Rising Law Firm of the Year 2024¹, Tokyo International Law Office (TKI), is building its international footprint with the establishment of TKI (Singapore) LLP, marking the firm's first office outside Japan.

Set to open in January 2025, the Singapore office is a significant milestone in TKI’s strategy to become a global law firm, further enhancing its ability to serve clients in key markets across the region. TKI views Singapore as a pivotal component of its roadmap, recognizing the city-state’s role as a leading hub for legal services and its geographical advantage for accessing clients’ operations across Southeast and South Asia.

Koki Yamada, TKI’s co-founder and co-managing partner, will lead the Singapore office alongside disputes resolution partner, Earl Rivera-Dolera, and associate, Kosuke Nakano.

Koki Yamada has extensive experience in cross-border M&A transactions, disputes resolution, investigations, competition, and projects work. His recent work highlights include advising a leading pharmaceutical company on its joint acquisition of a major Singaporean firm alongside a trading house, guiding a prominent healthcare-related IT service provider through its investments in Singapore and India, and overseeing the acquisition and group restructuring of Indonesian financial institutions for a major bank.

Earl Rivera-Dolera specializes in international dispute resolution, including arbitration, mediation and investigations. She has represented clients in high-profile arbitrations and commercial mediations under major institutions such as ICC, SIAC, LCIA, SIMC, JCAA across key jurisdictions, including Japan, Singapore, London, and New York. Rivera-Dolera also serves as an arbitrator in multiple jurisdictions. Her return to Singapore marks a full-circle moment, having previously been based there during her work in cross-border disputes resolution.

Kosuke Nakano, a former prosecutor in Japan, focuses on investigations, litigation, and corporate M&A matters.

Since its founding in 2019 with 5 lawyers, TKI has grown into a team of 38 lawyers admitted in 13 jurisdictions, including the U.S. (New York, California, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico), England and Wales, France, India, China, the Philippines, Australia and New Zealand, further strengthening its robust Japan practice. This rapid expansion reflects TKI’s commitment to becoming a ‘Japan-originating global firm’, delivering world-class legal services across key international markets.

The Singapore office will serve as a key hub for TKI’s core strengths in international transactions (including corporate M&A, energy and infrastructure) and international dispute resolution, allowing TKI to better serve the needs of multinational corporations with regional headquarters in Singapore and further strengthen the firm's inbound legal services to Japan.

By integrating the expertise of its Tokyo and Singapore offices, TKI will enhance the seamless delivery of legal services to clients across Asia and beyond. With this expansion, TKI is poised to offer even more comprehensive legal solutions to businesses engaged in the global economy.

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1. ALB Japan Law Awards 2024