The Growth of Corporate Law Firms and the Changing Role of Lawyers in Japan

Abstract

I.   Introduction
II.   Proceedings of the Panel, May 12, 2007
III.   The Rise of Large Corporate Law Firms
1.   Demand – Emergence of Demand for Domestic Corporate Legal Services
2.   Supply of Lawyers – Legal Reform and Law Firm Growth
3.   Law Firm Mergers
4.   Additional Issues
IV.   Internationalization of the Japanese Bar and Law Firms
1.   Foreign Lawyers in Japan
2.   Hiring of Japanese Lawyers by Foreign Firms
3.  Joint Venture Firms and International Mergers/ Significance of Liberalization
4.   Influence of U.S. Law Firm Model on Japanese Law Firms
V.   The Social Role of Lawyers
1.   Characterization of the Social Role of Lawyers in Japan
2.   Tension between Public Interest and Client Advocacy
3.   Role of Lawyers in Corporate Governance
VI.  Conclusion
VII.  Appendix (Table of numbers of Japanese lawyers in Japan's largest law firms)