Episode 20 Janet Wold Kanzawa - ​Lawyer

Janet explains to Nick why she became a lawyer. She describes how her passion and interests such as international relations and philosophy were intertwined with international law, and she found the occupation to be both intellectually stimulating and a challenge she was willing to take on.

As a philosophy major, Janet explains to Nick how many of the great philosophical questions we have as a society, often connect to how we view the justice system overall, and understanding philosophy helped her better comprehend how and why these legal systems existed in different nations.

​The two discuss the LSATs and preparation for Law School. Janet explains to Nick how the 3-years at law school work, and how the system of the "P14 schools" can affect the job hunt process for those who are attending law school. She also explains to Nick how the job hunt process essentially begins from year one, since the two summers law school students have are an essential time for them to get work experience between their studies.

The two discuss the bar exam, and Janet explains how law school students prepare for the exam, and how the bar is different depending on the state.

Janet clarifies for Nick what many companies mean when they say pro bono, and how some companies utilize a billing system that encourages their employees to work on cases which are pro bono. Janet explains to Nick how choosing a firm that had a very flexible pro bono system was one of the factors in regards to why she chose to work for her current law firm.

Janet explains to Nick how right now is an excellent opportunity for any Japanese speaker to attend law school, and that there is consistently and constantly a demand for Japanese speakers who also have passed the bar. She explains how there is a system present where you could work in Tokyo as a US lawyer through going through the 外国法事務弁護士 system.

Janet Wold Kanzawa (ASIJ 2010)

Janet graduated from Vassar College in 2014, where she majored in Philosophy and International Studies and minored in Economics and Arabic. She returned to Tokyo for one year to work at ASIJ and coach volleyball and field hockey.

Janet then moved to New York City to attend Columbia Law School. Upon graduation, Janet began her legal career at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett’s New York office, where she completed rotations in the Banking & Credit and Capital Markets groups. Janet recently transferred to Simpson Thacher’s Los Angeles office, where she represents private equity funds, corporations, and banks in financing matters. She has enjoyed doing pro bono legal work for the Natural Resources Defense Council.