Welcome to the premier of Season 12! K. Lesli Ligorner is a partner with Morgan Lewis and shares what it takes to build a successful legal career spanning two decades across China and Japan. We hear how Lesli has mastered the art of finding flexibility within rigid statutory frameworks while leading diverse teams across cultures. If you are wondering how you will lead a team in Japan in the future, this is the episode for you.

Macaulay (Mac) Curtis, is a New Zealand native who has just qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales through the new SQE pathway. He achieved this while working as a legal translator first for Mori Hamada & Matsumoto, then in his own legal translation company. This episode is full of gems for those who are considering taking another step forwards in their legal career. It’s now entirely possible to use real life legal work experience to help you on your way. Listen to hear more!

What do you do when everyone tells you it's impossible? D. Didem Tari is a Turkish lawyer who refused to let jurisdiction, language barriers, or naysayers stop her from building a legal career in Japan. Now working as a legal advisor at Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), Didem shares her remarkable journey from 13 years in an Ankara boutique firm to finding her dream role in Tokyo. This is a story about shaping your own mold when you don't fit the typical template and proving that passion combined with persistence can overcome any barrier.

Liting Cong is Legal Counsel at ASICS, one of Japan’s most successful sportswear companies. Liting shares her journey through the lens of Japanese aesthetics, particularly the concept of wabi-sabi or embracing imperfection, impermanence, and incompleteness. If you're considering an in-house career in Japan, curious about human-centric AI, or looking for wisdom on embracing life's uncertainties, you will enjoy the metaphor Liting shares about building a beautiful garden. More on that inside this episode! 

Midori Yamaguchi is a Senior Associate at Mori Hamada & Matsumoto in Tokyo whose career spans Singapore, the US, and Japan. We hear about her two-year secondment to METI (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry), where she was the only lawyer on the legislation drafting team where she helped create Japan's new pre-insolvency regime - literally dreaming about the law every night. If you're contemplating a step off the well trodden career path of private practice, and think it’s not possible to come back on track, or if you are seeking inspiration, this episode is for you.

Ayako Shotoku, Group General Counsel and Chief Risk Management Officer at Panasonic, shares her journey detailing her unexpected pivot from an international marketing role to go on to become the head of Panasonic's legal team and also an Executive officer and board member.  Ayako opens up about her early career, including her decisive transition into law, the influence of mentors, and the importance of stepping out of one's comfort zone.

Earl Rivera-Dolera is an accomplished arbitrator with extensive experience in Singapore, Vietnam and Japan. Earl shares her transition from a tribunal law clerk to becoming a prominent figure in international arbitration, the valuable lessons from her mentors, and her advice for those aspiring to enter the field. Arbitration is gathering steam in Japan so this episode is a wonderful fountain of knowledge of what it’s like to work in this area of law.