Founder and Representative Partner / Attorney at Law

ICHIRO KIKUCHI

Fields of
Expertise

Comprehensive strategic planning　Negotiations　Cross examinations

Career

• April 1969
  Entered Kyoto University, Faculty of Law
• September 1972
  Passed Bar Exam
• March 1973
  Graduated from Kyoto University, Faculty of Law
• April 1973
  Legal Apprentice (27th Term)
• April 1975
  Completed legal apprenticeship (27th Term)
  Registered as an attorney with Daini Tokyo Bar Association
• April 1980
  Opened the office
• April 1991
  Vice President of Daini Tokyo Bar Association
• June 1994
  Auditor of a company listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange (until June 2015)
• April 1997
  Managing Director of Japan Federation of Bar Associations (JFBA)
• May 1999
  Chairman of the Non-Attorney Regulation Committee of Daini Tokyo Bar Association (until April 2002)
• July 2001
  Chairman of the Joint Committee of Non-Attorney Regulation Committee of Joint of Three Bar Associations in Tokyo
• April 2006
  Chairman of the Permanent Council of Daini Tokyo Bar Association

Representative Partner / Attorney at Law (Admitted in Japan and in the State of New York)

HIROKO KIKUCHI

Fields of
Expertise

Corporate legal affairs　Dispute Resolution　Examination of English contracts　International Inheritance, etc

Career

• March 2000
  Graduated from the University of Tokyo, Faculty of Law
• November 2001
  Passed Bar Exam
• April 2002
  Legal Apprentice (56th Term)
• October 2003
  Completed legal apprenticeship (56th Term)
  Registered as an attorney with Daini Tokyo Bar Association
  Joined this Office
• April 2006
  Vice Chairperson of the Committee of Criminal Law System and Rights of Criminal Detainees of Daini Tokyo Bar Association
  Member of JFBA Criminal Detention System Reform Realization Headquarters and member of the Secretariat of the same
• November 2007
  Promoted to Junior Partner
• July 2008
  Studied in the United States (New York University, Law School)
• November 2010
  Passed the Bar Exam of the State of New York, U.S.A.
• April 2011
  Chairperson of the Committee of Criminal Law System and Rights of Criminal Detainees of Daini Tokyo Bar Association
• May 2011
  Registered with the State of New York, U.S.A. as an attorney
• October 2012
  Promoted to Partner
• April 2014
  Chairperson of the Joint Committee of the Three Tokyo Bar Associations to Investigate Detention Facilities
• February 2016
  Volunteer Probation Officer
• July 2019
  Promoted to Representative Partner

Publications

• “Report of Inspection Tour of the MH Prison Downview,” UK Survey Report of the Joint Committee of the Three Tokyo Bar Associations to Investigate Detention Facilities
• “Report of Inspection Tour of the MH Prison Manchester,” UK Survey Report of the Joint Committee of the Three Tokyo Bar Associations to Investigate Detention Facilities
• “A look at the Prison Inspection System and the Appeal Examination System in Britain – UK Survey Report of the Joint Committee of the Three Tokyo Bar Associations to Investigate Detention Facilities –,” CPR New Letter (Center for Prisoner Rights Newsletter), March 2007 Issue
• ‘Study on the Causes of False Charges’, Keiso Shobo (translation collaboration of chapters 6 and 7)
• “Report of Inspection Tour of the Harima Rehabilitation Program Center,” NIBEN Frontier, July 2013 Issue
• “Civil Engineering Viewed from the Outside: Power behind the Scenes,” Journal of the Japan Society of Civil Engineers Vol.101, No. 2 (February 2016 Issue)
• ’Death Penalty and the Victims’, Nippon Hyoron Sha, Co., Ltd. (Japanese translation of the English book published by United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner) (translation of 3.1(3) of Chapter 3)

Languages

Japanese　English　Spanish

Partner / Attorney at Law

SHOJI HASHIMOTO

Fields of
Expertise

Wills and trusts/inheritance　Civil appeal cases, petitions for acceptance of final appeal　Discussion of material facts

Career

• March 1969
  Graduated from Hibiya High School
• April 1969
  Entered Kyoto University, Faculty of Law
• March 1973
  Graduated from Kyoto University, Faculty of Law
• October 1975
  Passed Bar Exam
• April 1976
  Legal Apprentice (30th Term)
• April 1978
  Completed legal apprenticeship (30th Term)
  Appointed to be a judge
• March 2005
  Resigned as judge (judge of Tokyo High Court)
• April 2005
  Registered as an attorney with Daini Tokyo Bar Association
  Joined this Office
• October 2005
  Promoted to Partner
• April 2006
  Vice Chairman of the Bar Regulations Establishment Committee of Daini Tokyo Bar Association
• April 2007
  Professor of Toyo University, Law School

Publications

• "Fundamental Issues of Material Facts' Seibundo
• ‘Miscellaneous Issues Relating to Handling of Divisions of Inherited Property Cases – Compiled by the Legal Training and Research Institute’, Hosokai (joint authorship)
• ‘Lecture on the Practice of Family Law – 2nd Edition’, Minjiho Kenkyu-kai (joint authorship)
• “Article 715 of the Civil Code and Article 3 of the Automobile Liability Security Act,” ‘Civil Traffic/Labor Lawsuits’, Seirin-Shoin
• “Inheritance, Special Benefits and Contributory Portions and the Assessment Methods,” Hanrei Jiho No.1608, Hanrei Jiho-sha
• “Bearer of Funeral Costs,” Hanrei Times No.1100, Hanrei Times Co., Ltd.
• “Principles of Material Facts Notebook,” Hakusan Hogaku No.5, Toyo University Graduate School of Law
• Other articles on Cinii: http://ci.nii.ac.jp/

Partner / Attorney at Law

YOSHIAKI TORIMOTO

Fields of
Expertise

Wills and trusts/inheritance　Voluntary guardianship　Family trust　General criminal cases

Career

• April 1975
  Graduated from Tokyo University, Faculty of Law
• October 1975
  Passed Advanced-level National Public Service Exam (Legal Specialists)
• April 1976
  Entered the Ministry of Justice (Official of the Ministry of Justice)
• October 1979
  Passed Bar Exam
• April 1980
  Legal Apprentice (34th Term)
• April 1982
  Completed legal apprenticeship (34th Term)
  Appointed to be a public prosecutor
• October 2009
  Public prosecutor at the Supreme Public Prosecutors Office
• June 2010
  Chief Prosecutor, Yamaguchi District Public Prosecutors Office
• August 2011
  Chief Prosecutor, Gifu District Public Prosecutors Office
• August 2012
  Resigned as public prosecutor
• September 2012
  Appointed to be a notary public (Itabashi Notary Office)
• July 2022
  Resigned as notary public
• August 2022
  Registered as an attorney with Dai-Ichi Tokyo Bar Association
• January 2023
  Joined this office

Publications

• “Theory of Stock and Capital and Practice of Registration” (March 1995) Teihan Shuppan (sole authorship)
• “Practical Issues of Preferred Stock (1) – (4)” (‘Shoji Homu’ Nos. 1337, 1338, 1340 & 1341, (1993) Shoji Homu Kenkyu-kai)
• “Family Trust from a Notary Public’s Perspective” (‘Kazoku Shintaku Jitsumu Gaido’ Separate Volume No. 4 (February 2017) Nihon Horei)
• “Basic Knowledge of Self-settled Trust and Self-settled Trust as Considered by a Notary Public” (‘Kazoku Shintaku Jitsumu Gaido’ Separate Volume No. 8 (February 2018) Nihon Horei)
• “International Civil and Commercial Training at the Research and Training Institute of the Ministry of Justice” (‘Jiyu to Seigi’ No. 9 of 1997)
• Other discussions on civil and commercial matters published in various journals, including ‘Toki Kenkyu’ (Teihan), ‘Shoji Homu’ (Shoji Homu), “NBL” (Shoji Homu) and “Kin-yu Homu Jijo” (Kinzai Institute for Financial Affairs) from 1992 through 1994
• Discussions on the Companies Act in “Practical Consulting: Stock Companies Act 1-5”, (Shoji Homu) (joint authorship)

External Advisor

Ignacio Javier Blanco Cuesta

Career

• 1996
  Graduated from UNIVERSITY of ALCALA DE HENARES (Madrid), Faculty of Law (Bachelor of Law)
• 1997
  Registered as an attorney at GARRIGUES (Public laws, contracts, etc.)
• 1998
  Worked at Banco Zaragozano in Madrid (Department of Private Banking)
• 2000
  Established “Polvorosa & Blanco Abogados” (law firm) with a partner.
• 2002
  Became a Commercial Director and a partner at ENERPAL (Renewable Energy).
  Started to concentrate on its business (developing solar power plant, wind power station)
• 2012
  Established EUROPE CLEAN ENERGIES JAPAN K.K. in Japan Started developing projects of solar plant in Japan.
  Established UNIVERGY K.K. in Japan, appointed as CEO and Representative Director
• 2020
  Joined this Office as an external advisor