Yoji Maeda
O’Melveny & Myers is closing its Tokyo office, marking the end of its nearly 40-year presence in Japan.
“Following a strategic review of our Japan operations, we’ve determined that we will wind down our office in Tokyo over the coming months,” an O’Melveny spokesperson told Asia Business Law Journal.
The Tokyo team includes partner and country head Yoji Maeda and of counsel Greyson Bryan, who is also based in the firm’s Century City and Washington, DC offices.
As the firm winds down its Japan practice, Maeda, who has been with O’Melveny for more than 20 years, will retire, the spokesperson confirmed.
“We are grateful for Yoji’s friendship and leadership and wish him all the best in his next chapter.”
Admitted in Japan and New York, Maeda has advised on M&A and private equity transactions, primarily on inbound cross-border investments. He has also handled litigation and arbitration matters for clients domestically and internationally, and has advised non-Japanese companies on structuring labour and employment agreements under Japanese law.
The firm will continue to support clients in the region through its network of offices across Asia and globally, said the spokesperson.
The Tokyo office, established in 1987, operates under the name O’Melveny & Myers Gaikokuho Kyodojigyo Horitsu Jimusho. It includes a team of bengoshi (licensed Japanese lawyers), enabling the firm to advise clients on both US and Japanese law.
AloJapan.com