Japan marks foreign attorney first

Colleague and fellow partner Bonnie Dixon commented on Shanahan’s election, “This is a significant development in the Tokyo legal market as this event demonstrates the existence of a new career track in Tokyo for non-Japanese lawyers, one that is long term and which offers the potential for significant economic gain.” She also noted that the Japanese legal market “has come a long way from the days when the only career option for non-Japanese attorneys was a two year contract, sometimes renewable, checking the English in contracts and memoranda.”