American lawyers in Japan?

[venicejazz]

[Mulboyne]

FG member kamome probably knows most about this area.

You might want to keep an eye on this blog by Joe Jones since he covers topics that may be of interest.

[Bucky]

I regularly see ads on Craigslist.org advertising for attornies to work in Japan. Pay particular attention to the sites in NY, SF, LA, Chicago and even the Tokyo site.

--Buck

[kamome]

[quote="venicejazz"]Hello all,
I’]
It is great that you understand it is important to work for some time in the States before venturing overseas to pursue your legal career. I worked at a major US firm in Tokyo for a couple of years and have some insight.

First, I'd like to know why you even want to work in Japan at all? Is this part of a business plan you have? How would it fit into your overall career goals? Think about these things before you make the leap overseas.

1) Why do you believe you don't have the credentials to work at a large firm? Is it your grades and/or the law school you are attending? If so, that may also be an impediment to obtaining legal employment in the States let alone Japan. To be employed at firms in Japan, you might want to focus on developing special skills that would make you an attractive candidate for fulfilling a special need - i.e., mastering the Japanese language, learning a niche area of the law like tax or patent/intellectual property, etc.

Aside from the big US firms there are Japanese law firms that hire lawyers from the US and other jurisdictions. Check NO&T, Atsumi & Partners, Nishimura Partners, Mori Sogo, etc. Your level of responsibility will vary at these firms. You have to consider whether you want the risk of being relegated to second-class citizenship status at these places, because some Japanese firms are very progressive in their treatment of foreign lawyers and others view them as glorified translators. The more experience you have at a US firm before coming to Japan, the less likely you will be treated as a secondary lawyer in a Japanese firm.

You should also look into the Temple University law school program and see if you can work it into the curriculum you are following at your current law school. That program may give you the foothold you need to get a position in Japan. Also, some of the law firms I mentioned above may provide internships that you can put onto your resume. Finally, I believe Kyoto University has a law and Japan program for foreign law students that is a great stepping stone to a legal career in Japan. I am not sure about that program's offerings, so go online and do some research.

2) You are right that M&A and Captal Markets are hot areas right now. Another super-hot practice area is private investment funds (i.e., hedge funds and private equity funds). That practice largely comes under the rubric of securities regulation, so securities work of any kind (asset securitization, '40 Act work, public or private offerings, broker-dealer regulation, commodities regulation, etc.) would stand you in good stead. Yet another hot practice area is real estate finance. I don't know anything about litigation except that I know intellectual property is litigated regularly even in Japan and would be a nice area to focus on (note: check the Hudson Legal website for the Tokyo office to see what litigation practices - and other legal practices - are looking now). There may also be work for bankruptcy specialists. Compliance officers have a good chance of finding in-house legal work. The Hudson Legal website would have other ideas for in-house work (assuming you have the requisite legal background to move in-house).

Incidentally, all of the practice areas I've mentioned are also hot areas in the US (particularly in New York), so becoming a specialist in any of these fields will be helpful wherever you want to work.

[kamome]

You might want to keep an eye on this blog by Joe Jones since he covers topics that may be of interest.

Thanks for this link, Mulb. I checked this blog and, while Joe seems to be well informed on various issues, he explicitly notes that he is not a lawyer. Best to note that any advice on his site (or any legal advice provided online generally, including my posts on FG) should be taken with a grain of salt.

[Greji]

(or any legal advice provided online generally, including my posts on FG) should be taken with a grain of salt.

Such as where to go to get a free drink?

[kamome]

Such as where to go to get a free drink?

Yeah, I'd most likely recommend to people that they should go anywhere you happen to be drinking at the time since you might be convinced in your drunken state to pay for their beer!

[Greji]

Yeah, I'd most likely recommend to people that they should go anywhere you happen to be drinking at the time since you might be convinced in your drunken state to pay for their beer!

Shitsurei na! being a teetotaler, let me check my dairy to schedule an open date, so that I might properly demonstrate that you speak blasphemy Bird!

[kamome]

Shitsurei na! being a teetotaler, let me check my dairy to schedule an open date, so that I might properly demonstrate that you speak blasphemy Bird!

The current year is 2007! Are you too inebriated to notice?

[Greji]

The current year is 2007! Are you too inebriated to notice?

I'm still in my underground bunker, you mean it ain't 1999 no longer and we're all still here?