India opened its door to foreign law firms in March, 2023
TNY Legal is set to become the first Japanese law firm to establish an office in India, according to a report in Asian Legal Business. The news comes almost five months after the Bar Council of India opened its domestic legal market to foreign players.
The India office will focus on advising Japanese multinationals with their India businesses, particularly on regulatory investigations, liaising with government authorities for permits and licenses, corporate M&A and advisory, contract drafting, labour disputes, intellectual property and dispute resolution, TNY Legal’s co-managing partner Yuji Tsutsumi told Asian Legal Business.
“India's culture and customs differ greatly from those of Japan. Laws and regulations in India also differ from those in Japan in many respects, and Japanese companies in India sometimes have difficulty in understanding the unique local legal system and its operation, and face problems,” Tsutsumi told Asian Legal Business.
TNY Legal is setting up an India office in the city of Gurugram, according to the report.
Tsutsumi anticipates Japanese investment in India will grow substantially in the next few years, so the move reflects this view.
Leading the new office will be partner Shumpei Nishitani, who was earlier with the firm’s Malaysian outfit, TNY Consulting (Malaysia).
“There are few Japanese lawyers stationed in India, and we have decided to have a Japanese lawyer stationed in India because we believe that a Japanese lawyer is necessary to consult with in India when urgent problems arise,” Tsutsumi said to Asian Legal Business.
Japanese lawyers will not only assist with the language barrier between the countries but also have a better contextual understanding of queries raised by Japanese companies in respect of Indian law, Tsutsumi added.
TNY is a Japanese law firm based in Bangkok, Thailand, mainly supporting Japanese companies expanding into Thailand.
