Creating a platform for the next generation of lawyers with Akiko Yamakawa

Akiko is our first Japanese female lawyer guest on Lawyer on Air. She knocks it out of the park in this episode giving us a great insight into her life working in Employment Law as a Partner in her own firm which she set up with two co-Partners in 2017. It was especially interesting to hear how she views her own firm, as a platform for the next generation to use to do their best work in the law into the future as well as her advice for good management of employees in a fair and competent way. Excellent advice for anyone working in Japan as well as managers in any industry. I hope you will listen and hear from this fun, savvy and strong Japanese female lawyer!
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In this episode you’ll hear:

How Akiko started in law and why she decided to leave “Big Law” for her own firm
What Akiko thinks are the most important points of working in a big firm vs your own firm
Akiko’s idea of her firm as a platform for future lawyers
How her firm delegates work and calculates salaries
Her thoughts on working online vs face to face
The Japanese courts during Covid
Court cases in Japan regarding Employment dispute cases
Commonly occurring problems with Employment law in Japan
Why employee performance feedback is so important for performance reviews and why a good HR person is crucial
How Akiko manages her day as a busy lawyer
Some of the things Akiko asks for help with and how she is working towards doing “less”
Akiko’s advice for young lawyers 
How the learning experience of being on a Board helped her discover the kind of person she is
The importance of Awards for powerful lawyer branding and marketing for new firms
Her favourite manga and other fun facts

About Akiko
Akiko specialises in employment law and dispute resolution. She provides day-to-day employment advice to various multinational clients on matters including preparing rules of employment, employment contracts, and wage systems, dealing with a large number of employment-related disputes including dismissals on the grounds of poor performance or misconduct, redundancies, overtime pay, retirement benefits, or harassment issues. She also provides training on matters such as harassment, employee performance management, and time management. She has also led numerous teams as they conduct internal and regulatory investigations. She also has extensive experience in representing clients in court proceedings on employment and labour issues. Akiko’s clients hail from a broad range of sectors including financial services and multi-national corporations.
Connect with Akiko
Website:https://www.vl-tokyo.co.jp/en.html
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akikoyamakawa/
Connect with Catherine
Linked In https://www.linkedin.com/in/oconnellcatherine/
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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/catherine.oconnell.148
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