[Office Information Session Report ②]
How to build a lawyer's "career" and "strengths"

Mimura Komatsu Law Office was established in 2019 by attorneys Ryoichi Mimura and Shunya Komatsu.
Initially, the firm started as a small one with five lawyers, but expanded its business, focusing on intellectual property, dispute resolution, and corporate law, and as of February 2026, has grown to a team of 24 lawyers.

On November 20, 2025, Mimura Komatsu Law Office held its first office information session, which was attended in person and online by approximately 30 lawyers, legal trainees, and law school students.
A lively exchange of opinions took place through a program that included an introduction to the firm's history and areas of practice, a panel discussion, a question-and-answer session, and a social gathering.

In this article, we will look at the panel discussion between lawyers Komatsu Shunya, Nitta Shinnosuke, Tanabe Kotaro, and Miyazawa Masashi, and discuss their career development and how to develop areas in which they have strengths.

Choosing to transfer to Mimura and Komatsu Law Offices

(I.e.
Now, we would like to ask three lawyers who have experienced career changes about their journey so far and why they transferred to our firm.
First up is attorney Shinnosuke Nitta, who has expertise in the jewelry industry. Could you please introduce yourself and tell us about your work so far?

Nitta
I am a member of the 66th class, and have been a lawyer for about 13 years.
When I first became a lawyer, I worked at a small to medium-sized law firm with five or six people. There, I mainly handled lawsuits for damages, especially cases on the insurance company side. When I was younger, I was in a situation that was like "a hundred rounds of training for the defendant in a traffic accident case," and I think I was always dealing with hundreds of cases.

At some point, I started working on a series of cases where the amount of damages to watches and jewelry was the main issue, and that's what sparked my interest in the jewelry field.
Although there were lawyers around me who were knowledgeable about medicine and cars, there were very few who were knowledgeable about watches and jewelry. So I thought I would dig deeper myself. From there, I began studying the industry on my own.
Taking inspiration from the efforts of lawyers working in fashion law and art law, I personally experimented with how I could get involved in the jewelry industry as a lawyer.
As I continued these activities, I met senior fashion and art experts at Mimura Komatsu Law Office, and my horizons broadened through academic conferences and study groups, which made me start to think about transferring.

Mimura Komatsu Law Office has many lawyers who specialize in specific industries, and it's an environment where you can see their efforts up close. That was what attracted me to the office.
Also, the firm's representative, Attorney Komatsu, told me with a straight face that "If we had 100 lawyers who were strong in the industrial field, Japanese industry would be even stronger," and I simply thought that was amazing. At the time, I had only thought that specializing in an industry meant an increase in clients, so I was inspired by his perspective and decided to transfer.

(I.e.
Thank you. Next is attorney Kotaro Tanabe. He has expertise in the fields of anime and characters, and recently has been receiving many requests to give lectures and interviews in the field of generative AI.

Tanabe
This is the 67th term and my 12th year as a lawyer.
I've always loved anime, games, and manga, and wanted to work in a field that involved content. However, I realized that I couldn't become a technical professional like a manga artist or voice actor, so I chose to become a lawyer, thinking that I might be able to combine the law with my passions.
However, I was unable to find a job at a content-related firm during my job search, so I initially joined a firm similar to Attorney Nitta's, which handled a large number of non-life insurance cases. I handled a large number of damage compensation claims, including traffic accidents, medical treatment, and facility compensation, and in an environment where dozens of negotiation and litigation cases would come in every three months, I also experienced my first witness examination in the sixth month.
While I had gained a lot of basic skills as a lawyer, I also began to feel that it would be difficult to move into the content field without shifting my focus to the areas of corporate law and intellectual property, so I transferred to my second law firm. There, I also had the opportunity to handle copyrights and trademarks, and for about four years I gained experience handling negotiations and litigation on my own.

I transferred to Mimura Komatsu in 2020 because I wanted to grow further in an environment where experts with strong intellectual property skills gather.
Also, while talking with Attorney Komatsu, I was impressed by his philosophy that "a lawyer should not present options between A and B, but should be willing to say, 'If it were me, I would choose option A,' if necessary." Rather than simply conveying risks in a conservative manner, he takes a step further and expresses his own judgment. I wanted to provide such legal services, so I decided to transfer.

(I.e.
Finally, Attorney Miyazawa.
We handle a wide range of cases, focusing on litigation and disputes, including intellectual property (copyright and patent rights), bankruptcy, corporate support, and personal inheritance and divorce cases.

Miyazawa
This is the 69th term and my 10th year.
Actually, there wasn't a particularly clear reason why I decided to become a lawyer. I simply thought it was cool when I saw lawyers helping people in need on TV dramas. Also, during my student days, I often held leadership positions such as captain of clubs, and people often came to me for advice, so I was drawn to a job where I could "help others" as an extension of that.
When I first decided to become a lawyer, I was interested in working as a local lawyer, directly supporting individuals in need with matters such as divorce, inheritance, labor issues, and bankruptcy. However, during my job search after passing the bar exam, I saw a drama called "Shitamachi Rocket" airing, and I was deeply impressed by the portrayal of lawyers using intellectual property to support small and medium-sized enterprises that were standing up against large corporations. I realized that "it is also the role of lawyers to encourage people who are working hard in the business world."
From there, I broadened my interests to include corporate law and intellectual property, and after gaining experience with a wide range of cases at the firm where I first joined after graduation, I decided to transfer to Mimura Komatsu Law Office, which has a stronger focus on corporate law and intellectual property.
In my work, I handle both individual and corporate projects, but I want to maintain the same commitment to "earning the trust of my clients" regardless of the type of project.

Taking on the challenge of the patent field with no prior experience

(I.e.
As I mentioned earlier, Attorneys Tanabe and Miyazawa are the two members of our firm who often handle patent litigation. Patent cases tend to be concentrated in specialized firms, so there are not many lawyers with experience in patent litigation.
Neither of you originally specialized in patents, so please tell us how you became involved in patent litigation, and also about the real experiences and difficulties you faced after transferring.

Tanabe
I joined the agency as the "fifth person" after the four founding members.
When Attorney Mimura transferred from his previous firm, we received a sudden influx of patent cases, but at the time there were only a limited number of people who could handle them due to manpower issues. Because of this, I also had more and more opportunities to be involved in patent cases (laughs).
Unlike Attorney Nose, who came from Yuasa Hara Law and Patent Office, I didn't originally come from an intellectual property firm, and at that point I had zero practical experience with patents. I had chosen intellectual property law as an elective subject for the bar exam, so I naturally had a basic knowledge of the subject, but I had never used it in practice until then, so I started by updating my knowledge.

As you might imagine, patent cases are difficult technically, but the law is also difficult. In general corporate legal matters, there are many situations where you can deal with the issue by simply researching the law, but patent cases require a technical understanding, not just a superficial one, but a deeper understanding that allows you to explain it to others. You need to properly digest the technical explanations from the client and translate them into terms that can be understood in court.
So, while I was worrying about this, Attorney Mimura told me, "Why don't you at least read a high school chemistry textbook?" I think he was half-joking, but I took him seriously and bought a high school textbook and read it through. Of course, that alone didn't dramatically improve my understanding, but I think that kind of honesty is really necessary in the patent field, where you come into contact with unfamiliar technology every time.

Miyazawa
I was assigned to a large-scale patent litigation case shortly before Attorney Tanabe was seconded to the Cabinet Office. Regarding the case I was assigned, there were already similar cases underway, and I was told, "Just follow the first case and you'll be fine, Miyazawa, you can do it." However, before I knew it, I had become the main person in charge of all the cases from the middle of the first one.
He was in charge of the final technical briefing, but as I watched Attorney Tanabe gradually fade out of the project, I honestly thought, "Wait, when did that happen...?" (laughs)

However, as mentioned earlier, patent litigation doesn't necessarily require the "specialized knowledge" of an engineer. In fact, most of the judges presiding over cases are not from a science or engineering background. Therefore, even things that are obvious to engineers often don't get across if explained in the same way.
Ultimately, what's needed is the ability to correctly understand the explanations given by engineers and translate them into a form that can be conveyed to the court. This is actually a skill that is common to general corporate law as well. I think anyone can enter this field as long as they're not allergic to technology.
In my previous job, I handled litigation in various fields, including so-called specialized cases in areas such as system development and construction. I was accustomed to dealing with unfamiliar fields and industries, and I feel that this experience has been extremely valuable in patent litigation.

Tanabe
The level of difficulty varies greatly depending on the field. For example, if it's a patent that has a physical object, you can understand it by actually touching and measuring it. However, we have mostly dealt with the invisible world of ingredient composition, chemistry, medicine, etc. There are times when I have to keep looking at the screen and keep track of the client's data.
However, I think there are people who are attracted to this kind of "technical beauty," and I think patents are a great fit for those people.

(I.e.
When you first joined the firm, how did you work with Mr. Mimura and other senior lawyers?

Miyazawa
I made sure to express my own opinions, of course, but I was also conscious of fitting them into the writing style of my superiors. Patent cases are handled by teams, so there was Attorney Mimura, and below him were senior attorneys, and at the time I was at the bottom. Therefore, rather than expressing my own style, I first tried to align with the team's ideas and opinions. After aligning with them, I would then propose my own improvements.

Tanabe
That's what happened to me too. There's a run-up period of about one to one and a half years where you learn by watching your seniors, and then you start to take charge of meetings and become able to ask questions and point out things about technology, and by that time you'll have other patent cases in hand. It's a drastic way of training people, but the result is that they grow all at once.

(I.e.
Do you have any message for people who want to try their hand at patents?

Miyazawa
Patent litigation certainly seems like a high hurdle to overcome. However, most of the lawyers who actually practice it didn't start out as patent experts. Anyone can enter the world of patent litigation if they have the ability to understand unknown technology and put it into words.

Tanabe
That's right. It's okay if you're not good at technology. But it's better not to have any aversion to it.
I even had to reread my high school chemistry textbook, and everyone starts out the same way. If you're interested, I encourage you to give it a go.
Generally, many people think that "you can't handle patent litigation unless you have a science background," but that's not true at all. In fact, I think that in patent litigation, lawyers with a liberal arts background are often better able to explain things in a way that the judge can understand, because they can first convert what engineers say into ordinary language and organize it. The client, who is an expert in that technology, will teach them the finer details of the technology.

The four things you need to have a patent are flexible understanding, the ability to digest, the ability to communicate, and an openness to technology.

Lawyer sales: Expanding business through personal connections

Miyazawa
I've been wondering for a while, how do you two get requests to give lectures?
I usually either co-speak with lawyer Mimura when he gives lectures on patent-related topics, or I receive requests through the firm and take on the responsibility. How do lecture requests like yours come about when they're made directly to lawyers? Are they discovered through social media, the media, or word of mouth?

Tanabe
The requests I receive are mainly about content-related legal matters, generative AI, and "voice rights." They also include the character business, including VTubers. I often get unannounced requests to give talks on these topics.
I also think that writing papers and steadily continuing to disseminate information has had an impact. I began writing essays on the "right to voice" early on, and many media outlets and researchers have quoted them, which has led to requests for me to speak as an expert in that field.

Miyazawa
That's the paper that was included in the collection of essays commemorating lawyer Mimura's 70th birthday, right? I've heard that it's often cited.

Tanabe
Another opportunity can come from an interview. One time, when the Nihon Keizai Shimbun newspaper was doing a large-scale feature on the issue of anime piracy, the reporter happened to be at a symposium where I was speaking, and asked me if I could help with the project. The feature article was very well-written, and it even made the front page of the Nikkei newspaper. Other newspapers saw it and contacted me, and so the chain of interviews began.
When I make a comment in a major newspaper, it is seen by reporters from various media, and it often leads to requests to give lectures or new projects. But to be honest, it's really scary. There are many cases where what I say isn't published exactly as it is due to restrictions such as the character limit, so I was really nervous when my name was published in the press for the first time.

Nitta
I have never tried the "traditional PR" of major law firms, such as writing articles in legal journals to increase exposure, but instead I continue to actively use social media platforms such as Instagram and X (formerly Twitter).
If there is news about the jewelry industry, I will comment on it, even if it is short, and post about events I have participated in. Also, the jewelry industry holds large trade fairs at places like Tokyo Big Sight, and I always make sure to attend those.
So I keep updating by posting quick posts while I'm on the move or summarizing the highlights of the day.
Also, for events that I've been invited to, I want to give back in some small way by compiling and posting blog-like reports. This is purely out of a desire to put my gratitude into words.

Miyazawa
You've also been doing podcasts for a long time.

Nitta
For the podcast, I ask people who come to me for advice if I can interview them as well, and then record them. This helps me get to know them better, and when I introduce someone, it makes it easier to explain what they are like.

(I.e.
You are the organizer of study sessions at the jewelry industry association, right?

Nitta
Yes, I am a director of the Jewelry Association, and as a result I also serve as the organizer of the study group.
One thing I often hear from Mr. Komatsu is the idea of ​​"not limiting yourself just because you're a lawyer." I've been greatly influenced by that.
For example, I participate in customer service role-playing training together with other employees. I do things that people might say, "That's not a lawyer's job," but I do them without question.
That's because many people feel there is a barrier between them and lawyers. That sense of distance, like, "Oh, so you're a lawyer. Please call me when I'm in trouble." As long as that barrier exists, people will never come to you for advice. I think it would be better if they just said, "Oh, by the way, you're a lawyer, right?"

Tanabe
That's extremely important. I think every lawyer has had the experience of being told, "I'll consult with you if anything comes up." That's a euphemism for "I'm not in any particular trouble right now, so there's nothing to consult with you about." But in reality, there are definitely issues that just aren't visible or that you don't notice.
Rather than promoting myself as a lawyer, I attend various industry events as a fan, and when I exchange business cards there, people sometimes draw a line between me and me and say, "Oh, you're a lawyer..." Perhaps they feel more strongly that they wonder why a lawyer is in a place like this, but there are still times when I feel that lawyers are still seen as "lawyers are there to deal with problems, not as people who create things together."

(I.e.
Well, that can't be helped to some extent, but that's why it's important to "tear down that wall." My basic principle is to "just play together." Playing means sharing values ​​and perspectives.
There isn't much difference between lawyers when it comes to knowledge alone. Some lawyers don't even research the literature, but if they do, the answers they give won't be that different. That's why, in order to get people to consult with you, it's all about "lowering the bar for lawyers."
So, in order to get on the same level as people in the industry, I took the approach of "becoming a customer first." In the art world, that means just buying as many works as possible.
As you become more deeply involved in the industry, people start to think, "If I get to know you, maybe you can introduce me to some great artists." And then, naturally, you start getting contacted by people in other industries.
As a result, the office is now surrounded by works like this, but it's fun.

In the next, third report, we will answer questions posed by participants at this office briefing.

【2026.3.6】