Mori Hamada is set to launch two offices in Texas in 2027, extending an international growth push that will mean the firm has opened in five US locations since debuting there in 2023.
The Japanese Big Four firm said it plans to begin operations in Dallas and Houston in the first half of 2027. During that time it also intends to open its ninth domestic office, in Kyoto.
Commenting on the move, the firm cited Texas' status as one of the fastest-growing regions in the US.
"The Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area has developed into a major centre for finance, manufacturing, logistics and corporate functions, while the Houston area is one of the world’s leading hubs for the energy industry ... Texas is also home to a large number of Japanese companies, and investment by Japanese businesses continues to grow. Against this backdrop, demand for legal services in Texas and the surrounding region has also been increasing," the firm said in a statement.
The launches follow Mori Hamada debuting in the US in 2023 with a New York office – its first outside Asia – led by a trio of partners working across M&A, disputes, competition and international trade. It followed that with the launch of two offices in the San Francisco Bay Area last year, led by venture capital and private equity funds partner Mikito Ishida and cross border M&A partner Stephen Overton.
Mori Hamada said the Texas offices would work closely with its other US teams as well as its lawyers in Japan, across Asia and in London, where it officially opened earlier this month. As part of the broader network, the offices will support Japanese and Asian companies on M&A, projects, investments and energy-related matters in Texas and across the southern US, as well as work with US companies on their business activities in Japan and Asia.
Mori Hamada's Texas move comes amid record Japan-related M&A activity, fuelled by ongoing corporate governance reforms, portfolio restructurings and an influx of private equity investment. Japanese M&A topped $385bn in 2025 according to JP Morgan, while the US emerged as a favoured destination for outbound deals, with Japanese buyers deploying more than $100bn over the year.
It also follows the US and Japan reaching a major trade agreement in July 2025 that saw Japan pledge to invest $550bn in US industries over the next few years in return for lower tarriffs on Japanese imports.
Other Japanese firms have moved to capitalise on the influx of Japanese capital into the US. Big Four rival Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu announced in July it would open its second US office in Silicon Valley, targetting tech and venture capital work as well as cross-border M&A. Last year Miura & Partners also opened in Seattle after absorbing local boutique Baxter Law International, having entered the US market in 2023 through an alliance with San Francisco-based Yorozu Law Group.
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