TMI Strengthens its Expansion in Europe and Africa with the Addition of Attorney Colin Passmore

TMI Associates, one of the leading law firms in Japan, has engaged Mr. Colin Passmore, a former senior partner of prestigious UK law firm Simmons & Simmons, to enhance TMI’s expansion throughout the European and African regions.

TMI was set up in 1990 with ten attorneys and one patent attorney, and it has grown organically within the past 34 years to now encompass over 720 attorneys, patent/trademark attorneys and foreign attorneys. TMI now has six offices in Japan and 17 overseas bases around the globe, including those in London, Paris and Nairobi. In addition, TMI will be opening a new office in Brussels this autumn.

TMI and Simmons & Simmons have had a long-standing collaborative arrangement since 2001, and Mr. Passmore’s guidance and support for TMI’s further expansion is truly a key element to ensure our further worldwide growth.

About TMI Associates

Since its founding in 1990, TMI Associates has strived to create a law firm which is distinct from any other in Japan and to recast the image of both attorneys and patent/trademark attorneys. During the past 34 years, the firm has experienced rapid organic growth, both numerically and geographically, while maintaining its progressive culture. Starting with 43 personnel, including ten attorneys and one patent attorney, TMI now has 627 attorneys and 100 patent/trademark attorneys among a total of 1228 personnel as of November 1, 2024, and is one of the five largest law firms in Japan. TMI has numerous branch bases overseas, in Shanghai, Beijing, Yangon, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Phnom Penh, Bangkok, Jakarta*, Kuala Lumpur*, Silicon Valley, London, and Paris. TMI is also well positioned to provide a wide range of global legal services through its Chinese service group, French practice group, India desk, and Korean desk located in its Tokyo office, as well as its joint venture relationships in Japan with Simmons & Simmons LLP (UK), Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, LLP (US), and ARQIS Foreign Law Office (Germany).

TMI provides a comprehensive range of legal services regarding international corporate transactions and international investment and trade business transactions. The firm has an unrelentingly focus on supporting the global business development needs of its clients – both Japanese and global companies – with legal services ranging from the acquisition and protection of patent and intellectual property rights through to licensing, mergers and acquisitions, financing matters, and dispute resolution.

*Affiliated Office