Hiroshi Kondo
Biography
Hiroshi Kondo is a senior counsel in the Corporate/M&A Group. He has held a variety of leadership positions within Baker McKenzie, including heading the Firm's M&A, Venture Capital and Private Equity groups. In addition to his practice, Hiroshi has authored and contributed to numerous publications. He is also a member of the Tokyo Bar Association and the Japan Federation of Bar Associations.
He has been a partner of Baker McKenzie Tokyo since 1995, and representative of Baker & McKenzie LPC since 2022.
Practice Focus
Hiroshi focuses on mergers and acquisitions, private equity investment, corporate/commercial and labor law. He has acted as lead counsel for several high-profile M&A transactions in Japan’s consumer industries, including food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications and insurance markets. He also has extensive experience in private equity investments — particularly with MBOs and LBOs — corporate restructuring, securities regulation, anti-monopoly regulation and labor dispute resolution.
Representative Legal Matters
- Represented a major foreign insurance company concerning a tender offer for a Japanese insurance company.
- Represented a European telecommunications company in the purchase and subsequent sale of its stake in one of Japan's largest telecommunications companies and its wireless arm.
- Represented the largest domestic beer manufacturer in its acquisition of a company in Australia.
- Represented a domestic consumer goods manufacturer in its acquisition of a major company in the same trade in Australia.
- Counseled a major Japanese life insurance company concerning a complex demutualization merger involving the following components: establishment of a new joint venture company (i.e., K.K.) of a life insurance company with a major e-commerce and Internet conglomerate; takeover of the assets of a bankrupted life insurer; and an eventual merger of a major Japanese life insurance (mutual) company with the joint venture for the purpose of the demutualization.
- Acted on behalf of a major domestic telecommunications company in one of the world's largest mergers by three of Japan's telecommunications companies.
Professional Honors
- Eminent Practitioner/Senior Statesperson: Corporate/M&A: Domestic, Chambers Asia Pacific and Chambers Global (2019-2024)
Professional Associations and Memberships
- Tokyo Bar Association - Member
- Japan Federation of Bar Associations – Member
Admissions
- Japan (1987)
Education
- Harvard Law School (LLM) (1991)
- Chuo University (LLB) (1981)
Languages
- English
- Japanese
Previous Offices
- San Francisco