The Japan In-house Lawyers Association (JILA) concluded its annual In-house Legal Awards ceremony at the Shangri-La Hotel in Tokyo on 16 January 2024. The ceremony honoured the exemplary performances of in-house legal teams and individuals who had submitted their applications between 14 July and 18 September in 2023.
In an observation shared with Asia Business Law Journal, JILA President Hideyuki Sakamoto had previously highlighted enormous growth in the numbers and significance of in-house legal departments, signified by an increase from 771 to 2,965 registered in-house lawyers over a decade.
This notable increase has also led to a surge in the quantity of high-quality work produced by these in-house departments, which was suitably acknowledged through the Group Awards, In-house Awards and the Special Award.
In the Group Awards, various organisations distinguished themselves in 10 categories. Panasonic Holdings picked up awards in the General and Compliance departments, while Renesas Electronics Corporation won in the Deal and Dispute Resolution departments.
With a commanding performance, LIXIL secured awards in Innovation, Leadership, Governance, and In-house Lawyer Performance categories. Special attention was also given to the small and medium-sized enterprise and local business sectors, with Medley and Fukuoka Softbank Hawks emerging as winners, respectively.
In-house Awards were also conferred on young and mid-career individuals. These included lawyers with a career span of no more than 15 years, who have showcased exceptional contributions within their organisations and the respective fields they operate in.
Mina Hoshizawa, compliance manager at Bayer Holding; Yuichiro Watanabe, lead counsel at Airbnb Japan; and Satomi Tanaka, legal counsel at IBM Japan were among those awarded in their fields.
Another highlight of the ceremony was the announcement of the Special Award, which was presented to the Consumer Affairs Agency, whose critical role in expanding the influence of legal departments within both corporate entities and government agencies was duly recognised and commended.
The JILA awards serve as a platform for in-house lawyers and their organisations to gain visibility, share best practices, elevate the stature of in-house legal functions and foster camaraderie through the award process and ceremony activities.
