August 17, 2015
We held the Global Legal Professionals Seminar on July 6, 2015, inviting Ms. Mineko Mohri, who is currently active as an attorney.
Guest Speaker: Ms. Mineko Mohri (Attorney at Law)
Profile
1997: Graduated from the Keio University Faculty of Law
2005: Graduated from Stanford Law School
(LL.M., Admitted to the New York State Bar)
2010: Graduated from the Faculty of Law, University of Munich
(Dr. jur., Doctor of Laws)
・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
Impressions of the Lecture "Considering Intellectual Property Law Systems at International Organizations: Do You Have an 'Ideal' You Want to Achieve?"
"Working at an international organization." For anyone interested in global work or international cooperation, isn't this a career path they have considered at least once? Having lived abroad as an elementary school student, I myself had vaguely thought that it would be nice to one day work across borders. However, I could not form a concrete image of what it would be like to work at an international organization utilizing my position as a legal professional, and I thought that a path such as joining a firm that handles many international cases might be more realistic.
Ms. Mohri apparently went through various twists and turns from her high school days until she came to her current job at an international organization. Her career path has been dizzying. She shared so many stories with us—from considering a career in art during high school, to her decision to take the bar exam, her severe experiences while studying in the US and working at a local law firm, and what she felt from discussions with experts in different fields at an international organization. I feel that her talk gave me an opportunity to think about working at an international organization in a more realistic way than before.
There is one episode from Ms. Mohri's talk that left a very strong impression on me. It was the story of when she was a legal apprentice and was asked if she wanted to become a judge. She reconfirmed her own core principle, thinking, "I want to do international work. To achieve that, which path is closer, a judge or an attorney? It's an attorney," and decided on the path of an attorney. Along with this episode, her words, "Don't be swayed by temporary emotions; cherish your own core principles," have remained deeply with me. I felt that Ms. Mohri's current position is the ultimate proof that she has pursued her goals without ever losing sight of her core principles.
Ms. Mohri is currently working at the International Bureau of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), where she manages a team of about 20 staff members of various nationalities. She said that while managing the team often has its challenges, she finds her work very rewarding as she realizes the importance of understanding the background of each country. I had only vaguely thought about wanting to be involved in international work, but I was struck by the realization—something that seems so obvious—that it cannot begin without first trying to understand other countries.
After listening to her lecture, I feel that the options for my own future have expanded. I will start by firmly establishing my own core principles.
Third-year student, Keio University Law School
Karin Ito