Mindy Allen works with law firms and companies in Japan to identify candidates who will enhance their practices and legal departments. She also provides guidance to Bengoshi, Gaiben and other foreign-qualified lawyers, and in-house counsel as they navigate their legal careers in the Japanese legal market.
Originally from New York, Mindy practiced corporate law in both New York and Tokyo for over a decade before joining Major, Lindsey & Africa. She has resided in Tokyo since 2014 and is fluent in Japanese. In addition to serving on the Executive Committee of Women in Law Japan and as a lecturer at Keio University Law School’s LL.M. program, Mindy is an avid baker and loves spending weekends at the beach with her husband and dog.
Mindy began her legal career as a summer associate with Skadden’s Tokyo office in 2008. She spent two summers there and worked as a legal consultant at Oh-Ebashi in Osaka before joining Milbank’s Global Securities Group as an associate. Mindy first practiced in New York for three years, where she represented investment banks and issuers in all stages of capital markets transactions and advised domestic and foreign private issuers on compliance with the U.S. securities laws and corporate governance matters. She then moved to Tokyo to continue her work with Milbank to work more closely with Japanese utilities and financial institutions. In 2016, she joined Ropes & Gray’s Corporate team. In that role, she advised the Tokyo office of a major U.S. private equity fund on all aspects of their Japanese portfolio company holdings and acquisitions.
Mindy then moved in-house to Sojitz Corporation, a major Japanese trading house, where she served as senior counsel and was the legal lead on a broad range of outbound investments. Prior to becoming a legal recruiter, Mindy returned to private practice as counsel at southgate, a boutique Japanese firm focused on cross-border M&A and venture capital. In addition to her recruiting work, she also serves as a lecturer at Keio University Law School’s LL.M. program in Tokyo and on the Executive Committee of Women in Law Japan.
Stanford Law School: J.D.
Stanford Law Review, Executive Editor
Stanford Journal of Law, Business & Finance, Executive Submissions Editor
Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences: M.A., East Asian Regional Studies
Columbia College: B.A., East Asian Languages and Cultures, summa cum laude
Phi Beta Kappa
Year-long study abroad: Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies
