A boutique international law firm advising multinational corporations, trade organizations, and sovereign entities on cross-border transactions, international arbitration, and trade compliance.
Our practice is defined by depth, not breadth. We have deliberately concentrated our capabilities across four interconnected disciplines — each demanding a command of comparative legal systems, multilateral treaty frameworks, and the procedural nuances of operating across sovereign boundaries.
We represent parties before the ICC, ICSID, LCIA, and UNCITRAL tribunals. Our counsel spans investor-state disputes, commercial arbitration, and treaty-based claims across emerging and established jurisdictions.
Structuring and executing multinational mergers, acquisitions, and joint ventures. We navigate multi-jurisdictional regulatory approvals, foreign ownership restrictions, and cross-border due diligence across Pacific Rim and European markets.
Advisory on export controls, OFAC sanctions programs, anti-dumping proceedings, and WTO dispute resolution. We counsel clients on navigating overlapping U.S., EU, and UN sanctions regimes in high-stakes trade environments.
Strategic guidance through CFIUS, FATA, and analogous foreign investment screening mechanisms. We advise acquirers and targets on national security considerations, mitigation agreements, and voluntary notice strategy.
"We operate at the intersection of legal systems — where the precision of Japanese law meets the pragmatism of Anglo-American practice."
Founded on the conviction that international legal practice demands something more than jurisdictional breadth, Nakamura & Voss was established to provide genuinely integrated counsel at the crossroads of distinct legal traditions. Our attorneys are not merely multilingual — they are jurisprudentially bilingual, trained in civil law and common law systems alike.
We serve a concentrated roster of clients: multinational corporations with complex cross-border exposures, sovereign wealth funds pursuing foreign direct investment, trade associations navigating multilateral regulatory environments, and governments confronting investor-state claims. Our engagement model is deliberately lean — senior attention on every matter, without the diffusion of accountability that characterizes larger institutional practices.
The Pacific Rim anchors our practice. Seattle's strategic position between North American and Asian markets, combined with our Tokyo presence, affords our clients asymmetric access to counsel who understand both the letter and the cultural context of law across these corridors.
Chambers Global ranked — International Arbitration (Asia-Pacific and U.S.), Band 1 three consecutive years
ICSID, SIAC, JCAA, and ICC listed — arbitrator panel appointments across all four major institutional forums
Hague Academy of International Law — two senior partners hold diplomas; one serves on the Advisory Board
Admitted in Washington, England & Wales, and Japan — tri-jurisdictional capabilities without referral dependency
Strategically positioned across the Pacific Rim and European corridors that define modern cross-border legal practice.
Our attorneys hold dual or triple bar admissions, advanced degrees from international institutions, and active panel appointments with the world's leading arbitral forums. Each brings more than credentials — they bring cultural and linguistic fluency that changes client outcomes.
International matters move quickly and rarely wait. We respond to all inquiries within one business day across all three offices. Initial consultations are conducted under strict confidentiality.