Meilin International Law Firm

What Meilin International Law Firm does

Meilin International Law Firm (明倫国際法律事務所) is a privately held Japanese law firm headquartered in Fukuoka (Tenjin) with a secondary Tokyo office and overseas offices in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang, supported by an affiliated law firm network spanning 46 cities worldwide. The firm is structured as a Japanese legal corporation (弁護士法人) with no external investors or parent company, and its representative attorney is Tanaka Masatoshi (田中雅敏). It primarily serves small and medium-sized Japanese enterprises and startup companies with cross-border ambitions, offering corporate legal advisory, international business law, intellectual property, GDPR and data protection compliance, legal due diligence, external director/auditor placement, visa and residency services, and packaged compliance system construction.

Revenue is generated principally through ongoing advisory retainer contracts with corporate clients, supplemented by one-time and per-engagement legal consultations delivered both in-person and via web. A secondary recurring-revenue stream comes from MEILIN Channel, a subscription video platform offering legal education content for businesses at 25,000 JPY per month (paid) and free tiers. The firm runs five specialized practice divisions — Management Legal Affairs, International, Intellectual Property, Individual Legal Affairs, and Administrative Support — and operates dedicated India and Vietnam practice teams to serve outbound Japanese corporate clients. Distribution is primarily direct sales via retainer agreements and consultations, with content marketing, seminars, social media, and a newsletter functioning as top-of-funnel demand generation.

The firm has no proprietary technology platform, no AI/ML capabilities, and no disclosed APIs or integrations; its principal scalable asset is the MEILIN Channel content library (80+ video programs) and a network of affiliated international law firms. Go-to-market combines sales-led retainer acquisition with event-driven seminar and workshop participation, particularly overseas business expos targeting Japanese SMEs expanding into Vietnam, India, and other Asian markets.

Name

Meilin International Law Firm

Legal name

弁護士法人　明倫国際律师事务所

Website

https://meilin-law.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Meilin International Law Firm is a privately held Japanese law firm headquartered in Fukuoka with offices across Asia, providing corporate advisory, international business, IP, and compliance services primarily to Japanese SMEs and startups, supplemented by the MEILIN Channel subscription video platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Offices of Lawyers (54111), All Other Legal Services (541199)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate & Commercial Law (BPAHAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) & Securities Law (BPAHAAAI), Immigration Law (BPAHAAAL)

Keywords

• Corporate legal services
• International business law
• Intellectual property law
• Startup legal advisory
• Compliance consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Fukuoka

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Advisory Retainer Services: Ongoing advisory retainer contracts with corporate clients providing comprehensive legal services
2. Legal Consultation Services: One-time or per-engagement legal consultations, both in-person and via web
3. MEILIN Channel Premium Membership: Subscription-based video content platform providing legal education content for businesses, with free and paid tiers (25,000 JPY/month for paid membership)

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Meilin International Law Firm is a Japanese law firm providing comprehensive corporate legal services primarily to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and startups, with a strong international focus across Asia. The firm operates through five specialized divisions (Management Legal Affairs, International, Intellectual Property, Individual Legal Affairs, and Administrative Support) and supplements its advisory practice with the MEILIN Channel, a subscription video education platform.

Product overview

Meilin International Law Firm is a Japanese law firm offering comprehensive legal services primarily for small-to-medium enterprises and startups. The firm operates through a core platform of professional legal services supplemented by the MEILIN Channel video membership program. Key service modules include startup support, intellectual property services, GDPR compliance, legal due diligence, overseas expansion consulting (with specialized India and Vietnam practice teams), corporate compliance development, employment law support, and visa/residency services. The firm also provides external director/auditor placement services and various packaged legal consulting solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Advisory Retainer Service (顧問契約サービス) Ongoing legal advisory retainer contracts providing comprehensive legal support to corporate clients across multiple practice areas; targeted at Japanese SMEs and startups needing continuous outside counsel.
• Startup Support Service (スタートアップ支援サービス) Comprehensive legal support service for startup companies including business plan development, contract basics, advertising compliance, and business law consultation; targeted at Japanese startup founders and early-stage companies.
• GDPR Compliance Support Service (GDPR遵守支援サービス) Legal consulting package to help companies comply with the EU General Data Protection Regulation; targeted at Japanese companies handling personal data of EU residents.
• Intellectual Property Filing Service (知的財産権出願手続サービス) Service for filing and managing intellectual property rights including patents, trademarks, and designs; targeted at Japanese companies seeking IP protection domestically and internationally.
• Compliance System Development Support Service (コンプライアンス体制構築支援サービス) Support service for building corporate compliance systems and internal controls; targeted at Japanese companies needing to establish or strengthen compliance frameworks.
• Legal Due Diligence Service (法務デューデリジェンスサービス) Legal due diligence services for mergers, acquisitions, and business transactions; targeted at Japanese companies engaged in M&A and major corporate transactions.
• Overseas Expansion Briefing Service (海外進出ブリーフィングサービス) Briefing and consulting service for companies expanding into international markets, particularly Vietnam, India, and other Asian countries; targeted at Japanese SMEs planning or executing overseas market entry.
• India Practice Team (インドプラクティスチーム) Specialized team providing legal services for India-related business including market entry, contracts, and dispute resolution; targeted at Japanese companies entering or operating in India.
• Japan Visa and Residency Status Service (日本在留ビザ取得・在留資格等に関するサービス) Service assisting foreigners with obtaining Japanese visas and residency status; targeted at foreign nationals and companies sponsoring overseas workers in Japan.
• External Director/Auditor Outsourcing Service (社外取締役/監査役委託サービス) Service providing external directors and auditors for companies requiring corporate governance expertise; targeted at Japanese companies seeking independent board members or statutory auditors.
• MEILIN Channel (MEILINチャンネル) Membership-based video content platform for legal education targeting business owners and legal professionals; offers practical legal knowledge through video programs usable for internal company training. Includes free tier with limited access, paid monthly subscription at 25,000 JPY, and per-video purchase at 5,000 JPY with 90-day viewing period.
• Business Succession Service (事業承継サービス) Legal support service for business succession planning and execution; targeted at Japanese SME owners and family businesses planning generational transitions.
• HR/Labor Department Backup Service (人事労務担当者バックアップサービス) Backup and supplemental support service for corporate HR and labor affairs personnel; targeted at Japanese companies needing external labor law expertise.
• Employee Legal Consultation (EAP) Service (従業員様向け法律相談サービス) Employee assistance program providing legal consultation services to company employees; targeted at Japanese employers offering legal support benefits to their workforce.
• External Whistleblower Hotline Service (社外通報窓口受託・運営サービス)

Quantifiable outcome

• Served approximately 5,000 corporate clients over the past decade

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Affiliated Law Firm NetworkcoreOthersMeilin International Law Firm has established a network of closely partnered law firms across 46 cities worldwide, enabling them to provide comprehensive cross-border legal services to clients expanding internationally.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Anderson Mori & Tomotsune: One of Japan's largest full-service international law firms. While far larger, it competes with Meilin in cross-border corporate, M&A, and IP advisory for Japanese corporates and is the most visible brand in the same client conversations.
• Nishimura & Asahi: Japan's largest law firm, with extensive Asia and global coverage. Competes for Japanese corporate cross-border mandates, including those SME clients escalating to premium counsel as they internationalize.
• Mori Hamada & Matsumoto: Major Japanese law firm with deep cross-border capabilities across Asia. Targets the same Japanese corporate outbound market as Meilin, particularly M&A and overseas expansion, but with much greater scale and partner depth.

Regional players

• YCP Group (YCP Solidiance): Asia-focused advisory and investment firm offering cross-border entry support across Japan, Vietnam, India, and SEA. Adjacent competitor for SME market entry mandates that bundle legal with consulting.
• Dezan Shira & Associates: Asia-focused advisory firm supporting foreign investment across Vietnam, India, China and SEA. Competes with Meilin for Japanese SME internationalization briefs, particularly market entry and compliance work.
• Long An Law Firm (Vietnam): Mid-sized Vietnamese firm serving Japanese-invested enterprises. Overlaps with Meilin's Vietnam office footprint and Japanese-SME client base.

Direct peers

• TMI Associates: Tokyo-based firm combining legal and patent attorney practices with strong international offices. Closely comparable to Meilin in combining corporate law, IP, and Japan-anchored outbound services, but at significantly larger scale.
• Nishith Desai Associates: India-focused law firm with strong cross-border corporate, tax, and regulatory practice. Closely comparable to Meilin's India Practice Team and the same Japanese SME entry-into-India corridor.
• Frasers Law Company: Vietnam-focused law firm serving foreign investors, particularly Japanese clients entering Vietnam. Direct overlap with Meilin's Vietnam practice and the same SME internationalization corridor.
• Indovina Law Firm: Long-standing Vietnam law firm (a joint venture of Vietnamese and Japanese-affiliated lawyers). Directly comparable in serving Japanese SMEs entering Vietnam with corporate and labor law services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/meilin_law
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCvx-eVwPP4yGWhzS9RAUKyQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/meilin.lawfirm
• Instagraminstagram.com/meilin_law_official

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Meilin International Law Firm