- Pro Bono
- Community
Legal Education Report - Urawa High School
- Nishimura & Asahi’s legal education project
Background
Nishimura & Asahi’s legal education team is dedicated to introducing the legal profession and experiences of legal professionals to students. As part of this initiative, in collaboration with UTokyo School of Law Student Law-Related Education Association, we held a legal education class at Saitama Prefectural Urawa High School. Tokyo associate, Shizuka Muramoto, an alumna of the school, also participated in the session.
For this class, we opted for an interactive, student-centered mock negotiation rather than a traditional lecture format, so that participants could experience the realities of legal practice. This was our first collaboration with UTokyo School of Law Student Law-Related Education Association, and we worked closely together to design an interactive scenario, which took extensive discussions and careful planning. As a result, we developed a case study specifically tailored for the Urawa High School session. We conducted the session for two second-year classes—one from the humanities track and one from the science track.
Overview
The mock negotiation session focused on a business transfer agreement between companies. Specifically, students examined issues such as who should bear the cost of investigating potential problems in the transferred business and, if such problems were discovered, how responsibility should be allocated. The class was divided into eight teams—four representing the seller and four representing the buyer. Each team conducted interviews with lecturers acting as clients, developed negotiation strategies, and then engaged in contract negotiations between sellers and buyers.
Although we anticipated that the topic might be challenging, as it was likely unfamiliar to the students, the Urawa High School participants approached the exercise with great enthusiasm, leading to lively and insightful discussions. During the client interviews, students asked sharp, probing questions, and in the negotiations, they presented arguments and creative solutions that would be seen in real-world legal practice. There were even moments when the instructors themselves gained new insights from the students’ perspectives.
At the end of the session, each negotiation group presented its results to the class. Despite working from the same scenario, the outcomes varied significantly across groups, allowing students to experience firsthand the dynamics and complexity of contract negotiations.
Feedback
The students shared feedback indicating that they not only enjoyed the discussions during the mock negotiation but also gained valuable insights. Here are a few of their comments:
“I realized that simply trying to push through our own interests doesn’t work at all. It’s crucial to draw a clear line between what to concede and what not to, in order to reach an agreement. I think this lesson will be useful in many situations going forward.”
“I had thought negotiations were purely logical and based on clear evidence, but I learned that personal conscience and social significance can also play a role. Balancing these factors makes negotiations even more challenging.”
“The content made the negotiation worthwhile and enjoyable. In the end, we managed to settle on terms we could accept, but it wasn’t the best possible outcome—so it felt like a near-failure rather than a success. Still, it taught me how difficult negotiations can be.”
“Through the negotiation, I experienced firsthand the challenges posed by information asymmetry.”
“I learned that lawyers don’t just handle lawsuits—they also mediate between companies, which changed my image of the profession.”
“I had a strong image of legal work being mostly about litigation, so this helped me rediscover the broader scope of legal careers.”
We also received the following comments from the teacher in charge at Urawa High School:
“Although we regularly incorporate group work into our classes, discussions led solely by students tend to become narrow in perspective and somewhat self-centered. This time, with guidance from an attorney and law school students possessing specialized knowledge and extensive experience, students were able to engage in deeper discussions and even experience actual ‘negotiation.’ As a result, I felt that we truly achieved ‘active, interactive, and deep learning.’ The students’ lively expressions reflected their strong interest in the topic. Moving forward, I hope they continue to develop the ability to think about issues from perspectives such as happiness, justice, and fairness.”
We also received the following feedback from the representative of UTokyo School of Law Student Law-Related Education Association (an Urawa High School alumnus):
“At first, I was a little concerned because the topic was by no means easy. However, thanks to the enthusiasm and proactive attitude of the Urawa High School students, the mock negotiation turned out to be far more engaging than expected. If this session helped them realize that law is not just abstract knowledge but a practical tool for solving social issues, nothing could make me happier as a fellow alumnus.”
Lawyer Reflections
Shizuka Muramoto, associate
Regardless of whether they were in the humanities or science track, the Urawa High School students approached the exercise with sincerity and a strong commitment to exploring answers to the questions in front of them, which left a deep impression on me. As someone who belonged to a science-track class during my time at Urawa High School and later decided to pursue a legal career after entering university, I would be delighted if this session served as an opportunity for students to learn about the profession of law.
