Team size: 35

What are some of the most important cases your legal team has been involved in recently?

Our legal team has been supporting the post-acquisition business integration, for example, the business integration of Shimachu Corporation which was acquired by Nitori Holdings two years ago. The legal team has also been supporting in business portfolio restructuring. Specifically, the legal team has been involved in the business expansion into mainland China, Taiwan, and other Southeast Asian countries, while also supporting withdrawal from North American business.

What are some innovative business improvement measures that your legal team has implemented at no significant cost?

My team has implemented a number of low-cost, innovative initatives utilising Microsoft applications. We have established a single point of contact on the company intranet to accept legal consultations from all departments throughout the company. This allows for the creation of a database of legal consultations. By creating a database of legal consultations, the number and content of these consultations for each department can be quantitatively analyzed. This information is then used for planning compliance measures and managing workload. The time spent by all members in each work category is also monitored which allows us to understand the deviations and any inefficiency in the work.

How important is choosing to work with external lawyers who align with your company’s values?

I believe it is very important to select outside law firms that agree with our company values. When selecting an external lawyer, we always explain the company’s corporate philosophy and business outline to them.

How do you suggest in-house lawyers build strong relationships with business partners?

I would like our business partners to achieve good results in their areas of expertise and specialisation. I believe that this will motivate them to contribute to the company’s success. Therefore, I believe it is essential that all in-house legal staff have an in-depth understanding of the areas of work in which each business partner excels and those in which they do not.