Our litigation attorneys in Japan serve both foreign investors and local business owners. We offer complete legal representation in those disputes that solved in court and our areas of expertise cover a broad range of industries from technology to finance, services, infrastructure, and many others. Regardless of the business field in which your company activates, our team can provide suitable legal services and legal representation in case of disputes.
We are a full-service law firm and our Japanese lawyers are able to provide legal counseling on all business matters with a strong emphasis on corporate law but also including antitrust issues, real estate and commercial disputes and also matters related to mergers and acquisitions and other corporate transactions.
Litigation and dispute resolution in Japan
Commercial disputes in Japan can be solved either through court or out-of-court proceedings. Court litigation will include both a pre-trial stage and a trial stage, however, in terms of procedures and preparation the two steps will not include significant differences. Civil proceedings are, in most cases, subject to completion within two years for the first instance according to the Act on Expediting Trials. Nevertheless, in practice, a civil litigation case will have different duration periods and will depend on the complexity of the case and the evidence brought before the court.
Our team of litigation attorneys in Japan can help you start the legal procedures in case of a commercial dispute by preparing the factual arguments that are brought before the court in the course of the hearing procedures.
Legal proceedings can be preferred in some cases, however, arbitration is an alternative dispute resolution method that is often used in Japan. It is common for companies to include an arbitration clause in their business agreements and, when such a clause exists, the dispute will be resolved accordingly. This practice is also common for international disputes as arbitration can often offer results more rapidly and with lower costs compared to a trial. Our team of Japanese lawyers is able to provide you with complete assistance regarding the Japanese Arbitration Act and one of our lawyers can assist you in drawing up the arbitration clause as a preemptive measure. When arbitration is the preferred dispute resolution methods, the parties will bring their case (both for domestic and international ones) before the Japan Commercial Arbitration Association (JCAA).
Litigation services in Japan, offered by our team of lawyers
Our team of litigation attorneys in Japan specializes in a number of key areas and offers complete services to clients. We can help you with procedures like preparing the deposition, gather and prepare the relevant case documentation, prepare the pre-trial and trial strategy as well as offer you complete guidance on the steps and aspects of litigation in Japan.
We offer complete legal representation in cases involving:
- Commercial litigation: an area that covers many business-related issues from breach of contract to breach of fiduciary duty, business tort, commercial fraud, shareholder disputes, and others; we offer legal counseling and representation regardless of the company’s commercial activity.
- Regulatory compliance: our lawyers in Japan can help clients who are subject to an investigation concerning the company’s regulatory compliance; we also perform anti-trust investigations, anti-corruption investigations and can help with complete legal guidance on any tax compliance matter in Japan.
- Intellectual property disputes: intellectual property litigation is a distinct area of litigation practice and our lawyers can help companies handle all issues related to copyright infringement patent protection, issues with trade secrets and other situations.
- Product liability: when your company is involved in a product liability lawsuit, our Japanese lawyers can help you with complete legal representation.
- Bankruptcy: we can also assist in all cases involving bankrupt companies in Japan but also for the purpose of business reorganization.
The costs of litigation can be significant for the company and the process can be a lengthy one depending on the case particulars. These two variables are carefully considered by our team of Japanese lawyers when they evaluate your case and our recommendations will be based on the optimal solution for your company not only in terms of costs but also taking into consideration the company’s reputation and the overall impact of the lawsuit.
Contact our litigation attorneys in Japan for more information about the services we provide and to schedule an appointment with one of our lawyers.