Megan is a partner at a law firm based in Boston, Massachusetts called Mintz (short for Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C.) She has been a practicing corporate and securities lawyer for 26 years, 20 of which have been at Mintz. She primarily represents publicly traded companies on equity financings, strategic mergers and acquisitions, and compliance and corporate governance obligations. Most of her clients are in the biotechnology or life sciences industry.  When she’s not practicing law, she’s passionate about travel and serving on non-profit boards. She’s currently on the boards of directors of the Japan Society of Boston, Greater Boston Legal Services, Lawyers for Civil Rights, and the Pine Street Inn, which is Boston’s largest homeless services organization.  Megan graduated from ASIJ in 1987, where she spent the last three years of high school. She also attended Yokohama International School from 1974-1977 and ISSH in Tokyo from 1977 – 1980. In between her years in Japan she lived in Houston, Texas. She received her undergraduate degree in Japanese Studies from Wellesley College and her law degree from Boston College Law School. ​ Megan lives in the South End of Boston with her husband, Bill Whelan, and their Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Angus. Whenever she’s able to do so, she also spends time at their condo in Azabudai, Tokyo.  

Lawyer  

Megan explains to Nick about how ASIJ has changed in comparison to when she attended in the 1980s.  Megan speaks to Nick about SOX (Sarbanes-Oxley Act 2002) and Mergers & Acquisitions, and how oversight in regards to company accounting governance has evolved since the early 2000s to the current day, including the events which transpired following the 2008 financial crisis (Such as the passing of the Dodd-Frank Act).  The two discuss how much industry-based knowledge is needed by lawyers when consulting specific companies, and Nick gets jealous when hearing about the time Megan worked with a company that dealt with European soccer.    Megan explains to Nick about how woman in law has changed and evolved the past two decades, and how companies like Mintz do an especially excellent job when it comes to the advancement of woman. Megan explains to Nick how the issue remains as "retention of woman", where law school graduates remain relatively close to 50/50, but this balance begins to drop as female lawyers become more senior.  The podcast concludes with the two discussing being a TCK, and their comparative experiences of living in Japan vs the USA.