The long way round to my own firm

After completing my German bar examination, I headed to Japan. I spent a year in Fukuoka: learning the language, travelling the country, meeting people and gaining a real understanding of how life and business work there. That time shaped me, both professionally and personally. On returning to Germany, I decided to pursue a master's degree in Japanese Studies. Given my language skills and cultural background, I was admitted without the usual bachelor's degree. In my first semester, I sat the highest level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test — JLPT N1. I completed the degree with a comparative legal thesis, graduating among the top five in my year.

I began my legal career at one of Germany's top ten commercial law firms. I then moved to an in-house role as a corporate lawyer at one of Europe's leading hotel owners and operators, where I served as the data protection and compliance expert for the DACH region while also handling general legal matters for the hotels. That was followed by a formative period at a specialist firm for data protection and IT law.

Then the opportunity to start my own firm arose — and I took it. With my own practice, I have built a professional environment where my two worlds come together: law and Japan.