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As a service group, the Euro-Japan Group enhances and focuses our firm’s unique offer of global legal assistance in all areas of business law and tax on the special needs of our clients in cross-border investments involving Japan and Europe by providing tailor-made teams of Japanese and European specialists resident in the Tokyo and the European offices for each project. The firm’s Europe practice is one of the largest European law firms and accounts for the largest share of the firm’s business, with about 1400 professionals in 29 offices in Europe and the Middle East. The Asia region is one of the firm’s fastest-growing markets with about 900 professionals in 14 offices.
The longstanding European-Japanese cross border practice of Baker & McKenzie was reinforced in April 2007 with the addition of the team from Janssen Foreign Law Office, which joined the Tokyo and Frankfurt offices of Baker & McKenzie, together with key partners from its former joint enterprise firm Asahi Koma Law Offices, including the respective name partners Markus Janssen and Fumio Koma.
The Euro-Japan Group comprises specialists in cross-border business in Tokyo, Frankfurt, Paris, Amsterdam and other European cities. The specialists have assisted numerous European and Japanese multinational enterprises operating in several industries with their cross-border investments and operations. Most of the specialists have lived and practiced both in Japan and in Europe for many years.
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Legal Project Management
The Euro-Japan Group works in integrated teams with members of the Firm's specialized practice groups in Japan and in Europe. This provides our clients with full and transparent control over any kind of legal project as if it was implemented under their home jurisdiction.
Structuring Cross-Border Transactions
We enable clients to evaluate and optimize alternatives in the entire process of identifying a partner or investment target, managing negotiations and implementing the transaction. Identifying the relevant legal, tax, technical and cultural interfaces allows our clients to make best use of their industry know-how and standing in the competitive Japanese and European markets.
Negotiations
We enable our clients to use negotiations as a pivotal measure of building trust for the transaction, without giving up ground on central issues. Fluency in speaking and writing the relevant local languages and managing the situation and the course of negotiations are the keys to success in Japan and Europe.
Implementation of Clients' Standards
We help our clients to implement their standards in a transaction of an investment by adjusting the client’s standards to the local standards and practices, without compromising their essence. Best practice recognition identified by such processes is an important added value of acquisitions and cooperation.
Post-Closing Implementation
Our transaction management and documentation is focused on effectively assisting the client in the actual implementation of the transaction after closing. M&A contracts are supported by simulations of their balance sheet effects (for the target as well as the purchaser and/or seller). Due diligence reports create full scope documentations of the target and/or transaction. To-Do lists provide concise guidance on issues to be followed-up.
Saving legal costs through organized documentation
Organizing and standardizing the legal documentation of our clients helps to avoid ineffective use of expensive legal resources. Moreover, cost arguments can be used to keep negotiations close to standardized paths, often allowing to burden cost of making deviations legally acceptable on the other party. Training and hot-line support for in-house counsels enables our clients to effectively use such features.
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Mergers & Acquisitions (Inbound and Outbound)
Acting for a leading German pharmaceuticals group in the successful acquisition of a Japanese generic pharmaceutical business.
Acting for a Japanese technology group in its successful acquisition of a US nanotechnology company. We also assisted the client in the negotiation of a comprehensive global cooperation agreement with a German partner.
Acting for a leading Japanese public company to acquire a French software company specialized in time management systems.
Represented principal investment unit of large Japanese securities firm in acquisition of large media retailer in Japan from UK seller.
Assistance of various European SME automotive suppliers in Japanese acquisition and joint venture negotiations
Banking & Finance
Advising a major European bank specializing in Government finance in relation to the first PFI project involving a foreign bank in Japan.
Assisting major European financial institutions (insurance and banking) in obtaining regulatory licenses in Japan.
Real Estate and Real Estate Finance
Structuring of real estate securitization and real estate finance transactions of foreign banks in Japan.
Legal structuring of real estate projects of foreign sovereigns in Japan
FDI in Japan
Advising a major European automotive parts manufacturer to set up green field manufacturing operations in Japan.
Successfully assisting a major European food manufacturer to lobby the Japanese Ministry of Health to abolish obsolete food ingredient standards.
Counsel to Foreign Companies in Japan and Asia
Acting as Corporate Counsel for a leading Italian luxury brand manufacturer for all its legal matters in Asia, including in Japan.
Acting as General Counsel for a leading global car finance company in connection with its Japanese corporate, finance and contract matters.
Representing Japanese companies in France and other European countries in the reorganization of their activities (pharmaceutical equipment, consumer products and specialty products).
Tax
Representing Japanese companies in Europe in relation to the transfer pricing and tax aspects of developing and amending of distribution models.
Intellectual Property and Licensing
Representing Japanese companies (consumer goods and sporting goods) in the protection and defence of their IP rights (non contentious and contentious aspects) in France and other countries of the EU.
Dispute Resolution
Successfully representing Japanese companies (amusement machines, electronics) in corporate litigation matters against French companies.
Counsel for a dispute between a German and Japan JV Agreement.
Counsel for the Japanese subsidiary of a Swedish high-technology medical equipment manufacturer in a $35 million contractual claim (ICC).
Counsel for a French pharmaceutical company in a $20 million patent infringement claim (ICC).
Counsel for a French pharmaceutical company in an $80 million breach of contract claim brought by a Japanese pharmaceutical company (JCAA).
Presiding Arbitrator in a joint venture contractual dispute between French and Japanese parties (ICC).
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List of Professionals
