Announcement of Our New Structure

December 2025

Dear Valued Clients and Partners,

As we approach the 40th anniversary of our founding, we are pleased to announce a strategic restructuring of SOEI PATENT & LAW FIRM (Chairman: Ryuichi Shitara, Japanese Attorney at Law; Founder/President: Yoshiki Hasegawa, Japanese Patent Attorney). Effective January 1, 2026, our firm will be restructured into two specialized entities: Soei Intellectual Property Law and Soei Shitara Law Firm.

・Soei Intellectual Property Law will carry on our firm’s IP practice, with a primary focus on intellectual property prosecution and rights acquisition.
・Soei Shitara Law Firm will continue our legal practice.

Soei Intellectual Property Law is a newly established patent professional corporation that inherits the philosophy of SOEI. This new structure, led by a Managing Board of eight Japanese patent attorneys, is designed to perpetually provide high-quality IP services that are responsive to the evolving demands of our clients and the modern business landscape. The firm will be managed by Yasuki Yanagi as Co-President & CEO and Takeshi Nakatsuka as Co-President & COO, who will be supported by the other six board members: Hiroshi Okazaki, Masatsugu Onuki, Satoshi Kobiyama, Yoshinori Sasaki, Sayaka Harada, and Ryohei Horie.

Soei Shitara Law Firm, led by President Ryuichi Shitara, will work in close partnership with Soei Intellectual Property Law. The firm will continue to provide the distinguished legal services our clients have come to rely on, including infringement litigation, invalidation trials, oppositions, expert opinions, and contract drafting.

Please be assured that this transition will be seamless. Our client service teams, administrative systems, IT infrastructure, and all contact information—including our address, telephone and fax numbers, email addresses, and website address—will remain unchanged.

Our Founder/President, Yoshiki Hasegawa, will be retiring from his position at the end of 2025, but will remain a registered Japanese patent attorney.

We are deeply grateful for your trust and partnership over the past 40 years. We look forward to our continued work together with the same dedication through Soei Intellectual Property Law and Soei Shitara Law Firm.

Sincerely,