It can be common for young lawyers to consider work placements in a foreign country. Regions such as the UK, Hong Kong and USA provide bridging courses that can allow Australian lawyers to practise within their borders, which grants many young workers the chance to hone their craft against a new cultural backdrop. 

With its language barrier and its differing civil law system, most Australians wouldn’t think to look to Japan to broaden their legal horizons. For Sydney-based lawyer Noeme Evans, there was no place better. Noeme spoke to Insights on her time in Japan, and shared her advice for other lawyers looking to follow in her footsteps.

“If you are persistent, hardworking, and self-aware, you can do well in Japan,” Noeme said. 

“I loved the challenge. I have also made lifelong friends in that time and am now godmother to two Japanese children.”

The way she speaks of it, Noeme sounds as if a career in Japan had been her goal for many years. However, the idea of working in Japan didn’t occur to her until she was some years out of university. 

Having accrued two years of post-admission experience in Queensland, she wanted to spend some time working in a foreign nation as an English teacher before she turned 30 and visa restrictions tightened. 

“The need to travel was motivated by the fact that I had never travelled alone before,” she said. 

“I managed to tie down a job via a Skype interview with an English teaching corporation that allowed the most flexible hours. I wanted flexibility in order to travel and a reasonable income in order to cover my overheads at home. The other destinations I looked at were South America and China. As Japanese corporations offered the best conditions and pay rates, I selected Japan.” 

Once she had settled in to her new home and explored the country, Noeme began to pursue the prospect of a legal role in Japan. 

“After travelling Japan and teaching for about one year, I managed to build a network using my business experience in law,” she said. 

“This led me to people in influential places; and that led me to a role in the top tier, Mori Hamada Matsumoto law office. It took time and a lot of personal development in order to develop and take up such an opportunity. I worked hard to get up to speed with international law to the level practical enough to work alongside some of Japan's top legal practitioners.”

Beyond the professional hurdles, Noeme admits she faced a number of challenges when working in Japan.

“You get to see the good, the bad, and the ugly by working in the country you are visiting,” she said. 

“You become highly immersed in the culture and you absorb far more than a tourist does. While Japan is a country with a lot of beautiful and amazing experiences on all senses, you will get to experience the negative and not so wonderful as well. This is important in order to receive a well-rounded view of your place and the place of others in that society.”  

For those who are considering a work spell in Japan (or any country) but don’t yet speak the language, Noeme is quick to assert that fluency isn’t integral for all roles – provided one maintains a sharp cultural awareness. 

“Not all jobs require you to speak Japanese. In fact, they do not want you speaking Japanese at all for some roles,” she said. 

“Importantly, if you do not speak Japanese, then go in with a high level of emotional intelligence so you can remain sensitive to cultural behaviour. I cannot stress this enough. The locals are often offended by unwittingly ‘bad’ foreigner behaviour. 

“A common and simple example would be asking too many personal questions. In the work place, they have certain greetings and body language that becomes a part of your daily routine that you will need to pay attention to.

“If you have learnt Japanese, make sure you use the correct level of the language. Do not get too casual with company bosses, for instance.”

In regards to finding the right role, Noeme suggests doing research before arriving in-country – then networking vigorously. 

“You can go on various websites to find the roles you need to get your foot in the door if you cannot attain a secondment via one of the Big Eight in Australia,” she said. 

“If you land in Japan on your own, you must network like no other and visualise where you want to be. In my case, one year before I took up the role at Mori Hamada Matsumoto, I spent time learning about firms and locations and clientele I could reach out to for English teaching. Then of course, it took time and perseverance.”