- U.S. & Americas
- Offices
- Dallas, Houston
Anderson Mori & Tomotsune, one of Japan's Big Four firms, will open offices in Dallas and Houston in spring 2027. This will be its first presence in the United States, according to Legal Business Online. The offices, in Plano and Houston's TC Energy Center, will be the firm's 16th and 17th worldwide. New York-qualified managing partner Koichi Saito will lead them with senior associate Marilyn Ozuka, who worked in the firm's London office from 2022 to 2026, according to Legal Business Online.
Saito called the launch "a significant milestone in the firm's global strategy for North America." The firm said it was opening "where Japanese companies are rapidly expanding," per Anderson Mori & Tomotsune.
Mori Hamada and Miura & Partners reached Texas within weeks of Anderson Mori
Anderson Mori is at least the third Japanese firm to target the Dallas and Houston market within weeks, Law.com reported. Miura & Partners opened in Plano on 1 October, its third US location, according to Law.com. Mori Hamada & Matsumoto, another Big Four firm, announced in early October that it would open Dallas and Houston offices in the first half of 2027. Those will be its third and fourth US bases, after New York in September 2023 and the San Francisco Bay Area in May 2025, per Law.com.
The pattern extends beyond Texas. Mori Hamada launched its Bay Area office in late November 2024, according to Law.com. Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu said in July 2025 that it would open in Silicon Valley. It will be the firm's second US base, after New York in 2010, per Law.com. Nishimura & Asahi, the largest Big Four firm, was the first of them to open in Europe, with offices in Frankfurt and Düsseldorf. That followed its 2018 New York launch, according to Legal Business Online.
127 Japanese companies in Texas and more than $100bn in outbound deals
The demand base is sizeable: there are 127 Japanese companies operating in Texas, a number that is rising because of the state's lack of corporate income tax, low operating costs and large labour force, per Legal Business Online. The 2026 Japan-Texas Economic Summit counted more than 400 Japanese companies across the state, $31bn in bilateral trade and 80,000 direct jobs in energy, AI infrastructure, semiconductors and advanced manufacturing, according to the U.S.-Japan Council.
Japanese buyers deployed more than $100bn in outbound deals over the year, with the US a favoured destination, per Law.com. Japan is also backing a $2.1bn energy-export terminal in the Houston region. That investment is part of the capital flow behind the legal work, according to the Greater Houston Partnership.
M&A, energy and labour work drives the Anderson Mori offices
Anderson Mori's Texas practice will focus on M&A and joint ventures with local companies, state-level employment and labour advice, and general US legal consultation for Japanese corporates setting up in the state, per Legal Business Online. The Houston office is in the TC Energy Center, an area connected to energy, space and advanced medical technology. That location points to energy and infrastructure as a major source of work.
The mix is almost the same as Mori Hamada's. The firm has positioned its Texas offices to advise on M&A, projects, energy and inbound investment, according to Legal Business Online. Both firms are pursuing the same inbound Japanese clients. Mori Hamada is also targeting Texas businesses entering Asian markets, putting local-counsel and referral relationships into the competition alongside Japanese client work.
The industry split is clearer on the coasts. Nagashima Ohno's Silicon Valley office targets AI, semiconductors, space, life sciences, software and venture capital, per Law.com. The West Coast is drawing technology work, while Texas is drawing energy and manufacturing work.
Five Japanese firms have now opened or announced US offices in three waves: New York first, followed by the Bay Area and Silicon Valley, and now Dallas and Houston. Three of them are moving into the same two Texas cities within one autumn, competing for M&A, energy and labour work tied to Japanese corporate investment in the state.
More US legal market news.
