[Bar Exam Success Interview] A Bold Career Change in Your 50s. From Yakitori Restaurant Manager to Lawyer!

Hello. I am Miyano, Representative Director of LT. This time, I will be sharing a bar exam success story from one of our organization's members.

The motivation was for my family. With passion as my ally, I decided to aim for becoming a lawyer.

After graduating from university with a law degree, I worked at a yakitori chain in Nagoya. When I first encountered it, it was still a privately owned shop, but I happened to stop by that yakitori place. The taste of that yakitori really resonated with me at the time; it was just delicious.

The next day, I begged the owner to let me train under him, and I have been working there for 19 years since. When I joined, the owner told me, 'I've never seen anyone like you' (laughs), but as I trained, the shop grew into a chain, and I also served as a store manager.

However, because restaurants have long working hours, I couldn't see a future when considering balancing it with childcare and nursing care. I thought about becoming independent and having my own shop, but I wondered if there might be another path, and I began to think seriously about my future.

At that time, while searching for information on obtaining qualifications, I discovered a lecture for people aiming to become lawyers. Listening to that lecture and deciding to take the bar exam was the trigger for me to aim to become a lawyer.

I thought, 'I want to find connections with other examinees,' and what popped up was LT.

For the first two years, I studied desperately to pass the multiple-choice exam. While it was difficult, I searched for my own way of studying.

After passing the multiple-choice exam, although I could see a path to passing the essay exam, I felt that I needed connections to prepare for the oral exam. Until then, I had other colleagues I was working hard with, but they had just left.

Thinking, 'Without colleagues, my motivation won't go up... I want colleagues to work hard with,' I searched the web and LT came up.

When I actually joined, there were many highly motivated beginners, and being stimulated by their passion made me want to work harder too. At that time, there were more beginners than I expected, so I was confused at first, but by explaining things to them, my own understanding deepened, and it became a learning experience.

Passing the bar exam, grasped with feelings of gratitude and a desire to give back.

After that, I continued to study while balancing work, housework, childcare, and nursing care, and successfully passed the preliminary exam in 2022. The result of the 2023 bar exam was a failure. Actually, when I failed that first bar exam, I was quite depressed.

When I passed the preliminary exam, I felt like I had already passed the bar exam (it is said that about 90% of those who pass the preliminary exam also pass the bar exam). The tension I had been holding onto for so long snapped, and I couldn't easily find the motivation to start studying from scratch again.

However, at the same time, I also had the feeling, 'I can't go on like this; I want to hear from people who succeeded.' So, I went to an LT member who had passed the bar exam and asked, 'Please look at my answer, even if it's just a little'.

We had been studying at a similar level together for a year, and she passed while I failed. There was a gap there, and I wanted to find that gap. Even though she was busy, she looked at it carefully and gave me feedback, saying, 'You should fix this part of your answer.' I think I was able to correct my problems and shortcomings.

At that point, I was filled with feelings of true gratitude. I realized that I am supported by so many people, including my wife and children. I think I was able to work hard until the end for the second bar exam because of the desire to respond to everyone's feelings.

Just before the second bar exam, I was able to think, 'Oh, I'm glad I failed last year.' If I had passed last year, I might have become an unpleasant person who misunderstood and thought, 'I'm actually pretty good.' I'm glad that didn't happen.

Effective study methods and an environment that maintains motivation

LT activities provided the opportunities for input and output necessary for studying law.
In legal studies, it is very important to be able to take knowledge in and out of your head and master it. In online activities and open chats, members ask and answer questions for each other, and I answer as a passer of the exam.

After checking the relevant laws and precedents for a question myself, I explain it as simply and concisely as possible. Answering questions was a very effective way to utilize knowledge. I think it is especially helpful for preparing for essay and oral exams.

Everyone does their own input at their own level and outputs what they are thinking. Just watching each other's questions and answers is a learning experience. If you participate actively, it will be of great benefit to everyone. I would be happy to answer if you throw more and more questions my way.

Influenced by the high enthusiasm of LT members, I was able to maintain my motivation.In the open chat, there are times when questions come one after another from enthusiastic members.

Even beginners were not shy and were throwing out questions about things they didn't understand. "I'm thinking this way, but what do you think?" Those people are growing at an incredible speed. I was also influenced by that eager attitude.

Connecting with people, connecting to the future. To those aiming to become lawyers

In my opinion, enthusiasm is necessary to become a lawyer. Since being a lawyer is a job that involves being close to the greatest misfortunes and troubles in people's lives, I think a certain amount of enthusiasm is necessary. I am over 50, but I want to make sure I don't lose that enthusiasm.

Also, horizontal connections are important when becoming a lawyer. There is a limit to what anyone can do alone, and I don't think the power of one person alone is that significant.

Especially once you become a lawyer, I think there will be times when you want to engage in defense counsel activities for human rights issues. When you try to engage in defense counsel activities, horizontal connections become important, don't they? I think the triggers are various, but I feel it would be great if everyone valued horizontal connections and we could all become a great force together.

And these LT activities are wonderful. I am 51 now, and I will be 53 when I become a lawyer. I don't think I can do anything that significant from there. But I can connect it to the future.

"Connecting activities" are very important, I think. So, it would be great if they were more useful. I hope to live while returning the favors I have received little by little. I hope that will connect to those who follow.

No experience is wasted.

Lastly, no experience is wasted. There are various periods in life. Happy experiences, painful experiences—if it weren't for those, I wouldn't be who I am today. Experiences that I thought were rock bottom become the most fun memories when I look back on them later.

And by having painful experiences, you also acquire the qualities of a lawyer who can be close to people's suffering. Everyone has times when they feel like giving up, not just in their studies but in life as well. There will definitely come a time when that becomes your strength.

To LT members and those who are interested in LT and are reading this article, I would be happy if my experience could push the back of even one person.

Bar Exam Success Story Interview conducted at Ito Juku

The following is published with permission from Ito Juku, taken from https://www.itojuku.co.jp/shiken/shihou/feature/taidan_shihou_gokaku/24001.html.

Ito Juku's director interviews Mr. Sugihara, who passed the bar exam at 51 while working in the restaurant industry, over the course of three sessions.
Please start by watching Part 1.