Lawyer on Air

Have you ever wondered if it was too late to do that law firm experience, to go in-house or to law work in a completely different area? It is never too late to fill a gap in your CV, as my guest Chika Hirata shows us in this episode! Chika is mentor to up and coming professionals, and loves to give back, just as she was mentored by one of our most popular episode guests, Lawyer Extraordinaire, Royanne Doi.

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would leave us a message here!

In this episode you’ll hear:

About Chika

Chika joined Takeda in June 2018 and is currently the Head of Japan/JPBU Ethics & Compliance.  She is in charge of strategic planning and leading global initiatives for global Takeda as a member of the Global Ethics & Compliance Leadership Team.  Chika leads and supervises various initiatives related to Ethics and Compliance, Data Privacy and Enterprise Risk Management at Japan Pharma Business Unit.  She also works closely with senior leaders in Japan to embed corporate values and culture in daily business activities with higher ethical standards.

Chika has worked at various global financial institutions, in private practice as a lawyer, and a member of senior management teams.  She has extensive and rich experience in corporate governance, change management, team building and talent development in multicultural environments.  Throughout her career, she has committed herself to being a disrupter regarding Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in the context of Japanese corporate culture, and is passionate about mentoring and coaching talents from diverse backgrounds.  Prior to joining Takeda, she was responsible for Corporate Secretariat and Legal Affairs as Statutory Executive Officer, SVP & Chief Legal Officer at MetLife Insurance in Japan.

Chika is admitted to practice in the State of New York.

Connect with Chika

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chika-hirata-3058696/

Links

Brasserie Va-tout https://brasserievatout.jp/

Black Box Thinking https://www.amazon.co.jp/Black-Box-Thinking-Surprising-Success/dp/1473613779

Connect with Catherine

Linked In https://www.linkedin.com/in/oconnellcatherine/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawyeronair

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/catherine.oconnell.148

Twitter: https://twitter.com/oconnelllawyer

Yuka Teraguchi never dreamed she would make partner in a law firm and also be able to start a family. My Lawyer Extraordinaire guest is now doing both and I’m so glad to share this episode with you so we can bring her story into the spotlight for a moment. You will be inspired as to how you can find that specialty that you can be great at and overcome the uncertainties of being promoted during your career.

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would leave us a message here!

In this episode you’ll hear:

About Yuka

Yuka Teraguchi is Co-Head of Morrison & Foerster’s Tokyo Litigation Department and focuses her practice on representing technology clients in IP and commercial disputes.  She is also a member of her firm’s Women’s Strategy Group and Mental Health Steering Committee, promoting a diverse, inclusive, and healthy work environment.  Outside of her work, she enjoys riding trains and buses with her two-year-old child who loves anything with wheels.

Connect with Yuka

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuka-teraguchi-5b51b1b/

Links

PST Pizza Studio Tamaki: http://pst-tk2-ad.com/

Connect with Catherine

Linked In https://www.linkedin.com/in/oconnellcatherine/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawyeronair

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/catherine.oconnell.148

Twitter: https://twitter.com/oconnelllawyer

Keiko Ohara and Junko Ohara are mother and daughter lawyers and my guests in Episode One of Season Four! If you are wondering what the journey of being a lawyer and a parent might be like and what your own kids might be thinking as you try to navigate your career, this episode will give you insights that might surprise you. It’s a really heartwarming episode that goes to show that parents and children don’t always have the full picture of a situation but that even years later you can come to an appreciation of what your parents went through.

In this episode you’ll hear:

About Keiko Ohara

Keiko Ohara is founder and partner at Kamiyacho International Law Office. Keiko has worked in the Tokyo office of Komatsu, Koma & Nishikawa and at Weil Gotshal & Manges in New York.

Her firm focuses on representing foreign companies investing and doing business in Japan. She also assists Japanese companies doing business with foreign companies. She helps clients with general corporate matters, M&A commercial contracts, employment matters, dispute resolution, regulatory compliance, and corporate governance.

Keiko is outside independent director at Financial Products Group Co., Ltd. and Fujikyuko Co., Ltd. She is an Independent Statutory Auditor at Taisei Corporation and Auditor at the NGO Save the Children Japan. Keiko sits on the Committee of foreign lawyers and international legal practice at the Japan Federation of Bar associations.

Keiko is on the committee on foreign special members and international legal practice at the Daiichi Tokyo Bar Association. Keiko qualified as a Bengoshi in Japan in 1988 and as a New York state attorney at law in 1993. She has a BA in economics and an LLB in law from Keio University and achieved her LLM from Harvard law school.

LinkedIn

About Junko Ohara

Junko Ohara is a Japanese lawyer. After qualifying as a lawyer, she joined Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s Tokyo office and is working as an associate to date. She is a member of the Global Transaction team and specializes in general corporate work, in particular cross-border public and private M&A. She also advises on various commercial and real estate transactions and helps international clients navigate and understand the Japanese market. She also assists clients on equity-based compensation schemes and compliance issues, including anti-bribery, sanctions and data protection laws. She has a strong interest in pro bono work as well and has been an active member of activities to protect children and LGBTQ rights in Japan. She is a mother of a daughter and a dog (both 1 year old).

Junko Ohara | Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

LinkedIn

Links

Bolt Restaurant

Striving for perfectionism and how that prevents people from speaking up is one of the key things that has been coming through from season three on the Lawyer on Air Podcast. This prevents people from speaking up or asking questions for fear of embarrassment or showing oneself as lacking in knowledge or understanding. Let’s hear from three of our lawyer extraordinaire guests on these topics and make sure you listen to the end for my top tips, too!

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would leave us a message here!

In this episode you’ll hear:

Links

Olivia Nomura’s Episode: https://www.catherineoconnelllaw.com/podcast/season-three-ep2-olivia-nomura

Lexi Takamatsu’s episode: https://www.catherineoconnelllaw.com/podcast/season-three-ep6-lexi-takamatsu

Hiromi Shiraishi’s Episode: https://www.catherineoconnelllaw.com/podcast/season-three-ep9-hiromi-shiraishi

Connect with Catherine

Website: https://www.catherineoconnelllaw.com/contact 

Linked In https://www.linkedin.com/in/oconnellcatherine/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawyeronair

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/catherine.oconnell.148

Twitter: https://twitter.com/oconnelllawyer

You may have been listening with envy to the women lawyers from Allen & Overy (A&O) who have been featured on the show so far. Well in this episode we bring you the Managing Partner of the Tokyo A&O office, Matthias Voss. You’ll hear what their hiring process looks like and the motivations that guide the way that the firm is run. It is a must listen for anyone wanting to enter a law firm in Tokyo in the near future.

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would leave us a message here!

In this episode you’ll hear:

About Matthias

Matthias is the Managing Partner of the Tokyo and Seoul offices of Allen & Overy. Matthias has a strong track record advising international project companies, sponsors and financiers on their investments and their commercial and financial arrangements for a wide range of often complex energy, oil and gas, petrochemical, natural resource/mining, power and infrastructure investments in around the globe. He also frequently assists clients in developing corporate structures and contracting strategies, including bidding, construction and supply and offtake arrangements. He has extensive experience working on complex financings involving multiple ECAs and MLAs. Matthias speaks English, Mandarin, French, German and some Japanese.

Connect with Matthias

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allenoverymatthiasvoss/

Links

Bunon: http://www.bunon.jp/

Cellar and Grill: https://www.cardenas.co.jp/shop/restaurant/w-aoyama/

Tokyo Whiskey Library: https://tokyo-whisky-library.com/index.html

Connect with Catherine

Linked In https://www.linkedin.com/in/oconnellcatherine/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawyeronair

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/catherine.oconnell.148

Twitter: https://twitter.com/oconnelllawyer

Hiromi Shiraishi is my guest today and she shows us how when people put up their own barriers that stop you from advancing in your career, you can choose to step around them and find your own path. If you are working as in-house counsel and want to know how you can be more visible and help others more effectively in the organisation, then this is the episode for you.

We would love to see more of our legal eagles helping with organisations such as Kids Door because we know the power of language to open up opportunities.

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would leave us a message here!

In this episode you’ll hear:

About Hiromi

Hiromi is Country Counsel for HP and has worked as in-house counsel for Renova Inc, Nokia Solutions and Networks Japan. She also has a solid Law firm background having worked at Nishimura and Asahi in Japan, and two law firms in the US.

Hiromi also had the unique experience of working for the Japanese government in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs International Legal Affairs Bureau in Tokyo advising other government ministries and agencies.

Hiromi is a member of the Japan Federal Bar Association and Dai-Ni Tokyo Bar Association and is also admitted in the State Bar of California.

Educated at Tsuda College in Tokyo and attaining a BA, she then went on to do her legal qualification, at the Legal Training and Research Institute of the Supreme Court of Japan and LLM at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law in Los Angeles.

Hiromi has also authored several publications such as “Cloud Computing and Protection of Personal Information in Chapter Three of “Legal Practices and Cloud Computing”, and she also wrote the chapter called Movement to Reduce Barriers to Access to Information, in the publication entitled “Commentary on Revised Copyright Act”.

Hiromi is a super contributor to the community through volunteering by way of English tutoring for underprivileged high school students with “Kids Door”.

Connect with Hiromi

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hiromi-shiraishi-9b380b161/

Links

Kids Door: https://kidsdoor.net/

La Maree de Chaya  https://chaya.co.jp/

Hidden Brain Podcast

Planet Money Podcast

Connect with Catherine

Linked In https://www.linkedin.com/in/oconnellcatherine/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawyeronair

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/catherine.oconnell.148

Twitter: https://twitter.com/oconnelllawyer

We have a wonderful special guest on the show from Michael Page, Tokyo, Alkis Kotzampasis. Alkis shares the latest trends in the Japan legal market and how you can best work with a recruiter even if you are not looking for a new position right now. I have worked with Michael Page myself over the years so I knew they would give us honest and useful advice for how to make best use of their services.

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would leave us a message here!

In this episode you’ll hear:

About Alkis

Alkis enjoys assisting lawyers realize their potential. He is also advising his clients on how to source the best legal talent for their teams. Due to the busy nature of the legal profession, Alkis understands that it is difficult for many legal professionals to keep themselves updated on the job market and he aspires to fill that gap of knowledge with the information he provides them.

As the current Manager of the Legal & Compliance team in Michael Page, Alkis has developed a vast network of clients since coming to Japan. His practice focuses both on law firms and in-house. He has successfully introduced candidates in different industries such as technology, finance, energy & others and at varying levels in seniority such as Legal Counsels, Legal Directors, Compliance Managers, Associates and Partners.

In terms of personal accolades, Alkis was the no.1 biller for Michael Page Japan in 2021 and member of the top-10 in Michael Page Asia.

Alkis grew up in Athens, Greece. He studied in the UK in Durham University and Lancaster University. He then moved on to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg for an internship, worked for a year in Athens, fulfilled his military obligation right after and came to Japan in January 2020. When not recruiting you’ll find him trying delicious food, playing sports, travelling or all at the same time!

Connect with Alkis

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alkis-kotzampasis-5a171812a/
Email: [email protected]

Links

Talent Trends Report:

English: https://www.michaelpage.co.jp/en/talent-trends/the-great-x

Japanese: https://www.michaelpage.co.jp/talent-trends/the-great-x

Bar Amber: http://baramber.jp/

Aladdin: http://www.persia-aladdin.com/

Even when your law career doesn’t go smoothly, perhaps you have been laid off or there are other challenges on your path, trusting your gut can help you to find the right way forward. My guest is Bonnie Dixon, the first foreign woman to be made a partner of a Japanese law firm. You will not believe how Bonnie created this opportunity for herself. Bonnie also shows us other ways we can serve our countries, either as a commercial attache in business or in the community as a scout leader.

In this episode you’ll hear:

About Bonnie

Bonnie Dixon is a Partner at Atsumi & Sakai in Tokyo. In 2005, when Bonnie joined the firm she became the first non-Japanese attorney to become a partner of a domestic Japanese law firm since the Occupation of Japan.

Educated at the University of Michigan with a B.A., majoring in Japanese and Political Science in 1978, and the University of Michigan Law School, attaining her J.D. in 1981, Bonnie speaks and reads fluent Japanese and has worked in Tokyo for more than twenty years in the aggregate.

Recently, Atsumi & Sakai has established an office in New York, to be formally named as Atsumi & Sakai New York LLP. This expansion will be led by Bonnie, who will serve as managing partner of the New York office.

In her spare time, Bonnie produces translations of Kabuki and Bunraku dramas.  Her translation commentaries can be heard through the Earphone Guide service available for rent at the National Theater in Tokyo and at the National Bunraku Theater in Osaka. She is an avid hiker and enjoys camping and other outdoor activities.  Bonnie was the founder and for years served as the Scoutmaster of Troop 5 of the Far East Council of the Boy Scouts of America.  During her tenure as Scoutmaster, Bonnie was the only female scoutmaster of the BSA program in all of Asia.  She currently serves as an Assistant Scoutmaster for Troop 5’s female scouts.

Connect with Bonnie

Please email Catherine to be connected with Bonnie.

Links

The Tokyo American Club: https://www.tokyoamericanclub.org/index.php/en/

Connect with Catherine

Linked In https://www.linkedin.com/in/oconnellcatherine/

Lexi Takamatsu had just sat down for the very first time in her new home in the US, opened her laptop to find an email which would change the trajectory of her life again. Lexi shares how by finding what she likes about her legal practice and focusing on those areas, opportunities have come to her that she never imagined.

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would leave us a message here!

In this episode you’ll hear:

About Lexi

Lexi is an international disputes specialist, who has represented companies in U.S. domestic and international litigation and arbitration, including commercial disputes, intellectual property disputes, and corporate governance disputes.

Lexi attained her BA from University of Southern California 2008, and JD from U.C. Berkeley, School of Law in 2015. She was admitted in California in the same year (2015

In 2015, Lexi completed a one-year clerkship (2015-2016) for a U.S. Federal District Court Judge in the Central District of California, assisting the Judge in drafting opinions for the civil litigation cases on her docket.

In 2016 Lexi joined the U.S. law firm, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP in Los Angeles, California. After 2 years with Skadden Lexi joined the disputes department of Morrison & Foerster’s Tokyo office where she was from 2018 to late 2020. At MoFo she was in the disputes department working on cross-border intellectual property and contract-based disputes.

Lexi joined Mori Hamada in September 2020, she is working to expand Mori Hamada’s international arbitration practice, while also assisting in various disputes and white collar investigations.

Connect with Lexi

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexi-takamatsu-a423a339/

Links

Routinery App

Burnout by Emily Nagoski https://www.amazon.co.jp/Burnout-Secret-Unlocking-Stress-Cycle/dp/1984818325

How do you become an art curator but then become a lawyer working in construction law? Hojung Jun shows us how you can take time to discover your niche and come to love the law by finding exactly where it suits you to work in this incredibly vast industry. She shows us a fascinating side of the construction industry and how it can be complex, exciting and international.

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would leave us a message here!

In this episode you’ll hear:

About Hojung

Educated at Ewha Womans University in Korea and the University of Illinois College of Law, Hojung obtained her JD in 2009 and was admitted to the New York bar in the same year.

As a New York qualified lawyer and experienced all around the globe, Hojung regularly advises on and negotiates complex construction agreements, subcontracts, concession agreements, joint venture agreements and partnership agreements in relation to infrastructure, power and mine development projects. She does this for major Japanese and Korean companies - both on the investor and contractor side.

Her recent focus also includes renewable energy (such as solar, wind power and battery storage) and digital transformation.

After finishing her undergrad, Hojung started her career as an art curator in Washington DC organizing exhibitions for museums and galleries and working with

During law school, Hojung had the unique experience of summer interning at the Permanent Mission of Korea to the United Nations in New York in 2007.

She’s also had in-house experience from  2010-2014 working for a major construction company in Korea.

She moved to Japan in 2014 and joined another international law firm before Baker & McKenzie. She has been seconded to Tokyo Gas and is now currently seconded to Toyota Tsusho Corporation.

Connect with Hojung

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hojungjun/

Website: https://www.bakermckenzie.com/en/people/j/jun-hojung

Links

Clubhouse: https://clubhousedb.com/club/396908948-legal-bento-box

Le Pain Quotidien: https://www.lepainquotidien.com/jp/ja/#.W1kgoGD7SM8

Connect with Catherine

Linked In https://www.linkedin.com/in/oconnellcatherine/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawyeronair

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/catherine.oconnell.148

Twitter: https://twitter.com/oconnelllawyer