Meet Olga Belosludova, a trailblazing attorney who made history as the first Russian woman to pass the notoriously difficult Japanese bar exam. Born in Siberia, she came to Japan with her family at age two. Olga's journey from a competitive childhood dream to becoming a qualified lawyer in three jurisdictions is nothing short of extraordinary. Her story offers invaluable insights into navigating Japan's legal landscape as a foreign professional, the importance of visibility in service, and practical strategies for building a successful international legal career.

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would leave us a message here!

In this episode you’ll hear:

• How Olga conquered the Japanese “Yobi” exam which only 4% of examinees pass

• Her strategies for overcoming assumptions about foreign lawyers with Japanese credentials

• Her secret dual-goal system for avoiding burnout

• Her view that speaking Japanese is crucial and why internal translators outperform external ones

About Olga

Olga Belosludova is an accomplished international attorney admitted to practice law in Japan, California, and New York. Currently, she is based in Japan, where she has lived since age two. Olga brings a unique bicultural perspective to complex cross-border legal matters. As an attorney at a prestigious international law firm constantly ranking in AM Law 20, she has built an impressive practice serving Fortune 100 companies across a wide range of high-stakes transactions and disputes.

Fluent in both Japanese and English, Olga has become a trusted advisor to foreign companies navigating Japan's business landscape. Her expertise spans cross-border mergers and acquisitions, complex internal investigations, international arbitrations, and privacy and data security compliance for multinational corporations. She also counsels international banks and investment funds on investment and loan transactions involving Japanese entities, leveraging her deep understanding of both legal systems and cultural nuances.

Olga’s risk management expertise is particularly noteworthy—she has led over 20 internal investigations across various industries, handling everything from routine compliance matters to high-profile misconduct cases. Her approach focuses not just on resolving immediate issues, but also on strengthening organizational health and resilience for the long term. During her time at the firm’s New York office from August 2023 to June 2024, she further expanded her expertise in JAMS arbitration and US litigation.

The Legal 500 recognised Olga as a “Rising Star” in its Fintech division in 2023, highlighting her emerging leadership in the intersection of law and financial technology.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Olga had been dancing as a ballroom dancer for more than 15 years, ultimately competing as a professional standard ballroom dancer between 2018 and 2020. After the COVID pandemic, in her free time, Olga enjoys spending her time with her family, especially playing with her three-year-old daughter. Whether she is reading books, drawing, or just playing outside, those moments mean the most to Olga. As a new challenge, Olga also began golfing last year.

Connect with Olga

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olga-belosludova-744758287/

Connect with Catherine

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/oconnellcatherine/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawyeronair

Yoko Oshima is Associate General Counsel of Corporate, External and Legal Affairs at Microsoft Japan. In this inspiring episode that spans continents, cultures, and cutting-edge technology, Yoko's journey is a masterclass in authentic leadership, purposeful career building, embracing opportunity and seeking support. Yoko shares powerful insights on adaptive leadership, the importance of being true to your values, and why seeking support is actually a sign of strength, not vulnerability.

Whether you're navigating cultural shifts in your career, looking to embrace emerging technology, or seeking to lead with authenticity, Yoko's wisdom will resonate long after the episode ends.

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would leave us a message here!

In this episode you’ll hear:

• How she overcame the cultural shift from being "blessed with opportunities" in Japan to proactively raising her hand in competitive New York law firms

• Why she turned down a permanent leadership role twice, and the crucial lesson this taught her about embracing opportunity

• The innovative approach to helping legal teams adopt AI and why AI is like training a new associate

• Her favourite books and other fun facts

About Yoko

Yoko is Associate General Counsel of Microsoft and leads its Corporate, External Affairs in Japan. Before joining Microsoft in May 2021. she was with General Electric and her last role before the departure was the general counsel of GE Japan and GE Digital Asia.

Before going in-house, she was in private practice, with Anderson Mori in Tokyo (first half) and Clearly Gottlieb, Steen and Hamilton LLP in New York (second half).

She is qualified in Japan and the State of New York, USA.

She has an LLB from Hitotsubashi University, a Master of Law from the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Law and Politics and an LLM from Harvard Law School.

Committed to diversity and inclusion and the social impact, she is a board member of Lawyers for LGBT and Allies Network in Japan and a statutory auditor of Earth Company.

She recharges through art, music, nature and family and friends.

Connect with Yoko

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yoko-oshima-36a7396/

Links

Adaptive Leadership: https://hbr.org/2020/09/5-principles-to-guide-adaptive-leadership

Tools and Weapons, Brad Smith: https://news.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/tools-and-weapons/

The Culture Map, Erin Meyers: https://erinmeyer.com/books/the-culture-map/

Connect with Catherine

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/oconnellcatherine/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawyeronair

Alexander Dmitrenko is the Managing Partner of Ashurst’s Tokyo office and a dear friend Catherine has been wanting to introduce to the Lawyer on Air listeners. Get ready to hear how you can be successful in Japan and being a good person is on top of the list. If you are wondering about the culture and lifestyle of working at a firm such as Ashurst, make sure you catch this episode.

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would leave us a message here!

In this episode you’ll hear:

• How Alexander’s upbringing in the USSR influenced his career choice in the law

• How the transition from New York private practice to Japanese in house changed him

• Becoming Managing Partner and tips for the recruitment process

• His favourite restaurant and other fun facts

About Alexander

Alexander Dmitrenko is a partner in Ashurst’s Tokyo dispute resolution practice group.

He has nearly 20 years of experience specialising in compliance matters, internal investigations, and dispute resolution. He has substantial experience advising Asian and other companies on matters related to sanctions and export controls, anti-bribery and corruption, anti-money laundering, cyber security and cyber fraud, ESG and forced labour and other compliance related laws and regulations. Alexander has gained particular expertise and client praise for his pragmatic approach to establishing compliance policies and procedures, undertaking due diligence exercises and conducting internal and regulatory investigations.

Alexander has conducted over a dozen sensitive internal and regulatory investigations covering allegations of bribery, accounting misconduct, internal violations, harassment and product liability in such jurisdictions as China, Ghana, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Russia, United States and Vietnam.

Alexander also advises financial institutions and other companies on compliance and risk mitigation measures related to US-China regulatory tensions and potential conflict of laws. He has particular expertise with airspace and the airline industry through his extensive work for Changi Airports International and on Sojitz' airport projects in Russia and Myanmar.

He is a member of our firm's specialized Sanctions as well as Corporate Crime groups. Given his unique skillset and expertise, he has been advising on various sanctions targeting Russia, from legal, regulatory and practical perspectives.

Alexander teaches, lectures and publishes extensively on various compliance-related topics. He chairs the Japan Subcommittee of Temple Law School’s Center for Compliance and Ethics. He is an active member of the NPO community in Japan, particularly through his leadership at LLAN and TELL. Alexander leads our firm’s pro bono efforts to provide legal and other assistance to Ukrainian evacuees. He is a true diversity & inclusion champion. Alexander is also a proud honorary Ambassador for the beautiful island of Hachijojima.

Alexander is qualified to practice in England & Wales, New York, Russia, and is a registered foreign lawyer (Gaikokuho Jimu Bengoshi) in Japan. He speaks English, French, Japanese, Russian and Ukrainian.

In his free time he enjoys spending time with his family, including his dog Mykola (Miki), learning Japanese to which he devotes 45-60 minutes each day, spending time on Hachijojima, including gardening (he even grew a square watermelon a few years ago), tennis, yoga and his latest hobby is sanshin on which he performed at Tama Parthenon during a special fundraising concert for Tohoko & Ukraine.

Connect with Alexander

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-dmitrenko/

Links

Two Rooms: https://tworooms.jp/en/

Connect with Catherine

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/oconnellcatherine/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawyeronair