# TMI Associates

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**TMI Associates** (TMI総合法律事務所, *TMI Sōgō Hōritsu Jimusho*) is one of the five largest [law firms](/source/Law_firm) in [Japan](/source/Japan).

The firm was founded in 1990 by ten [intellectual property](/source/Intellectual_property) specialists who left the law firm of [Nishimura & Partners](/source/Nishimura_%26_Asahi). It grew quickly in ensuing years, with 33 attorneys as of 1998 and more than 700 domestic and foreign attorneys and patent attorneys as of 2026.[2][3]

TMI is headquartered in the [Roppongi Hills Mori Tower](/source/Roppongi_Hills_Mori_Tower) in [Minato, Tokyo](/source/Minato,_Tokyo), Japan. Its other offices in Japan include Kobe, Nagoya, Osaka, Kyoto and Fukuoka and the firm also has offices in [Bangkok, Beijing](/source/Beijing), [Hanoi](/source/Hanoi), [Ho Chi Minh City](/source/Ho_Chi_Minh_City), London, [Phnom Penh, Shanghai](/source/Shanghai), [Silicon Valley, Singapore](/source/Singapore) and [Yangon](/source/Yangon).[4] It opened its first domestic branch office in [Nagoya](/source/Nagoya) in 2012.[5] It was the first Japanese law firm to open an office in [Myanmar](/source/Myanmar).[6] TMI opened an [Osaka](/source/Osaka) office in 2018 by acquiring the four-lawyer practice of Isamu Omizu, a former vice chairman of the Osaka Bar Association.[7]

The firm has joint ventures with the American law firm of [Morgan, Lewis & Bockius](/source/Morgan,_Lewis_%26_Bockius), the British law firm of [Simmons & Simmons](/source/Simmons_%26_Simmons) and the German law firm of ARQIS Rechtsanwälte. The Simmons & Simmons venture, begun in 2001, was the first registered joint venture between a major Japanese law firm and an international law firm under the [attorney at foreign law](/source/Attorney_at_foreign_law) system.[3][8] TMI's Singapore office is also shared with Simmons & Simmons.[9] In March 2025, the firm announced a strategic alliance with Johnson Winter Slattery, an independent Australian commercial law firm.[10]

The firm is particularly known for its [intellectual property](/source/Intellectual_property) practice, being ranked one of the top 3 [trademark](/source/Trademark) firms in Japan by *World Trademark Review*[11] and winning the "Best Japanese IP Firm 2013" award at the International Legal Alliance Summit & Awards.[12] In 2010, the firm hired a former head of the Intellectual Property High Court as an advisor.[13]

Chambers & Partners ranks TMI in the areas of Banking & Finance, Competition/Antitrust, Corporate/M&A, Dispute Resolution, Employment, Intellectual Property, International Trade, Life Science, Projects & Energy and Real Estate.[14]

## Notable people

- [Toshiharu Furukawa](/source/Toshiharu_Furukawa), member of the House of Councillors
- [Isao Imai](/source/Isao_Imai_(judge)), former Japanese Supreme Court justice
- [Tokuji Izumi](/source/Tokuji_Izumi), former Japanese Supreme Court justice
- [Chiharu Saiguchi](/source/Chiharu_Saiguchi), former Japanese Supreme Court justice

## References

1. 608 Japanese attorneys at law, 60 foreign attorneys and 101 patent attorneys and 1 foreign patent attorney. ["組織構成"](https://www.tmi.gr.jp/about/organization.html). Retrieved 29 March 2026.

1. ["組織構成 | Our Firm"](https://www.tmi.gr.jp/about/organization.html) (in Japanese). *TMI総合法律事務所*. Retrieved 2026-03-29.

1. Chan, Kay-Wah (2005). ["Foreign Law Firms: Implications for Professional Legal Education in Japan"](https://web.archive.org/web/20140319013104/http://sydney.edu.au/law/anjel/documents/ZJapanR/ZJapanR20_08_Chan.pdf). *Journal of Japanese Law*. '***(20): 56–79. Archived from [the original](http://sydney.edu.au/law/anjel/documents/ZJapanR/ZJapanR20_08_Chan.pdf) on 2014-03-19. Retrieved 2013-07-08.***

1. ["拠点一覧 | Our Firm"](https://www.tmi.gr.jp/about/bases/)

1. ["Tmi総合法律事務所"](http://www.tmi.gr.jp/english/about/nagoya.html)

1. ["ＴＭＩ、ミャンマーに弁護士事務所 日系進出に対応"](http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXNZO42596330U2A610C1TJ2000/). *日本経済新聞*. 14 June 2012. Retrieved 27 August 2013.

1. ["ＴＭＩ総合が大阪に拠点開設 別事務所を衣替え"](https://www.nikkei.com/paper/article/?n_cid=kobetsu&ng=DGKKZO30370220R10C18A5TCJ000) (in Japanese). *www.nikkei.com*. Retrieved 2018-05-14.

1. ["TMI Associates secures third JV"](https://web.archive.org/web/20130429233136/http://asia.legalbusinessonline.com/law-firms/tmi-associates-secures-third-jv/1083/22331). *asia.legalbusinessonline.com*. Archived from [the original](http://asia.legalbusinessonline.com/law-firms/tmi-associates-secures-third-jv/1083/22331) on 2013-04-29.

1. ["Simmons & Simmons to open shop in Singapore"](https://web.archive.org/web/20140319025748/http://www.managingpartner.com/news/regions/simmons-simmons-open-shop-singapore). *Managing Partner*. 10 May 2013. Archived from [the original](http://www.managingpartner.com/news/regions/simmons-simmons-open-shop-singapore) on 19 March 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2013.

1. ["Japan’s TMI breaks into Australia with JWS alliance"](https://law.asia/tmi-associates-johnson-winter-slattery-alliance/). *Law.asia*. 2025-03-11. Retrieved 2025-03-15.

1. ["Japan"](https://web.archive.org/web/20130725172450/http://www.worldtrademarkreview.com/wtr1000/rankings/DetailV2.aspx?g=86a58bc1-ad9e-4316-a190-f69f516cacd5). World Trademark Review. Archived from [the original](http://www.worldtrademarkreview.com/wtr1000/rankings/DetailV2.aspx?g=86a58bc1-ad9e-4316-a190-f69f516cacd5) on 25 July 2013. Retrieved 27 August 2013.

1. ["Winners 2013"](http://www.ilasummit.com/winners-2013-1). ILA Summit. Retrieved 27 August 2013.

1. ["ＴＭＩ総合法律事務所、知財高裁所長ら顧問に迎え入れ"](http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXNASDD1707E_X10C10A8TJ2000/). *日本経済新聞*. 18 August 2010. Retrieved 27 August 2013.

1. ["TMI Associates, Asia-Pacific | Chambers Profiles"](https://chambers.com/law-firm/tmi-associates-asia-pacific-8:3574). *Chambers*. Retrieved 2022-03-15.

## External links

- [Official website](https://www.tmi.gr.jp/)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [TMI Associates](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TMI_Associates) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TMI_Associates?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.