It is the last business day of 2023. Other lawyer and clerks are already on winter vacation, but I am here alone at my office in Nakatsu, Osaka. After organizing documents and cleaning, I had lunch at my favorite ramen shop, and now I am writing this blog over a cup of coffee.
This year marks two full years since we opened our office and we are now in our third year. Although a little later than originally planned, we were able to hire an office clerk as a full-time employee. She is an excellent person who worked for a large firm and has been extremely helpful. We hope to grow our office a little by little each year.
Looking back on this year, I think it was a year in which I often challenged strong opponents to fights.
I started several lawsuits against the government in administrative litigation and against huge organizations in civil litigation. Before becoming independent, I often represented the strong side, such as local governments and listed companies, but now I find myself in the opposite position more often. However, being in a weak position does not mean you cannot win. The plaintiff side has the right to choose how to fight and pick a favorable battlefield to win. It is important to be flexible and never give up. “If plan A doesn’t work, let’s try plan B” and “If plan B doesn’t work, let’s try plan C”. I think I’m a lawyer that the other party doesn’t want to fight because it’s too much trouble for them. I was able to obtain very good results in some cases, but the settlement of other cases will be carried over to next year. I will continue to do my best next year.
Inquiries from overseas are also growing. With the end of the pandemic, there seems to be an increase in the number of people who want to come to Japan to start businesses. The World Expo and the opening of an integrated resort are planned in Osaka. So, this city will attract new people over the next 10 years. I’d would like to enhance our ability to meet a wide range of demands of customers from overseas.
Thank you for your continuous support to our office. We wish you a healthy and fortunate year in 2024.
Atsuro Tsujino (Attorney at Law of Ashita no Shishi Legal Office)