2013.06.26
On June 19, the 3rd Lecture to Learn About the Work of Global Legal Professionals was held. The speaker was Attorney Minako Wakabayashi (Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, Tokyo Office), who spoke on the theme of "The World as Seen Through Renewable Energy Projects." Ms. Wakabayashi, who became interested in energy issues through a case she handled as a public prosecutor, is involved in cross-border project finance deals related to renewable energy. She provided a detailed explanation of the specific work she does as an attorney. It was a very interesting lecture that provided insight into the specific roles global legal professionals play.
(Committee for Globalization)
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[Impressions of the Lecture "The World as Seen Through Renewable Energy Projects"]
Kana Hayashi, 3rd year, Keio University Law School
There are likely quite a few students who think, "I want to do work that contributes to society across borders, but just getting a law license in Japan only makes me an expert in Japanese law, so I probably can't do anything very significant."
I was one of those students. Having been interested in environmental issues since I was young, by the time I was in high school, I wanted to help build a better relationship between humans and nature not just in Japan, but around the world. Recently, however, I had half given up, thinking it would be enough to just do environmental work within Japan.
However, the world in which this lecture's speaker, Ms. Wakabayashi, works as an attorney is broader than I had ever imagined, and it completely overturned my preconceived notions.
Ms. Wakabayashi belongs to a foreign-affiliated law firm and works in collaboration with attorneys in overseas offices and local attorneys to bring renewable energy projects to fruition around the world.
Listening to her lecture, I not only realized that as an attorney, she is steadily contributing to the development of renewable energy and the phasing out of nuclear power on a global level, but I was also most impressed by how she fully utilizes the awareness born from her experience investigating the Tokaimura JCO criticality accident as a public prosecutor, realizing her own sense of justice in the form of project implementation.
I still cannot forget her lively tone and sparkling eyes during the lecture. Learning that an attorney can change the world by playing an active role as a member of an international project team has led me to start envisioning a new future for myself.
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