former head of the Intellectual Property High Court as an advisor.[10] Chambers & Partners ranks TMI as a second tier firm in intellectual property and as a third tier firm in corporate/M&A and dispute resolution.[11]
Notable people
- Toshiharu Furukawa, member of the House of Councillors
- Isao Imai, former Japanese Supreme Court justice
- Tokuji Izumi, former Japanese Supreme Court justice
- Chiharu Saiguchi, former Japanese Supreme Court justice
References
- ^ a b 292 Japanese attorneys at law, 5 registered foreign attorneys, 23 unregistered foreign attorneys, 59 patent attorneys and 1 foreign patent attorney. "組織構成". TMI Associates. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
- ^ a b Chan, Kay-Wah (2005). "Foreign Law Firms: Implications for Professional Legal Education in Japan" (PDF). Journal of Japanese Law (20): 56–79.
- ^ http://www.tmi.gr.jp/english/global/index.html
- ^ http://www.tmi.gr.jp/english/about/nagoya.html
- ^ "ＴＭＩ、ミャンマーに弁護士事務所 日系進出に対応". 日本経済新聞. 14 June 2012. Retrieved 27 August 2013.
- ^ http://asia.legalbusinessonline.com/law-firms/tmi-associates-secures-third-jv/1083/22331
- ^ "Simmons & Simmons to open shop in Singapore". Managing Partner. 10 May 2013. Retrieved 27 August 2013.
- ^ "Japan". World Trademark Review. Retrieved 27 August 2013.
- ^ "Winners 2013". ILA Summit. Retrieved 27 August 2013.
- ^ "ＴＭＩ総合法律事務所、知財高裁所長ら顧問に迎え入れ". 日本経済新聞. 18 August 2010. Retrieved 27 August 2013.
- ^ http://www.chambersandpartners.com/uk/Firms/3574-254185 [dead link]