New Year’s Greetings
Thank you very much for your support during the past year. We look forward to working with you again this year.
Promoting International Practice
At Sumikawa Law Office (Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture), all of our attorneys and staffs are able to communicate in English. Taking advantage of this, we will continue to provide support to our clients in Japan and abroad for legal services that require English language. In particular, we have received an increasing number of inquiries over the past few years regarding support for inheritance procedures in the U.S. In addition to providing support for individual cases in cooperation with attorneys in various states in the U.S., we plan to strengthen our information dissemination efforts.
We are also receiving an increasing number of inquiries from small and medium-sized companies regarding international contracts. We hope that companies that are about to start international transactions, as well as those that are already engaged in international transactions but have not yet received advice from an attorney, will consult with attorneys.
Promotion of SDGs
Our law firm will continue to actively develop initiatives for the SDGs this year.
In 2024, as part of our focus on gender equality, we will strengthen cooperation with lawyers from other firms and begin activities to train young and mid-career lawyers who can be candidates for outside directors in Kanagawa Prefecture. Sustainability, as set forth by the SDGs, is an extremely important theme for companies. In order to address this important issue, our firm aims to train lawyers who can support local companies in the future. We will work to ensure that attorneys with expertise in sustainability issues can address the challenges facing businesses and contribute to the sustainability of the entire region.
We will also continue to focus on creating a framework for supporting business succession in collaboration with other professionals in the region. If a company goes out of business at the same time as its representative retires, not only will the services provided cease, but the employees will also lose their jobs, which will have a significant impact on the local community. It is a critical issue for the community that companies plan and prepare for business succession at the earliest possible stage. If you have any concerns bout business succession, we encourage you to consult with an attorney in your area.
In addition, we will continue to support other activities to revitalize the local community, especially in Kawasaki City, where our firm is located, such as sponsoring local exchange activities and supporting a children’s cafeteria.
Tour of the New City Hall of Kawasaki City
At the end of last year, we toured the new Kawasaki City Hall, which was completed last year (2023). 25th floor observation deck is open to visitors free of charge. It is a different world that can be quickly ascended by elevator, and I felt more refreshed than I expected. If you haven’t been there yet, why not visit during the New Year when the air is clean?
Kawasaki City Website
https://www.city.kawasaki.jp/170/page/0000153797.html
Sumikawa Law Office is located across the street from the new Kawasaki City Hall (on the second floor of the Miyadai Building shown in the photo below). When you visit our office, consider taking 30 minutes and stop by the City Hall observation deck.
