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ENGLISH
フィリピンのテクノロジー企業にて企業内弁護士として数年間働き、よりグローバルな環境に身を置きたいと考えルネサス エレクトロニクスに中途入社。現在は各種契約のドラフト、レビュー、交渉に加え、社内の他部門への法的アドバイスを行っている。
私は元々フィリピンのテクノロジー企業に在籍しており、主に取り扱っていた業務はフィリピン国内の契約に関するものでした。数年ほど働く中で、よりグローバルな環境で、かつ、よりテクニカルな側面から法務のプロフェッショナルとして働きたいと考え、転職活動を始めました。
私はテクノロジー法（ここでは技術・産業分野を問わず、テクノロジーに関連する法分野を包括的に示します）に関心があったため、ルネサスの法務職に興味を持ち、応募しました。私が学んだテクノロジー法の知識を、ルネサスの自動運転技術などに対する法務的な実務に生かすことができると考えたため、このポジションが魅力的に映りました。
現在の私の部門の役割は、Contract ReviewとGeneral Legal Supportに大別できます。前者は、文字の通り日英での各種契約のドラフト、レビュー、交渉を指します。関連ワードを挙げると、NDA、ソフトウェアライセンス、IPライセンス、売買契約などです。後者は顧客が社内となる業務が多いです。例えば、知的財産、情報保護、競争法などを絡めた、既存または新製品に関連する法的課題に対する法的アドバイスの提供を行っています。契約条件、社内コンプライアンスなどに関する社内ガイドラインの立案や整備も後者は包括しています。
私が一番気に入っているのは、ルネサスに導入されている社内システムです。事業部門から法的書類のレビューが要求された際には、法務部門による確認と契約内容の交渉後、事業部門の承認を経て署名が行われます。この一連のサイクルがシステム上に記録されるため、事業部門も法務部門も今どの段階なのか知ることが容易で、かつ漏れなく対応することが可能になります。このシステムのおかげで、細々したプロセス管理ではなく本来のドラフトレビューの業務に集中することができるため、私の作業効率が以前の会社よりも上がっていると感じています。
細々したプロセス管理ではなく
本来の業務に集中でき
作業効率が上がっていると感じます。
私が所属するチームには、日本、韓国、米国のバックグラウンドをもった同僚が在籍しているため、多様な価値観に触れることのできる環境です。さらに、ルネサスは各国に拠点を設けているため、それぞれのローカルの法務部門の社員と業務のやり取りを行う機会も多く、とてもエキサイティングな毎日を送っています。転職活動の際にイメージしていたグローバルをまさに体現できています。
また、周囲の方々のサポートも手厚いです。分からない部分が出てきた際には、気軽に助言を求めることができる雰囲気ですし、とても丁寧に私の不明点について教えてもらえます。そして、仕事を進める中で避けては通ることのできない失敗に対しても、失敗を次に生かすことが重要という共通のマインドがあるので、変に恐れることなくチャレンジしやすい環境です。
完全週休二日制のルネサスでは当たり前のことですが、週末は休みなのでリフレッシュすることに時間を割いています。私は、行ったことのない場所へ旅行に出かけて、美味しいものを食べることをよく楽しんでいます。仕事を調整し有給と週末を組み合わせ、少し遠出することもあります。このようなこともできる、メリハリをつけやすい会社だと思っています。
今後の目標は、より複雑な法契約や取引など、大きなプロジェクトに携わることができ、任せてもらえるプロフェッショナルになることです。そのためにも、日々の実務や自己啓発などを通じて、もっと自分のスキルを磨いていきたいです。
Daily schedule
平均して日に5件のドラフトレビューを割り当てられるので、仕事は楽ではありません。ただ、チームのメンバーはそれぞれの業務量を把握しているので、誰かひとりに負荷がかかり過ぎることはありません。それぞれ協力し合い、仕事を進めていきます。私はランチタイムを、気分転換のためにうまく利用しています。ここでリフレッシュすることで、午後も新鮮な気持ちで業務に取り掛かることができます。
Joined Renesas Electronics to gain further global experience after a few years of working as an in-house lawyer at a technology company in the Philippines. Responsibilities includes drafting, reviewing, and negotiating agreements, as well as giving legal advice to other units of the company.
I joined Renesas Electronics in 2019. Originally from the Philippines, I received a scholarship from the Japanese government to complete my Master of Law at Kyushu University. Specializing in international business and economics law with a focus on technology, I wrote a thesis on artificial intelligence as used in the medical field. I also studied robotics and autonomous vehicles.
I chose Renesas Electronics first and foremost because of my interest in technology law. That's why, when I saw an advertisement on Renesas Electronics indicating the company was looking for lawyers, I applied because it fit my interests. I have worked as an in-house lawyer at a technology company in the Philippines for a couple of years; however, its business transactions were mainly domestic.
Because Renesas is a global company with its headquarters in Japan and offices in Asia, US and Europe, it's a very interesting place to work because I get to interact with other people from all around the world. Projects that are given to me aside from contract review work are very appealing because I get to deal with a lot of people from our offices in US, Germany, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, India, Korea, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Working on projects with individuals from our global locations is very exciting for me.
I want to assure interested applicants that one doesn’t have to have knowledge of every aspect of Renesas’ business in order to take on the role of corporate counsel at Renesas. What is important is that one should have the interest to learn the business and the industry in order to progress.
After I joined Renesas, I needed to study and understand the technology and the business because most of the legal agreements deal with source products, and being familiar with the technological terms is very helpful. It makes reviewing contracts easier and really helps me understand the products referenced in the contracts, licensing requirements, etc. which is my responsibility as part of the legal team.
I am interested in technology law because, first, the area of technology law is quite new. I studied it in the university; and now, seeing self-driving cars in reality is very interesting. Learning how Renesas products, like microprocessors and microcontrollers, contribute to the technology that is used in self-driving cars is fascinating. I like discussing with the business team, “What is the use of this? What is the use of that?” to continue learning about the technology since I find technology law exciting.
Currently, my job scope involves a lot of paperwork - mainly reviewing contracts. It can get rather busy, but the structured processes in place makes my role a lot more manageable.
Before I joined the company, I thought that the work would be really stressful, but the internal systems make things a lot smoother. There is an internal system in place on how to track contracts from request to implementation. It’s a very interesting aspect because in my previous workplace, they didn't have that system.
Just like a product which has a lifecycle, a contract also has a lifecycle, wherein one business unit requests review of a legal document, then they negotiate the terms with the counterparty, which subsequently gets approved by the legal, then it gets approved by the business department. After the agreement is approved, it then gets signed. After it gets signed, it gets implemented. Because the entire lifecycle of a contract is managed by an internal system, it increases efficiency. It allows me to dedicate my time and attention to my contract review work. In addition, the entire lifecycle is checked by the internal system that Renesas has, which makes it easier for the business unit and for the legal team to track down the history of a project.
Helping various business units solve their legal problems is very rewarding. This motivates me to provide even better support in their future projects.
At one point, I was given an account on a “legal library” which provides laws from all around the world. Since I'm only trained in one jurisdiction, I can learn about the others using this resource. Aside from that, the people I'm working with are really generous in terms of time and knowledge they provide teaching me about the industry and the process.
My team of six in the Toyosu office has a global mix - including colleagues from Korea, Japan and the U.S. The working culture is friendly and open.
Because the entire lifecycle of a contract is managed by an internal system, it increases efficiency.
It allows me to dedicate my time and attention to my contract review work.
All new hires go through a thorough induction program that stretches over a few weeks where “newbies” get introduced to all aspects of Renesas Electronics’ business. They also get to mix with colleagues from other divisions and departments at Renesas from human resources, to accounting and finance, to sales and marketing, and the numerous functions within our product lines (design engineering, applications engineering, PE/TE, etc.).
I spent a year learning Japanese while completing my Master’s degree. I still have a long way to go in terms of getting a grasp of the language. Fortunately, my department head and direct supervisor speak English, and I am assigned English contracts to review.
When I am requested to review a contract that is not in English, I ask the requesting side to have it translated into English.
I have a lot of questions about the contracts and the business. But even though my colleagues are busy doing a lot of things, they really prioritize teaching me so that I can handle these tasks by myself in the future. They're so helpful, and I really appreciate that so much. Of course, being new, mistakes do happen but that’s part and parcel of the learning process.
Recounting an incident where there was a miscommunication regarding a document I was preparing, it was a document to be submitted to a government regulator. There is a certain format required but I did not explain the format properly to the people involved. After the issue was resolved, I asked the Chief Legal Officer how to avoid such problems in the future. He gave me advice on how to improve the work process so as to avoid any similar incidents of this kind in the future. Since I cannot speak Japanese, I’m a bit shy in terms of asking questions, but I realize it is important to always ask questions if you’re not sure about an assignment.
A typical workday for me begins by logging on to the system in the morning and checking to see what contracts I’ve been assigned to review and hold online meetings with individuals from the business unit that requested the legal review. After my lunch break, the reviewing process continues as well as working on other projects until I leave at the end of the day. On average, I receive three to five contracts to review each day.
During the weekends, I enjoy travelling and discovering new places in Japan, as well as trying out new things and eating good food. Given I haven’t had to work over the weekends, I am able to run and hike which I also like to do.
With more experience, I expect to be given bigger projects, such as more complicated legal contracts or more complicated transactions.
If you are interested in working for a global technology company specializing in semiconductors, and you are looking for an opportunity to earn as you learn; or, desire the experience that a global company has to offer, then Renesas is a great place to get that experience and learn from different kinds of people in the field.
The benefits are very good as well, from housing support to pension and healthcare and also stock options.
And the culture is very friendly. I can personally vouch for that in the legal department. My colleagues are very generous in terms of sharing what they know, not just in the legal field but also in the operations of the business.
Here is what I have to say to international applicants: I'm really not good in Japanese, but I think even someone who is not good in Japanese need not worry about it because people here are very supportive and understanding. But I am working on my Japanese so that I can express myself better!
Daily schedule
The workday starts with logging in to check my assignments for the day. I get an average of five contracts to check daily. It’s enough to keep me busy, but always manageable, as I know I can count on the support and understanding of my team. There’s always time for a lunch break to clear my mind before continuing to vet the contracts and engage the relevant teams to discuss details via online meetings. With a clear working system in place, I can plan my schedule and call it a day around 6pm and plan my own activities, such as exploring my neighborhood in western Tokyo.