Peter Cassidy

Company name /: Higashimachi LPC
Job type /: Attorney
Countries & Regions /: Australia

Job
Description
Why
I work in Kobe
Life in Kobe
Message
From
the company

Job Description

I try to give explanations that are easy to understand the clients can feel at ease

I work as a foreign law attorney at a law firm that has been in Kobe for about 100 years. The majority of requests are related to the preparation of contracts related to local companies' international trade, consultation on troubleshooting, and maritime law.
Trade involves complex laws, and special rules must be taken into account on a case-by-case basis. My work policy is to give explanations that are easy to understand to gain the clients' trust, as this is a field that requires accurate knowledge and experience. I want the clients to entrust me with confidence so that they won’t have any doubts later. This is why I try to think about everything from the client’s perspective and carefully explain technical terms and rules, using words that are easy to understand.
One of the requests we’ve received was checking a contract for a ship that costs billions of yen. Although I was nervous as the work involved a significant amount of money, I was thrilled and relieved when it was completed successfully. I’m grateful that I was entrusted with such a crucial job. I’d like to continue to gain experience as an attorney in Kobe.

Why I work in Kobe

I came to Kobe with the aspiration to contribute to the city in some way

A Japanese teacher came to class at my school when I was 12 years old. That led me to become interested in Japan, and I continued to study Japanese. When I was 15 years old, I visited Himeji as part of a three-week study abroad program. It was my first time abroad, and I found Japan very appealing.
This led me to continue my studies of the language while also studying law at university. As my hometown in Western Australia is a sister city of Hyogo Prefecture, I studied abroad at Konan University in Kobe for a year. As Kobe is an urban city that has had a connection with me in this way, I decided to work in Kobe with the aspiration to contribute to it in some way. I came to Japan at the end of 2011 and worked in the Quality Assurance Department of a Japanese company for about five years. I was engaged in translation and research on various countries' regulations at a company that handles energy-related software for overseas markets. I was able to learn how the Japanese company organization works at that workplace.
The experience is still useful to this day. I’ve been working as an attorney at this current law firm since 2017.

Life in Kobe

Kobe is an impressively convenient city with lots of places for families to enjoy

It’s a very convenient region with mountains and the sea nearby. I like to go out to make my family happy on my days off. It provides convenient access to sightseeing locations, such as Awaji Island , Osaka, and Kyoto, and places where you can enjoy with children. I’m able to enjoy my private life. In the summer, my family goes to the beach and enjoy driving around. Since I live in the Rokko area with my family, I also enjoy rejuvenating myself admiring the beautiful scenery. I like the mountains in Kobe because there are no mountains in my hometown in Perth, Australia.
I also think that the fact that you can enjoy culture and food other than Japan, such as Taiwan and China, is an appeal unique to Kobe since trade has been active for centuries.
You may think that a convenient city with a good living environment has a high living cost. However, Kobe’s living cost seems to be cheaper than Australia’s living cost. There are shopping streets and a Chinatown nearby, making it a convenient place to go shopping and eat delicious food.
I think Kobe is a comfortable place to live in when you come to Japan from overseas and live with your family.

Message

Kobe is a city where anyone can challenge the world

I recommend you to come to Kobe if you are interested in Japan and want to work globally. Kobe has a long history as a major city of international trade in Japan. This is why the flow of people from overseas is active. There are many places where non-Japanese citizens can be successful.
Since the locals have been living in an environment familiar to non-Japanese citizens for a long period, you can live here without worries. You can live a comfortable daily life here since there’s everything you need here to live. If there’s something I’d have to pick to boast about Kobe, it would be the convenience. The city also offers opportunities to try various things.
The more options you have, the more possibilities you’ll have, which will lead to a broader path for your life. If you work in Kobe, you may be blessed with the opportunity to interact with people from other countries and learn about their culture, not just Japanese culture. I work every day, feeling that Kobe is an international city that is comfortable for non-Japanese citizens to work and live.

From the company

Foreign talent recruitment has contributed to improving the communications within our company

When Peter first contacted me, I had no plans to hire a new attorney. However, it was also when I was advocating the idea of aiming to become a more international attorney's office. As a result of the goal, the attorneys at our office had to learn legal English.
I wanted to search for the possibility of Peter helping us in that area. I suggested that we continue the relationship of him teaching our attorneys legal English even though we couldn’t hire him. After that, our attorneys returned from studying in the United Kingdom, and the number of cases using English began to increase. There was a need for human resource who could support our work, which led to hiring Peter.
I believe that hiring foreign talent has led to a positive outcome of the office becoming multinational and increased communication skills within the company.
Kobe is an international city, and there are opportunities for interactions between non-Japanese citizens. I believe that people who are thinking of working in Japan in the future can live here with peace of mind.
(Partner Attornet at Law Patent Attorney Ph.D.(Science)　Makoto Matsumiya)
Higashimachi LPC WebSite