Speaking on a recent episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, Nathaniel Rowe, special counsel for K&L Gates, highlighted the benefits of his experience practising law in Tokyo, which have ultimately made him a more effective lawyer. He also encouraged fellow lawyers to consider pursuing similar opportunities, suggesting that there has never been a better time to work in Japan.

In the same episode, Rowe highlighted the exhilarating opportunities and the formidable challenges he encountered working in this unique foreign jurisdiction.

Musing about his time working in Japan, Rowe expressed how there are many beneficial aspects of his experience that he often overlooks.

“There are a lot of things about my experience in Japan that I probably take for granted, and I don’t really process or think too deeply about,” he said.

Rowe illustrated how his experience practising law in Japan has proven beneficial in his current work by referencing a transaction he is currently working on where his cultural understanding and empathy in interpreting Japanese communications have played a significant role.

“For example, right now, I’m on a transaction where I’m representing an Australian client being acquired by a Japanese entity … my cultural knowledge, my empathy for some of the communications that are coming through from the Japanese side, and that ability to read between the lines and to have sort of Japanese sensitive deal hands has really come into play and has been significant on this particular transaction,” he said.

Given Japan’s status as a global city with extensive international interactions, Rowe has shared insights into his experience working across diverse jurisdictions. This exposure has allowed him to cultivate cross-cultural competence, enabling effective engagement with clients on a global scale.

“That cultural empathy, that cross-cultural understanding, the fact that by virtue of being in Japan and working across many jurisdictions, also stands me in good stead to interface at an optimal level with clients from Malaysia, Brazil, wherever in the world,” he said.

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Rowe noted the long-term benefits of this experience and knowledge stemming from his awareness of the apparent lack of a global perspective within Australian law firms.

“I think that international mindset is something that is well-noted as lacking in Australia, in the managerial class, in business, in the quality and the experience of our director class, and possibly among law firms as well,” he said.

He elaborated on how his extensive international experience and broad perspective have contributed to shaping his approach while working at the BigLaw firm K&L Gates.

“That global experience, global mindset, that empathy, that ability to add more value to inverted commas, and get the ball across the line, all comes to bear in my practice now at K&L Gates in Sydney,” he said.

By analysing the current landscape and taking into account what other professions have stated, Rowe underscored that there has never been a more promising time for professionals to work in Japan.

“There are more senior practitioners or professionals in the Australia-Japan space than me who have said precisely that there is no better time in the past 30 years of the relationship to be involved in one form or another in Japan-related work as an Australian, and I think that applies an equal measure to the legal profession,” he said.

In light of this, Rowe encourages lawyers to consider Japan as their preferred destination to practise law when seeking opportunities in foreign jurisdictions.

“If I’m comparing going to post-Brexit UK or whatever throws up in November in the US, I think Japan is a nice, stable, secure, extremely fascinating and interesting option for any lawyer aspiring to work in that space in Japan,” he said.

Rowe posed a series of essential questions for legal professionals considering embarking on this significant career decision.

“Do you feel comfortable enough that you have enough base-level experience where you are ready to be in that more free-form environment to take on that larger responsibility?

“Or, do you think you would benefit from an extra year or two in a more orthodox environment, you know, taking more incremental steps in Australia and then bringing that good solid foundation, bringing that quality experience in the Australian market to bear in Japan,” he said.