July 3, 2014
We will now provide a partial overview of the information session for the Keio University Law School, held on Saturday, June 14, 2014.
[Information Session Overview]
Date and Time: Saturday, June 14, 2014, 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Venue: South School Building Hall, Mita Campus
Osaka City Campus (simulcast)
[Information Session Agenda]
1. Opening Remarks
2. Greeting from the Dean
3. Curriculum Overview
4. About the 2015 Admissions System
5. Introduction of a Legal Practitioner: Taku Fukui (Professor, Keio University Law School)
6. Introduction of Current Students
7. Q&A Session
Introduction of a Legal Practitioner:
Taku Fukui
(Professor, Keio University Law School)
We are pleased to present an excerpt from the lecture given by Mr. Taku Fukui, who is active as both a faculty member and a lawyer, at the Keio University Law School admissions information session held on Saturday, June 14, 2014. We hope this will be a helpful reference for all aspiring legal professionals.
I passed the bar examination in 1984, thirty years ago now. At that time, the apprenticeship at the Supreme Court's Legal Training and Research Institute was two years long. After completing that, I began my career as a lawyer, which I continue to this day. Back then, the system was completely different from today; there were over twenty thousand candidates, and the number of successful applicants was about 480 per year. My own work is primarily in the field of so-called corporate law, where I handle litigation, arbitration, compliance issues, and M&A for various companies, as well as review contracts. Around this time of year, since many companies with a fiscal year ending in March hold their general meetings of shareholders at the end of June, I am busy assisting with those meetings. I also regularly serve as a corporate auditor, supervisory director, or a member of a compliance committee.
The first time I wanted to become a lawyer was around elementary school, when an American TV drama called *Perry Mason* was on the air. It was a show about a wheelchair-bound lawyer who solved one criminal case after another, saving innocent people from false accusations. I think it's common for children to aspire to a profession because they admire something and think it's cool, and I was no different. It all started because I thought being a lawyer was cool.
I entered Keio Futsubu School, an all-boys school in Hiyoshi affiliated with Keio University, from junior high. When it came time to choose a faculty for university, I was quite torn between the Department of Law and the Faculty of Economics, as the Faculty of Economics was considered very advantageous for finding employment at the time. Coincidentally, my father was a graduate of Keio University's Faculty of Economics. However, when I consulted him about my decision, he told me (and I hope people from the Faculty of Economics will forgive me for saying this), "Studying economics might be useful for becoming a manager or a consultant, but it's of no use to an ordinary company employee." My father, at least, seems to have spent his university days only in mahjong parlors, billiard halls, and dance halls, so I probably shouldn't have trusted his words too much. But based on that conversation, I chose the Department of Law in the Faculty of Law. As I began my studies, I found that I really enjoyed the study of law. And I came to want to make it my lifelong career.
One thing I really want to convey to you all today is that a legal practitioner is neither a legislator nor a researcher. Our work is impossible unless we constantly follow the laws that currently exist and are in effect, as well as other statutes, new judicial precedents, and the like. Naturally, clients come to us with various consultations, and we must resolve their cases. At such times, it's no use saying, "This is what I think; this is how this law should be interpreted." Even if there is an established Supreme Court precedent, insisting "but I think this" is completely useless for a practitioner. Why? Because it doesn't help the client. Therefore, we must always watch and follow such precedents, and if there are any legal revisions, we must constantly study them. As professionals who receive money from clients for our advice, this is essential. In other words, if you enter this field, you must continue to study law every day for the rest of your life.
What I want to say is that if you are aiming to become a legal professional simply as a qualification, you may find it difficult in the future. If you study law and find it interesting, you will probably be able to continue doing it for a long time. And if you do find it interesting, I believe it is a very happy thing to be able to make a living while doing a job that you wanted to do and enjoy—a job that provides you with the means to live and eat.
Another thing I would like to introduce is the Mita Hoso-kai. Could you please open your pamphlets to pages 28 and 29? Those of you from Keio University may already know this, but when you graduate from the Juku, you all become OBs and OGs, and at Keio, we call these individuals Keio University alumni. All Keio University alumni belong to a Mita-kai of some kind. There are various types of Mita-kai; there are regional Mita-kai, for example, in Aomori, Hokkaido, or Sapporo, and even in places like Setagaya Ward. Then there are the OB/OG associations for the clubs you belonged to as a student. These are also Mita-kai. And there are workplace Mita-kai within various companies. For example, a group of Keio graduates within a single company like XX Bank. That is a workplace Mita-kai. The Mita Hoso-kai is one of these. For instance, if you enter Keio Law School, pass the bar examination, and become a judge, prosecutor, or lawyer, you automatically become a member of the Mita Hoso-kai. Here, as written in the pamphlet, the connections are very deep, just like in other Mita-kai, and we help each other in various ways. For example, in cases where there is a conflict of interest within my own firm. A conflict of interest arises when a party who is an opponent to one of my existing clients appears, and both parties ask me, "Please, take my case." Since the interests of both clients would clash, it becomes a conflict of interest, and I cannot accept the case. In such situations, I have to refer them to someone else. Although it's not a mutual aid society, we have a relationship of trust, so I refer them to other lawyers in the Mita Hoso-kai. Or, when a client company, say Company A, asks me to recommend someone for an outside director position, I recommend a lawyer I know. In this way, we help each other in our work.
Furthermore, the Mita Hoso-kai has provided full-scale backup for this Law School since its inception. As the Dean mentioned in his opening remarks, many of the practitioner faculty among the full-time faculty are from the Mita Hoso-kai, and young lawyers also help with educational support seminars and other activities, mostly on a volunteer basis. There is a Keio tradition where seniors teach their juniors, and those juniors, when they find themselves in the same position, likewise guide their own juniors. Regarding practitioner faculty, at Keio, many of us, myself included, were in charge of seminar courses in the undergraduate faculty long before the current law school system was established. Now, those who were in charge of those seminar courses are teaching required courses and other subjects at the law school as full-time faculty. So, it's not a case of never having taught students before; one of our characteristics is that many of us have a certain amount of experience teaching students while working as legal practitioners.
Finally, in connection with what the Dean mentioned earlier, there is one more thing I would like to say to all of you. It is true that the media has recently been reporting extensively that the number of aspiring legal professionals is decreasing significantly. I am sure you are very worried about your future, wondering if it will be difficult or if you will be able to find a job. However, I believe that this period, when the overall number of applicants is decreasing, is precisely a great opportunity for you. This is true for ordinary companies as well; it is said that there are generally no companies whose performance remains excellent for 30 or 40 years straight. In other words, if you join a company that is doing extremely well at the time of your employment, you have no idea what that company will be like when you are 50. Conversely, the legal profession, like medicine, is a profession that is always necessary as long as humans gather and live in a society. This may be due to the sad fact that disputes inevitably arise, but it is a genuinely necessary job. So, from the time you enter law school, it will probably take at least five years before you can work competently as a practitioner. After about ten years, you could be considered mid-career. When you think about how many years from now that will be, if you can become a practitioner now, when there are fewer aspiring professionals and less competition, I believe you will have nothing to worry about, as the demand will be there. Of course, there is the argument, "Who can guarantee such an irresponsible statement?" and indeed, no one can give you a guarantee. However, I think it is a mistake to judge the future based solely on current trends.
I very much look forward to all of you joining the Mita Hoso-kai as members in the future. That is all. Thank you.
Introduction of Current Students
From the Keio University Law School admissions information session held on Saturday, June 14, 2014, we present the voices of students currently enrolled in our law school (hereafter, Keio Law School) who are aspiring to become legal professionals. We hope this will be a helpful reference for those considering Keio Law School.
A : Female, third-year student, program for students without a law degree.
B : Male, third-year student, program for students with a law degree.
C : Female, third-year student, program for students with a law degree.
Q1: Among the many law schools, what was the deciding factor in choosing Keio Law School?
A : I was overseas when I was applying, so I had to narrow down my choices. I decided to apply to Keio LS for three main reasons. The first is the high bar exam pass rate, which is also shown in the statistics. In particular, the high pass rate for students without a law degree is really important. If the majority of the nearly 50% pass rate was accounted for by students with law degrees, it would mean that students without a law degree would almost never pass, so I placed great importance on this.
Next is the post-graduation support. When you enter the workforce, your alma mater becomes a very important factor in building a network, so I thought having the Mita Hoso-kai was a real advantage.
Finally, the quality of the classes. As the professors mentioned earlier, not only is there a rich variety, but there is also a very good balance between academic faculty and practitioner faculty. In the first year, academic faculty teach most of the classes, so you acquire a solid theoretical foundation. In the second year, the curriculum is well-structured so that you can develop a practical sense through classes taught by practitioner faculty. That was my impression.
B : First, the curriculum is extensive, with not only numerous required courses but also many elective courses. It's not detailed in the pamphlet, but in the past, there were surprising classes like "Themed Seminar (Railways and Criminal Law)" and "Themed Seminar (Agriculture and Law)," which made me wonder if you could learn such things at a law school. I enjoyed looking through the pamphlet and thought about taking courses like these when I enrolled.
Next, I had heard rumors that the people and the environment were very good. Even when I was in Osaka, I heard that the faculty were top-notch and that the vertical and horizontal connections—the relationships between seniors and juniors, as well as among classmates—were very strong, so that was another deciding factor.
Finally, I felt that the high pass rate was the result of the quality of the courses and the people, so I decided to apply to Keio LS.
C : My initial motivation for wanting to go to Keio LS was its high pass rate and name recognition.
After that, seniors who had gone on to Keio LS recommended it to me, saying they were very satisfied with the guidance, the school environment, and the curriculum, and that it was a school where you could receive instruction and classes tailored to what you wanted to do. That was another reason for my decision.
Also, I had heard that Keio LS has many outstanding OBs and OGs, so the existence of organizations like the Mita Hoso-kai seemed like it would be a great help in my job search and future legal career. That was another factor.
Q2: When did you start thinking about the LS entrance exams and begin preparing?
A : I started preparing about a year before the exam. At that time, I mainly focused on studying for the aptitude test. Since I wasn't used to the aptitude test, I had to practice it repeatedly. For essay preparation, I read books on law school essay strategies. I think applying the perspectives gained from those books to reading daily news and newspapers was very helpful for the exam for the non-law background program.
B : In my case, I started studying law at a preparatory school in the summer of my second year of university, without really thinking about LS. I was in a theater group club, so I spent all my time on club activities until the summer of my third year and didn't study at all. I got serious and thought, "Okay, let's do this!" in my fourth year, when I studied for the aptitude test and the TOEIC. I'm the type to focus intensely for one year, so that's how I ended up taking the LS exam.
C : I also started thinking about becoming a legal professional in my second year of undergraduate studies, but I actually began studying seriously with LS in mind when I joined a seminar in my third year. I was attending a preparatory school at first, but after joining the seminar, I felt their approach didn't suit me, so I quit the prep school and studied with my seminar group and friends instead.
Moderator: I'd like to add a clarification to avoid any misunderstanding. The required application documents have changed, and the TOEIC is no longer mandatory. It was required at that time, correct?
Q3: What are your impressions of the classes at Keio Law School?
A : First, the amount of material to learn is so vast that I feel like I'm dying every day, but preparation is crucial. It's the first time in my life I've had to prepare this much for classes. The professors' passion for teaching is also incredible, so you have to spend about three or four hours preparing for each class every day. The students are also very eager, and the classes develop through questions and discussions, creating a very dynamic atmosphere. To keep up, you really have to do the prep work. It's tough, but the assignments are designed to help you with the exams, so there's very little wasted preparation. The final exams are also really hard, but the curriculum is structured so that by completing the prep work and assignments, you're preparing for the bar examination and your future as a legal professional. So, I find the classes very rewarding.
B : The classes are definitely high-level. No matter how much you prepare, the professors will accurately pinpoint areas where your understanding is shallow or insufficient and challenge you with the Socratic method, asking, "What does that mean? What are you trying to say?" And if you stay silent for about two minutes, the professor will also remain silent, and you'll start breaking out in a cold sweat. But conversely, by going through such experiences, the knowledge sticks in your memory and adds depth to your own reasoning. It's a place to learn how to communicate effectively, clearly, and concisely to others, and I think that also connects to learning how to write your arguments compactly for the exam. If you approach the classes with a clear purpose, you can gain a lot.
C : Since my undergraduate major was law, I thought I was already used to law-related classes. However, when I actually entered LS, I found that the level of the content and the professors was several steps higher than in undergrad, and the classes were quite different.
The professors proceed with the assumption that since you've entered Keio University LS, you already possess a certain level of knowledge. Therefore, the classes demand that you find something beyond mere knowledge. Even if you study the basic textbooks thoroughly and prepare for class, that alone is not enough to keep up. You are required to be capable of deeper consideration, so in terms of developing the ability to engage in legal interpretation, I feel it's been very helpful.
It's beneficial for the bar examination, but in addition, I think they are good classes in that they cultivate the ability to adapt to new laws and legal revisions after becoming a legal professional.
Moderator: I'm sure it just felt like two long minutes to you.
Q4: Any advice for everyone applying to Keio Law School?
A : I know there's a lot of negative press these days, but I believe being a legal professional is a lifelong career. For working professionals, it means interrupting your career, and you might think that three years in the non-law background program is a long time. However, when you think about your entire life span, this is the first step. How you learn, what kind of peers you make, and what direction you want to go in—it's no exaggeration to say that the foundation for all of this is laid during these three years. Among law schools, Keio is a truly wonderful school for this first step, with its community, high-quality classes, facilities, and various support systems. I hope you all will apply, and if you are accepted, I hope you will enroll. As a senior, I would be happy to contribute in any way I can. There are other law schools, of course, but I wish you all the best.
B : As a fellow student, I'd like to share a little about what I try to keep in mind daily. I think the most important things are to read the statutory provisions and to study the case law. So, I hope you will study by going back and forth between the statutes and the precedents. In particular, if you look at the Keio LS entrance exam, you'll see that the time is quite tight, so I hope you will take the exam while thinking about how you can achieve your best performance. And if you get in, I look forward to studying together and passing the bar with you.
C : I am still in the process of studying myself, but as someone who has gone through the Keio LS entrance exam, my advice would be that the most important thing is not to panic. This is not the bar examination, so it's natural not to be perfect at the LS application stage; you can't be perfect. Therefore, rather than tackling difficult bar-exam-level problems and memorizing fine, complex details at this stage, I think it's better to focus more on developing your legal reasoning skills so that you can derive your thoughts by properly checking the statutory provisions and their purposes. If you don't rush and instead focus on developing good study habits to master the most fundamental aspects, I believe that foundational form will be useful even after you enter LS. So, it might be good to keep that in mind as you study. Thank you for your time today.