Withers - Playbook (Vacation Scheme 2027)

Do you want a TC at Withers?

Here's the research you need to impress!

This Playbook covers:

🇯🇵 Stealth growth in Tokyo
🌍 Must-Know global strategy
⚡ Chasing the clean energy boom
🇸🇬 Why Singapore is key
⚠️ Challenges and opportunities

Plus how to use this information to stand out in applications and interviews!

⏰ Deadline: 8 January

Planting a Disputes Flag in Tokyo

What's going on?

Withers has opened a disputes practice in Japan:

• October 2026: Withers launched an arbitration and litigation practice in Tokyo by hiring partner Hiroko Nihei.
• Nihei joins from Hillford Law, a boutique she co-founded after O'Melveny & Myers closed its Tokyo office. She brings deep experience in international arbitration, cross-border IP disputes and commercial litigation.
• What the firm said: Withers' head of dispute resolution, Peter Wood, pointed to Nihei's leadership and experience as a solid foundation for expanding the Tokyo team.

What's the signal?

• Filling a gap. By recruiting an experienced Japanese disputes lawyer, Withers is using the space left by larger firms, such as O'Melveny's exit, to win a share of the Japanese market.
• Tokyo, not Hong Kong. Basing Nihei in Tokyo shows a targeted push into Japan's commercial disputes scene. It also hints at new Japan-related work coming through the firm's global platform.

How to use this in your application