Attorney Profile

Douglas K. Freeman

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Douglas K. Freeman

Biography

Douglas K. Freeman is the first American to pass the Japanese bar examination and be licensed to fully practice Japanese law. Mr. Freeman is unique in the depth of his experience and knowledge of the laws both of Japan and the US and is among the few attorneys capable of providing fully bilingual legal advice relating to both jurisdictions.

As an attorney at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, he assisted multinational corporations in cross-border mergers and acquisitions, securities offerings, dispute resolution and financial and other regulatory matters.

Prior to this, Mr. Freeman assisted Japanese corporations on Japan law matters at the law offices of the late Shunro Hamada, Esq., a highly regarded Japanese bengoshi and former professor at the Legal Training and Research Institute of the Supreme Court of Japan. He has drafted and negotiated Japanese contracts and advised on various areas of Japanese law, including intellectual property, corporate, litigation and corporate reorganization matters.

Before becoming a bengoshi, Mr. Freeman was an investment banker at Goldman Sachs in Tokyo and New York. He authored the book, "Challenges of the Legal Elite" (Shoji Homu, 2002), a comparative examination of the US legal education system through the lens of the Japanese legal education system, and a popular reference for many Japanese lawyers studying law in the United States.

Currently, Mr. Freeman advises Japanese and non-Japanese corporations in a wide range of international legal matters. Mr. Freeman is also an experienced international arbitrator, and has chaired numerous JCAA and ICC arbitration cases. Mr. Freeman is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) and serves as Chair of CIArb's Japan Chapter.

Education and Professional Experience

  • University of Tokyo, Faculty of Law, LL.B., 1990
  • Legal Training and Research Institute, Supreme Court of Japan, 1996
  • Columbia Law School, J.D., 2002 (Notes Editor, Columbia Law Review; James Kent Scholar)
  • Member, Japanese Bar (Daini Tokyo Bar Association)
  • Member, New York State Bar Association
  • Professor at Keio University Law School, International Commercial Arbitration I (CIArb RCP Membership Certification Course) (2019-)
  • Independent Director, U-shin Ltd. (2016-2019)
  • Independent Auditor, TDK Corporation (2019-)
  • Fellow (Approved Faculty Member), Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb)
  • Chair, CIArb Japan Chapter
  • ICC Master Class for Arbitrators (Paris 2011)
  • SIMC Specialist Mediation Workshop (Kyoto 2018)
  • Ranked nationally in the Nikkei Corporate Lawyers' Survey—Dispute Resolution Division
  • Languages: Fluent in written and spoken Japanese

Lectures and Teaching Experience

  • Annual lecture at Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Basic Agreement for Sale of Goods (2010-)
  • Annual lecture at MICE Bidding Seminar sponsored by Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau on Business Contracting (2009-2012)
  • Lecture at Business Research Institute on Practical Issues Regarding International Contracts (2010)
  • Annual lecture at Keio University Law School on International Contracts (2007-2018)
  • Lecture at International Research Institute of Tokyo District Court on US Law School and Law Firm Experience (2009)
  • Lecture at law schools of Nihon University, Kobe University, Chuo University (2012-2016)
  • Arbitrator & Judge at Intercollegiate Negotiation Competition (2014-)
  • Annual lecture at major Japanese international trading company on Basic Agreement for Sale of Goods (2012-)
  • Course Instructor for CIArb "Introduction to Arbitration" course held in Tokyo (2014)
  • Assessor at CIArb "Accelerated Route to Membership" courses held in Hsinchu, Taiwan (2018) and Tokyo (2017-2019)
  • Course Instructor for CIArb "Introduction to Mediation" course held in Tokyo (2018)
  • Panelist at Round-table: Practical Issues Related to Selection of Arbitrators (2016 organized by ICC Japan)
  • Panelist at Round-table: Arbitration Practice and Education (2018 Keio University Law School Symposium)
  • Panelist at Round-table: Current Issues for US and Japanese Businesses, with a Focus on Jurisdiction (NYSBA-IS Global Conference 2019 Tokyo)
  • Lecture at Online Seminar held by International Corporate Counsels Association (INCA) on Strategies for Drafting English Contracts Based on International Dispute Cases (2021)
  • Lecture at JCAA Online Seminar on Practical Strategies for Drafting English Contracts Based on International Dispute Cases (2022)
  • Panelist in 1st ICC Tokyo Arbitration Day: ICC Arbitration and ADR Toward Another Centenary (2023)
  • Panelist at "Rule of Law" Round-table: "Current Status and Future of International Arbitration and Mediation," bulletin published by Japan Bar Association (2023)
  • Expert at Workshops on the Evidence and Hearing at ICC Advanced Arbitration Academy for Asia in Tokyo (2024)

Publications

  • "The New JCAA Arbitration Rules—Japan's Attempt in Innovative Dispute Resolution" (JCA Journal Vol. 1, 2020)
  • Round-table Discussion on Revised Commercial Mediation Rules (JCA Journal, Vol. 67 No. 9, 2020)
  • Round-table Discussion on Three New Arbitration Rules (JCA Journal, Vol. 66 No. 9, 2019)
  • "Japan's New Bid Toward a Regional Dispute Resolution Hub" (eSolver (CIArb monthly bulletin) 2018)
  • "International Mediation—A New Wave in Dispute Resolution" (NBL No. 1132, 2018)
  • Thomson Reuters, Practical Law—Governing Law and Jurisdiction Clauses (Japan) (2018)
  • Thomson Reuters, Practical Law—Mediation (Japan) (2018)
  • "Legal Effect of Arbitral Awards" (Jurist, 2015)
  • "Use of ISDS Clauses to Protect International Investments" (Business Homu, 2014)
  • "Importance of Dispute Simulation in Legal Drafting" (interview article) (Business Law Journal, 2013)
  • "Practical Drafting Skills for English Language Contracts" (Sankyo Hoki, 2012) (contributing author)
  • "Challenges of the Legal Elite" (Shoji Homu, 2002)

Ayako Tsuru

Ayako Tsuru

Biography

Ayako Tsuru received an LL.B. from the University of Tokyo in 2007. She received her J.D. from the University of Tokyo, School of Law in 2009, where she served as a volunteer instructor for legal education at Japanese high schools. She graduated from the Legal Training and Research Institute, Supreme Court of Japan, in 2010.

Before joining the firm, Ms. Tsuru was an associate in the Litigation, Corporate, Labor Law and Corporate Restructuring Practice Groups of Mori Hamada & Matsumoto, one of the largest and most highly regarded full-service law firms in Japan, whose litigation practice handles some of the country's largest, and complex legal disputes.

Ms. Tsuru has published articles in a variety of areas, including international arbitration, mediation, and labor law matters.

Education and Professional Experience

  • University of Tokyo, Faculty of Law, LL.B., 2007
  • University of Tokyo, School of Law, J.D., 2009
  • Legal Training and Research Institute, Supreme Court of Japan, 2010
  • Mori, Hamada & Matsumoto (2011-2014)
  • Member, Japanese Bar (Daini Tokyo Bar Association)
  • Member, Daini Tokyo Bar Association, Ethics Committee (2015-2017)
  • Member, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb)
  • Chair of CIArb YMG Japan Chapter
  • Arbitrator & Judge at Intercollegiate Negotiation Competition (2015)
  • SIMC Specialist Mediation Workshop (Kyoto 2018)
  • Independent Auditor, Nhosa K.K. (2018-2023)
  • Member, California State Bar Association (2021)
  • Moderator at CIArb Annual Conference 2023
  • Lecturer at Keio University Law School, International Commercial Arbitration I (CIArb RCP Membership Certification Course) (2024-)
  • Languages: Japanese and English

Lectures and Teaching Experience

  • Annual lecture at Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Basic Agreement for Sale of Goods (2018-)
  • Annual lecture at Keio University Law School on International Contracts (2019-)
  • Annual lecture at major Japanese international trading company on Basic Agreement for Sale of Goods (2016-)
  • Judge at Intercollegiate Negotiation Competition (2014)
  • Lecture at Online Seminar held by International Corporate Counsels Association (INCA) on Strategies for Drafting English Contracts Based on International Dispute Cases (2021)
  • Lecture at JCAA Online Seminar on Practical Strategies for Drafting English Contracts Based on International Dispute Cases (2022)

Publications

  • "International Mediation—A New Wave in Dispute Resolution" (NBL No. 1132, 2018)
  • Thomson Reuters, Practical Law—Governing Law and Jurisdiction Clauses (Japan) (2018)
  • Thomson Reuters, Practical Law—Mediation (Japan) (2018)
  • "Legal Effect of Arbitral Awards" (Jurist, 2015)
  • "Q&A on various Labor and Employment Law Issues," Rosei Jiho, No. 4058 (2023), No. 4029 (2022), No. 4018, 4009 (2021), No. 3989 (2020), No. 3981, 3973, 3969 & 3967 (2019), No. 3962, 3954, 3948, 3945 (2018), No. 3941 (2017), No. 3922 & 3908 (2016), No. 3889 & 3881 (2015), No. 3880 (2014), No. 3839 (2013), No. 3823 (2012), and No. 3798 (2011)
  • "Corporate Law Advice Regarding Product Liability and Corporate Scandals & Concrete Measures to Ensure Safety," Minjihou Kenkyukai (Co-author) (2015)
  • "Report on the Substantive Law Sections of the Consumer Contract Act in 2011," Shojihomu Co., Ltd. (Co-author) (2012)
  • "Takeover Laws and Regulations in Asia," Shojihomu Co., Ltd (2012)
  • "Q&A on Legal Issues in Earthquake Disaster Recovery—Practical Advice for Corporate Responses," KINZAI Institute for Financial Affairs, Inc. (Co-author) (2011)