Skip to main content
  • Pro Bono
  • Community
  • DE&I

Report on Career Guidance (Oin Junior & Senior High School)

- Nishimura & Asahi's legal education project

Opportunities overview and preparations for conducting a career guidance session

As one of the initiatives of the legal education team of Nishimura & Asahi is to do community outreach to students, Hitomi Saso, from the Human Resources Division (and a graduate of Oin Junior & Senior High School ("Oin Gakuen")), approached Ms. Yukari Sueyoshi, a social studies teacher at Oin Gakuen. Following extensive discussions, they organized a career guidance session for first and second year high school students who expressed interest in participation.


The session was led by lawyers Takeshi Nemoto, Yoko Kasai, Mayu Okada (a graduate of Oin Gakuen), and Rutsu Matsunaga (also a graduate of Oin Gakuen).

 

Seeing that many students at Oin Gakuen have a strong interest in science and mathematics, we were eager to speak on the appeal of the legal profession and breadth of career opportunities available for them. In order to provide students with a meaningful experience, the legal education team and participating attorneys held discussions in advance to carefully plan the content of the event, incorporating the perspectives of alumni and soliciting questions from the students.
 

 

Outline of the career guidance session

The career guidance session was conducted in two parts.
In the first part, we presented a general overview of the judicial system. This included a summary of the judicial examination system, the roles of the three branches of the legal profession, the mindset required of legal professionals and their versatility in practice, diverse work of lawyers, as well as the career prospects and business of legal professionals and lawyers.

 

In the second part, we held a panel discussion in which we covered individual perspectives from the participating lawyers, such as their career choices, areas of practice (e.g., M&A, finance, life sciences, intellectual property, etc.), experiences of studying abroad and working at overseas law firms, work-life balance (including raising children), and opportunities for lawyers to contribute to society.

 

 

After the session was over, the lawyers stayed behind for a Q&A with the students. Even after the event concluded, many students stayed behind to speak to the lawyers in order to further elaborate on a range of topics, including various aspects of their work, how to develop their specialty as an attorney, career planning, and preparation for the entrance exams and internships.

Feedback from teachers and students

Students’ comments:
"I was surprised that the work of attorneys is so different from what is portrayed in TV dramas. It was amazing to learn about how broad and applicable the profession is.” 
"Seeing the alumni from our school thriving in their careers inspired me to consider the legal field.” 
"I learned a lot from hearing various stories about how to become a lawyer, what to focus on as a student, and more.”

 

Feedback from the teacher who helped organize the event (Ms. Sueyoshi):
“Many of the students who participated were impressed by the high level of specialization and the breadth of the work lawyers handle, deepening their interest in the legal profession. They also reflected on the complexity and diversity of society and realized how much they are still in the process of learning.”
She also expressed her heartfelt gratitude for the planning, preparation, and implementation of the career guidance for the interested students. She hope that through these opportunities, the students will be able to free themselves from the boundaries that they unconsciously place on themselves and forge their own paths.
 

 

Comments from the Nishimura & Asahi lawyers who held this guidance

Takeshi Nemoto Attorney at Law
“I spoke about how it is possible to become a lawyer even without a legal background, the wide range of tasks lawyers handle, and the career paths available after gaining legal experience. I hope this has inspired the students as they consider their future choices of study and career.”

Yoko Kasai Attorney at Law
“I heard that many of the students were going on to medical schools and science and engineering programs, but I was pleasantly surprised to hear that many of them were also interested in the legal profession. In the session, I spoke about some of the projects in the life sciences sector where new technologies intersect with law, hoping to highlight the breadth of the work of lawyers. During the Q&A, I received thoughtful questions about whether it was possible to be dispatched to a central government agency as an attorney to support policy-making and legislative revisions, and what kind of work attorneys do at overseas offices of Japanese law firms, which indicated the students’ strong interest in these areas.”

Mayu Okada Attorney at Law
“I shared my experience as a junior lawyer working in the finance field and discussed work-life balance (in particular touching on the subject of childcare). I also explained how an understanding of business, in addition to legal knowledge is crucial for advising clients in areas such as project finance in the renewable energy and space sectors. I believe that a lawyer is a profession in which science graduates can play an active role and thrive, so I hope this was an opportunity for the students to get interested in the legal field.”

Rutsu Matsunaga Attorney at Law
“Even though the session was held after school, many students participated and asked thoughtful questions about the work and career opportunities for legal professionals and attorneys. It was a great experience for me personally to engage with such earnest students at my alma mater. For young and promising students, there are many options for the types of careers they will choose in the future, but we hope that we were able to make the students feel a little more familiar with the legal profession and lawyers, and to convey the appeal of such careers.”

Project ParticipantsMember

Takeshi has handled many complex M&A transactions and provides sincere advice to his clients. He has extensive experience in M&A-related disputes, and is well versed in the various issues facing companies with founding family shareholders. In recent years, he has been involved in many cases involving business and human rights, impact investing, and advises companies from the perspective of sustainability. He is also actively involved in pro bono work and is one of the most experienced in Japan.

Yoko Kasai

  • Partner
  • Tokyo

Yoko’s practice focuses on representation of life sciences and technology companies that develop and market pharmaceuticals, biologics, vaccines, diagnostics, medical devices, and digital health products. She specializes in corporate transactions involving complex intellectual property and pharmaceutical regulatory issues, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic alliances and asset transfers. In addition, she counsels clients on matters involving research and development collaborations, clinical trials, technology licensing, supply and distribution agreements, and co-promotion arrangements. She also advises clients in connection with privacy and personal data protection matters.

Mayu Okada

  • Associate
  • Tokyo