Japanese firm Atsumi & Partners has added another name to shingle after recruiting an eight lawyer (seven partner) team from local rival TMI Associates. The partner whose name will now appear alongside the firm’s founding partner, Hiroo Atsumi, is Yutaka Sakai.

Sakai boasts over 25 years experience in structured finance, general banking, and real estate finance transactions. Sakai’s team offer expertise across the entire spectrum of corporate law including real estate, finance, cross-border M&A, bankruptcy, carbon emissions and environmental law.

 “We remain positive about the financial markets and corporate activity and continue to expand across all our practice areas, both locally and internationally,” said Hiroo Atsumi. “The addition of Mr. Sakai and his team will put us in a strong position as the markets recover and the local, regional and international economies pick up.”

 Yutaka Sakai said the “synergies” between his team and Atsumi & Partners would “significantly diversify both parties’ practices”, and added that a key driver was the firm's global platform. “We very much share Mr. Atsumi’s view of the need for Japanese law firms to expand and internationalise to meet the challenges of the global market for legal services,” he said.

Atsumi & Sakai: New faces