Server: Spry-SafetyWEB-Server-NT/1.2a Date: Wed, 31 Dec 1997 20:23:57 GMT Content-Type: text/html Content-Length: 6401 The Kitahama Law Office - About Our Firm
Kitahama Law Office Logo


About Our Firm

The Kitahama Law Office was founded in 1973. It is a full service law firm which handles all types of civil and corporate matters, including international transactions and business ventures, corporate law, insolvency, intellectual property and licensing, as well as all types of litigation. We currently have sixteen attorneys on staff, with six partners and ten associates. Our clients come primarily from the fields of banking, trading, construction, and insurance.

Our firm has much to offer a company seeking to do business inside Japan. The attorneys of Kitahama Law Office, both partners and associates alike, practice in a wide variety of areas. The synergy created by this type of inter-area practice is but one resource upon which our clients can draw. They, of course, also possess the advantage of having access to skilled, experienced professionals in the particular area or areas of law which correspond to their needs. Additionally, in these times where companies are ever more aware of the importance of close management of expenses, we operate under a flexible fee structure which can be tailored to suit the particular needs of a given client. Retainer, project, contingency, and hourly based billing are all available options.

Kenji Nakashima is the partner generally responsible for representations which have international aspects. Currently, insolvency cases, especially those international in scope, are a focus in his practice. For much of the period from 1991 through 1993, Mr. Nakashima was in the United States handling the reorganization of Maruko, Inc. This real estate development company filed for bankruptcy protection in both Japan and the United States, the first ever to do so. During this period he served as a Foreign Law Counselor for the firm of Adams, Duque & Hazeltine of Los Angeles, and presently maintains a significant number of professional acquaintances throughout Southern California.

Since his return to Japan, Mr. Nakashima has been working on behalf of the trustees in the reorganization of Muramoto Construction, Inc., whose total debt was the highest of any company ever to file for bankruptcy in Japan. Presently, he and the firm are seeking to work with a number of multinational/international companies wishing to expand their business activities in various parts of Asia and, especially, in Japan.

The Kitahama Law Office is firmly committed to cultivating its presence as an international law firm. We maintain a fully bi-lingual staff, including office support, an American attorney, and associates currently working abroad with firms in Los Angeles and New York (Graham & James and Hughes Hubbard & Reed, respectively). Also, the firm fully anticipates that in coming years, other associates will receive education and professional experience in the United States.

As for our surroundings, Kansai, or the Osaka region itself, has many advantages for an organization wishing to develop a presence in Japan. From the comparatively low cost of overhead, to the well-developed transportation network, to the newly opened Kansai International Airport, Osaka, the centralized distribution point of Japan, is an optimal location for a business wishing to "hit the ground running", so to speak.

A listing of famous clients is often included in a firm's resume to instill confidence in the reader. However, as a matter of policy, we do not generally disclose names or other information regarding the persons and organizations which we represent. Rest assured though, that our client base is founded upon many internationally recognized, fundamentally sound, "blue-chip" companies.

Within the legal profession, the Kitahama Law Office is as highly respected and recognized as it is within the business community. The senior partners, in recent years, have both served as Vice-President of the Osaka Bar Association (in Japan, local Bar Associations are the primary entities governing attorneys) and the partners and associates alike are all engaged in a wide variety of pro bono and professional outreach activities. Firm members are noted for their publications in areas of the law as diverse as insurance and products liability defense and the protection of individual privacy rights.


Hopefully, the foregoing will help to provide a clearer perspective on our ambitions and purpose here at the Kitahama Law Office. We are always striving to provide the highest possible level of professional services by listening carefully to client needs and keeping abreast of developments in the rapidly-evolving "world community". If you have any questions or would like further information, please feel free to contact us at any time.

  
  



Back to Home

Our International Practice Areas

Attorney Profiles

Helpful Links Related to International Law

Selected Writings on Japanese Law