Inspiring the next generation of lawyers with Keiko and Junko Ohara

Lawyer on Air

Keiko Ohara and Junko Ohara are mother and daughter lawyers and my guests in Episode One of Season Four! If you are wondering what the journey of being a lawyer and a parent might be like and what your own kids might be thinking as you try to navigate your career, this episode will give you insights that might surprise you. It’s a really heartwarming episode that goes to show that parents and children don’t always have the full picture of a situation but that even years later you can come to an appreciation of what your parents went through.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• How Keiko became a lawyer and how she furthered her studies in the US taking her small baby Junko with her
• Leaving a law firm to go out on her own despite the challenges of raising a family
• The pressure of growing up in a lawyer family and how Junko overcame them
• How Junko negotiated a return to work after maternity leave that suited her work and her parenting style
• Their favourite books and other fun facts

About Keiko Ohara

Keiko Ohara is founder and partner at Kamiyacho International Law Office. Keiko has worked in the Tokyo office of Komatsu, Koma & Nishikawa and at Weil Gotshal & Manges in New York.

Her firm focuses on representing foreign companies investing and doing business in Japan. She also assists Japanese companies doing business with foreign companies. She helps clients with general corporate matters, M&A commercial contracts, employment matters, dispute resolution, regulatory compliance, and corporate governance.

Keiko is outside independent director at Financial Products Group Co., Ltd. and Fujikyuko Co., Ltd. She is an Independent Statutory Auditor at Taisei Corporation and Auditor at the NGO Save the Children Japan. Keiko sits on the Committee of foreign lawyers and international legal practice at the Japan Federation of Bar associations.

Keiko is on the committee on foreign special members and international legal practice at the Daiichi Tokyo Bar Association. Keiko qualified as a Bengoshi in Japan in 1988 and as a New York state attorney at law in 1993. She has a BA in economics and an LLB in law from Keio University and achieved her LLM from Harvard law school.

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About Junko Ohara

Junko Ohara is a Japanese lawyer. After qualifying as a lawyer, she joined Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s Tokyo office and is working as an associate to date. She is a member of the Global Transaction team and specializes in general corporate work, in particular cross-border public and private M&A. She also advises on various commercial and real estate transactions and helps international clients navigate and understand the Japanese market. She also assists clients on equity-based compensation schemes and compliance issues, including anti-bribery, sanctions and data protection laws. She has a strong interest in pro bono work as well and has been an active member of activities to protect children and LGBTQ rights in Japan. She is a mother of a daughter and a dog (both 1 year old).

Junko Ohara | Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

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