LEWIS MATHYS EMMERSON - Key Persons
After graduating from Cambridge University, Charlotte has worked in finance throughout her career.
Her experience includes finance positions at banks, multinationals and government institutions such as Bank of Japan, JP Morgan Chase, HM Treasury and NEC Europe.
In 2011, Charlotte passed her accountancy exams and has worked as an Accounts Manager in both London and Tokyo. She is fluent in Japanese.
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Job Titles:
- BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANT
Chris is a writer, researcher and journalist by background. He has worked in the legal sector for over 20 years, following macroeconomic and industry trends, along with developments in the legal sector itself. Chris continues to monitor and cover topical issues such as ESG, technology and innovation, Brexit and global trade. He also specialises in identifying key strengths and unique attributes in law firms such as Lewis Mathys Emmerson LLP, and helping them to detect the current and future challenges of their clients and prospective clients.
Harriet is a specialist employment lawyer and company transactional lawyer, with a particular focus on corporate M&A.
Having trained at a top-tier New Zealand firm, Harriet has extensive contentious and non-contentious experience advising blue chip clients on day-to-day employment matters and business wide transactional issues, including due diligence for some of New Zealand's largest mergers and acquisitions. Her employment practice has covered health and safety, data protection, redundancies and restructures, disciplinary investigations, contract and policy reviews, mediations and exit negotiations.
Harriet also has litigation experience, having appeared as counsel in the Employment Relations Authority (NZ), Human Rights Review Tribunal (NZ) and the High Court (NZ) representing one of the Big Four accounting firms.
Before joining LME, Harriet worked for Slaughter and May in London.
Harriet was admitted in New Zealand and is a registered foreign qualified lawyer with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (UK).
Imogen graduated from the University of Bristol with honours in Law. Imogen went on to complete her Legal Practice Course at BPP University Law School, where she specialised in Private Acquisitions, Corporate Finance and Employment.
Job Titles:
- OFFICE MANAGER
- SENIOR PARALEGAL
Justin possesses a broad wealth of international business management experience, having spent a total of 17 years working and living in Japan.
Justin was an inaugural member of what was a new Tokyo office startup for Herbert Smith Freehills in February 2000, where he worked for 11 years. He brings a total of 15 years of administrative and financial experience within professional legal services in both Tokyo and London.
Justin also possesses a background in the Japanese semiconductor manufacturing industry. He has sat on the Board of Directors for two businesses including CoSec responsibilities in Companies Act of Japan corporate governance and internal controls.
Kie is a commercial lawyer with extensive experience which she has gained from international law firms and in-house legal teams around the world. Kie started her legal career in the London office of a global law firm, and subsequently worked as a foreign legal associate in the Tokyo office of a Japanese law firm.
Following her experience in private practice, Kie joined the European headquarters of a Japanese trading house, working on complex commercial supply chain and corporate matters, as well as compliance with international regulations and sanctions. She then worked in-house for companies in a variety of sectors, including food and beverage, marketing, hospitality and real estate, and medical insurance.
Kie also has experience of being the sole legal counsel of three start-ups, implementing corporate rules and policies, as well as being involved in business and financial strategies. Her broad experience in-house has given her an insight into what truly matters to businesses.
Kie is bilingual, native in English and Japanese.
Milo read Law at Durham University, graduating with honours, and went on to complete his Legal Practice Course at BPP University Law School.
On the Legal Practice Course, he specialised in Private Acquisitions, Debt Finance and Equity Finance.
Milo has worked as a lawyer in both London and Hong Kong.
Morgan read law at the University of Manchester, graduating with honours in 2021.
Prior to joining LME as a Trainee Solicitor in October 2023, Morgan spent two years working as a legal recruitment consultant in London, advising international law firms on qualified hires.
Nicholas is a Japan-focused technology lawyer who specialises in data regulatory work and dispute resolution. His careful approach and expertise are valued by clients and recognised by Chambers and the Legal 500.
Nicholas has a combination of skills and experience ranging from commercial dispute resolution to data protection. Starting from a background in commercial litigation, over the last 10 years he has increasingly specialised in technology and privacy matters with an emphasis on regulation and disputes.
He often acts in matters that are very sensitive to a client's reputation and could lead to exposure to large numbers of claims from individuals. He has advised on GDPR and e-Privacy compliance issues for a range of technology companies, from heavy industry to online shopping to AdTech. Much of his work is international, with a particular focus on Japan.
He has wide litigation and arbitration experience and advises on disputes in areas including software development and licensing, warranty claims, supply of goods and services, defamation, intellectual property, confidential information and restrictive covenants. He successfully represented a client in a corporate dispute before both the High Court and the Court of Appeal. Many of his matters settle through negotiation or mediation and he is skilled at ensuring the best commercial outcome for clients.
Nicholas has advised on major data breaches for global brands and drafted a practice note on data breach crisis management for Practical Law. He authored a chapter on trade secrets and confidential information for the book "IP Strategy: A Practical Guide".
Nicholas has been ranked as a Next Generation Partner by the Legal 500.
"HE IS GOOD AT TRYING TO CUT THROUGH THE AGGRESSIVE LANGUAGE THAT IS USED AND AT TRANSLATING IT INTO LAYMAN'S TERMS."
Job Titles:
- PARTNER and HEAD of CAPITAL MARKETS
- Specialist
Nick Emmerson is a specialist in cross-border M&A and international capital market transactions. Nick is a genuine international lawyer who is fluent in Japanese and has spent much of his career working in Asia.
Nick has more than 25 years' experience in cross-border M&A and international capital market transactions. He lived in Japan for seven years, where he opened the Herbert Smith Freehills Tokyo Office in 2000 alongside Steve Lewis, the Managing Partner of Lewis Mathys Emmerson LLP. Nick also spent two and a half years working in China, where he managed the Shanghai office of another global law firm and founded its Hong Kong office.
Nick has been recognised by Chambers Global as an M&A expert in both their Japan and UK editions and described by Chambers Global as "a fluent Japanese speaker".
His fields of expertise include IPOs on the London capital markets by international companies, private equity transactions, joint ventures, corporate re-organisations and numerous complex cross-border public and private M&A deals in a variety of sectors from billion-dollar telecom deals in Japan to the sale of Peppa Pig.
Nick is a specialist in cross-border M&A and international capital market transactions. He is a genuine international lawyer who is fluent in Japanese and has spent much of his career working in Asia.
Job Titles:
- PARTNER and HEAD of DATA REGULATION
Nick's international experience and skill set is rare and highly sought after, combining broad experience of advising international businesses on data protection / e-privacy regulatory matters and commercial / technology transactions with fluent Japanese language skills (spoken and written).
Nick has over 25 years' experience of the Japanese market, including many years with Herbert Smith Freehills Tokyo office, where he worked closely with Steve Lewis. His core client base is comprised of Japanese multinational corporates across multiple industry sectors.
Nick has advised a wide range of Japanese listed companies on cross-border matters spanning sectors including online services and entertainment, smart device apps and games, software development and licensing, Internet of Things, industrial manufacturing, engineering and construction, chemicals and industrial materials, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, energy and trading. These matters have reached from the UK and continental Europe to the Middle East, South-East Asia, the US and South America.
Nick is a ranked individual in Chambers & Partners for Data Protection & Information Law (UK Wide). He regularly travels to Japan for client work and to give presentations in the Japanese language on EU data protection and e-privacy developments to law firms, companies and industry bodies. Nick also co-authored the UK and EU section of the first ever Japanese language law book on Japan/EU/US data protection issues together with one of Japan's most distinguished law firms.
"HE IS PERFECT FOR JAPANESE COMPANIES SEEKING DATA PROTECTION ADVICE IN THE UK."
Oliver is a company transactional lawyer with particular expertise in international M&A. He also advises clients on complex commercial contracts, data regulatory matters and technology law.
Oliver's practice focuses on M&A and data protection. His clients include global listed companies and household names from a range of sectors such as heavy industry, food manufacturing, hospitality, data science, aviation and construction.
Much of Oliver's work relates to international M&A deals involving Japanese companies, though he also regularly works with UK businesses on corporate transactions, share issues, shareholder dealings and other matters involving company laws and regulations.
Oliver is a specialist in data protection and e-Privacy law and he has helped numerous businesses achieve compliance with these complex regulatory regimes. Oliver has advised a number of very high-profile clients, including airlines, manufacturing companies and leading data science businesses on data protection matters including data subject access requests, requests for erasure, data breaches, processing agreements, audits and cross-border transfers. Oliver also advises on IT contracts, intellectual property matters and other regulatory issues such as consumer protection law.
Oliver has had articles published in the leading journals including the Tax Journal, Society for Computers and Law Journal and the E-Commerce Law and Policy Journal.
Patricia graduated with honours in Law from City University of London and went on to complete the Legal Practice Course at BPP University Law School, specialising in Intellectual Property, Employment Law, and Commercial Property.
Patricia is bilingual, fluent in both Portuguese and English.
Steve is a market-defining business lawyer with a career forged by over 30 years of transactional advisory work in over 70 international jurisdictions.
For decades Steve has been trusted adviser to multinational Japanese corporations spanning a broad range of industry sectors. Steve now advises a select group of Japanese, UK and international clients which value his unique offering of international law firm quality transactional advice with personal service.
Prior to establishing Lewis Mathys Emmerson in 2015, Steve was Managing Partner of the Tokyo office of Herbert Smith Freehills (whose Tokyo office he founded in 2000). In his career spanning over 30 years, Steve has split his time between London (10 years) and Tokyo (20 years). Steve has focused on cross-border deals in emerging markets in Asia, the Middle East and Latin America as well as in Europe and the United States. Having advised on transactions in over 70 jurisdictions, Steve has built up a vast network of local counsel around the world.
As an M&A lawyer advising Japanese clients on company/business acquisitions in the UK and post-merger integration, Steve has advised on all areas of business law including acquisitions, disposals, joint ventures, strategic collaborations, investment agreements, project finance, debt and equity finance, share option schemes, corporate governance, employment, pensions, insurance, mediation and dispute resolution.
Steve Lewis (Managing Partner) previously founded Herbert Smith Freehills Tokyo office which he managed for over 10 years, where he worked with Nick Mathys (Head of Data Regulation) and Nick Emmerson (Head of Capital Markets). The Firm's other Partners, Oliver Neil and Nicholas Mitchell have also spent many years working with well-known international law firms.