International patent law firm Nakamura & Partners is currently celebrating its centenary. Over the past 100 years, the Japanese firm has grown to incorporate something in the region of 180 staff members, which includes about 70 patent attorneys and around 20 attorneys-at-law some of whom are partners, who manage and supervise the firm. ASIAN-MENA COUNSEL asked attorney Kazuhiko Yoshida about the necessities for survival and prestige in their jurisdiction, answered below.

Q: What do you believe to be the keys to surviving in and succeeding in law in your jurisdiction?
A:
As is the case in other jurisdictions, the key is to provide constant and timely legal services of high quality to clients. If you provide a good service, your clients will trust you more, and other companies will also notice that you are good. As they say, Rome was not built in a day. As for Japanese clients, it seems they tend to remain loyal to law firms if they continuously provide good service, which is what we strive for.

Q: Nakamura and Partners has received numerous awards. What sets your practice and its members apart?
A:
Both our IP prosecution groups (patent, design and trademark), who deal with technologies of
any kind, designs and trademarks and our IP litigation group closely cooperate with each other so that we can provide IP-related service in a comprehensive manner. In Japan, there are large law firms which handle litigation in general and large patent firms dealing with IP prosecution, but there are not many large firms which handle both on a large scale. Also, our junior attorneys receive advice from senior attorneys, while senior attorneys have a willingness to listen to advice from junior attorneys; we think education and teamwork are both very important. We hold case study sessions regularly which both prosecutors and lawyers attend. In addition, generally speaking, I believe our staff, as well as our attorneys, provide service of a very high quality.

Q: What do you believe to be some of the firm’s high points over the past hundred years and what do you hope to achieve over the next hundred?
A:
We have contributed to the creation of IP case laws in the past, some of which led to changes in legislation, the practice in courts and the Patent Office. One example is the correction of patent claims. We hope to continue to contribute to the progress of IP law in the future.

Q: What challenges do you believe will be faced in the forthcoming years by law firms in your jurisdiction and how do you plan to overcome them?
A:
The number of patent attorneys and lawyers in Japan has dramatically increased, while the number of patent applications and IP litigation cases may not increase. This means that the legal market will become more and more competitive. We will hire good attorneys and train ourselves (both young and experienced attorneys) so that we can improve the quality of our services to overcome such challenges.

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