Student Voice

How did you find out about the LLM program, and what attracted you to pursue it?

In 2018, I was in Tokyo for my first LLM and met a friend who was a student at Keio Law School. She often told me how great and practical this LLM program is. Three years after completing my first LLM degree and returning to work at a Japanese law firm in Bangkok, I had always pondered getting another LLM to broaden my legal specialization skills and leverage my current knowledge base into my career. During my working life, working in Japanese culture has given me a chance to dive deep into various legal topics, and I have gained insight into the skills required to succeed as a legal professional. This motivated me to pursue more advanced studies at Keio Law School to develop my legal skills and work in more challenging roles in business law practice with Japanese colleagues. Studying at Keio Law School also allowed me to network with several Japanese scholars and professional legal practitioners from well-known law firms in Tokyo. It enabled me to deepen my basic understanding of law by adding an international perspective, particularly the knowledge I obtained about comprehensive and unique legal principles, which gave me a strong foundation and conceptual understanding of law.

 

Please tell us about your most memorable class, along with the reason why.

I enjoyed most of the classes at Keio Law School, especially those related to Business law practice. My favorite classes include "Corporate Governance and Risk Management", "Law of Investment Funds"," Drafting and Negotiation of M&A and JV transactions", "Mediation" and so on. But the most memorable class for me was the Seminar (Case Study in International Competition Law) taught by Lecturer Mr. Miyakawa, a well-known competition law practitioner in Japan. Even though the class was set to be intensive with a small number of enrolled students, it was very fruitful. I learned a lot from the class. From the introduction to practices on global competition law, we shared and discussed several interesting topics and recent developments in competition policies, practices, and compliance among classmates. The class discussion was inspirational for idealizing and visualizing my vision of competition law based on comparative knowledge. It also helped me better understand the most recent global and Japanese competition laws. Since then, I have been deeply impressed by competition law, and this class motivates me and provides my continued passion for competition law. I am immensely grateful for taking this class.

 

What do you enjoy about life at Keio?

My campus life was splendid and fun. Apart from the classes, Keio Law School is a place for me to network with other foreign and Japanese JD students and share our food and coffee cultures and lifestyles. The school facilities were well-equipped, and the school staff were very accommodating. My apartment is just 5 minutes' walk away from the campus. Due to its privileged location for the Mita campus, Keio has always been, by far, my top choice for pursuing an LLM in Japan.

 

What are your plans after you finish your studies at Keio? What do you think you will take with you from this experience?

After graduation, I am going to resume my legal profession at Nagashina Ohno & Tsunematsu, Bangkok office, where I can develop my legal skills and use the solid knowledge I acquired from the program to contribute to the firm and continue working in more challenging roles in business law, an area of law of greatest interest to me.

 

Any advice for prospective LLM students? How would you recommend the Keio LLM program to the students?

The Keio LLM program is highly recommended for those contemplating pursuing an LLM in Japan and wanting to explore theoretical and practical experience. The program has a variety of well-structured and comprehensive courses. You can also earn a specialization by obtaining a specialized LLM certificate in the designated area of law that you are keen on. This is a good chance for you to focus deeply on a particular area of law, and having a specialized certificate could enhance your career prospects. I believe your studies at Keio will provide you with a great opportunity to seek further achievement in professional legal education in both legal theory and practical implications. It will also allow you to discover new concepts that could be implemented in the legal system of your home country. In addition, studying at Keio with distinguished Japanese scholars and experienced legal practitioners can broaden your legal ideas and not restrict you to domestic legal understanding.

 

(This interview is from March 2024.)