ABOUT US

Throughout our long history, Iwata Godo has been one of Japan’s pioneering law firms serving businesses. Our firm was established in 1902 by the late Chuzo Iwata, who was to serve later as Minister of Justice, Member of Parliament, President of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations and President of Gakushikai (Association of Imperial University Graduates). Ever since, Iwata Godo has been providing legal services to numerous leading Japanese corporations and other entities, constantly developing its practice alongside the Japanese economy and coming through the rough periods of pre- and post- World War II.

We have been actively expanding our practice in response to the widening range of corporate activities which have become ever more specialized and complex. In addition to representing companies in litigation and alternative dispute resolution, we of course provide legal advice on corporate legal matters in general (e.g., drafting contracts, guidance in conducting shareholder meetings, corporate actions such as M&A, changes in capital, amendments of articles of association and corporate reorganizations, and governance issues) as well as compliance, and above all, we have an excellent track record in various fields of practice, including financial transactions, competition law, intellectual property, IT-related law, environmental law, taxation, labor law and international transactions.

A number of our attorneys have experience of studies abroad and of training and secondment at law firms in Europe and the United States. We have a firm grasp of state-of-the-art business practices through their experience in secondments at government agencies as well as major financial institutions and trading companies,

and through this experience, we can better understand our clients’ history, business, internal organizations, company culture, and industry trends.. In order to find the optimal solution accurately and quickly in response to the complex legal issues our clients face by utilizing the specialized knowledge and experience of various attorneys, we are constantly strengthening our practice structure. In the field of intellectual property, we provide specialized services in cooperation with IGIP Iwata Godo Patent Attorneys Inc., in addition to partnering with Tsujimaru International Patent Office.
Furthermore, we have opened an office in Sapporo (Iwata Godo branch office) as a starter with the aim of working more closely with local communities.
For overseas as well, we have obtained the participation of a Chinese attorney who is a partner of a leading Chinese law firm, as well as a registered foreign lawyer who has a long experience at a major foreign law firm (a lawyer of the French Republic). In addition, we have established a global network by joining TerraLex, a worldwide network of law firms, partnering with Jin Mao Law Firm in Shanghai and DS-Avocats in France, exchanging information and human resources with leading law firms in each country and region, mainly in ASEAN countries including Thailand, and dispatching our affiliated lawyers to institutions such as HKIAC in Hong Kong and SIAC in Singapore. We have thus established a one-stop support structure to respond to our domestic and overseas clients' demands, from their daily legal issues to overseas expansion.