Making Partner in a Big Four Japanese Law Firm with Madoka Shimada

Lawyer on Air

Madoka Shimada is Partner at Nishimura and Asahi, one of the “Big Four” law firms in Japan. You might have heard some things about what it’s like to work there but Madoka shares some of the innovations and how she has carved out a unique career for herself with her interesting combination of qualifications.

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In this episode you’ll hear:

• What inspired Madoka to look into the law as a career

• How she took on an unusual study path in the US

• What it’s like to be a partner in Nishimura and Asahi today

• Her favourite book and other fun facts

About Madoka

Madoka is a Partner in the Tokyo office of Nishimura & Asahi.

She focuses on the antitrust and competition law area, providing a broad range of advice in the field of competition law, with a wealth of experience in, among other things, cross-border transactions. Madoka also has strength in trade secret cases.

Madoka advises clients on various matters of competition law, including domestic and international cartels, bid-rigging, M&A transactions, investigations by the JFTC, leniency applications and general antitrust law compliance. She is especially active in cross-border transactions.

Prior to N&A, from 1999 – 2004 Madoka was with Mitsui, Yasuda, Wani & Maeda. Madoka graduated in 2005 from Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University (M.P.A.)

2003, Harvard Law School (LL.M.), in 1997, and The University of Tokyo (LL.B.)

Madoka serves as a member of one of the committees in the firm which has the role of planning various measures of training associates, coordinating their working environment, etc. D&I perspective, such as the introduction of paid childcare leave, is included in this function. She also serves as the head of the Editorial Board of N&A “Thought Leadership,” which is a new style of newsletters of the firm. Outside of the firm she serves on the Children’s’ Rights Committee at Daini Bar Association, as a consultee for kids at SNS consultation (once a month, using LINE).

Madoka is a mom of two teenage boys, joining a PTA activity for younger son, as an editor of the newsletter of the school. In her spare time, she goes to the theatre regularly and is a fan of musicals following from her passion at junior and senior high school where she was a member of the music club.

Connect with Madoka

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madoka-shimada-8151382/

Website: https://www.nishimura.com/en/people/madoka-shimada

Links

Toraya: https://www.toraya-group.co.jp/shops/shop-5

Seven Women Lawyers 7人の女弁護士：Amazon Prime

Invisible Women: https://amzn.asia/d/eaOxoyl

Connect with Catherine

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