Lisa M. Kitagawa represents many prominent Japan businesses throughout the U.S. She has extensive experience in litigation, arbitration, trials, collections, mergers and acquisitions, contracts, employment, restructuring, tax-free reorganizations, real estate, corporate, etc. for many Japanese companies in a variety of industries. She is licensed to practice law in the states of California, Texas, Georgia, New York and Michigan. She is a member of the U.S. federal courts including the U.S. Supreme Court, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, U.S. District Court (C.D. and S.D. CA; N.D. GA) , U.S. Tax Court, and U.S. Court of Federal Claims. She was with several large international law firms before establishing Kitagawa & Ebert, P.C. in 1993. She is AV Preeminent-rated by Martindale Hubbell as of 1990.
Ms. Kitagawa was educated in both the U.S. and Japan. She graduated from Kyoto University, Japan (LL.M., 1986), Loyola Law School (J.D., 1982) and University of Southern California (B.S. Business Finance, 1979) and attended Tokyo University in 1981. She was the third American lawyer to have earned the LL.M. in Japanese Civil Law from Kyoto University. She received scholarships from the Japan Ministry of Education (Monbusho) and the College Women’s Association of Japan, as well as many other scholarships. She was an editor of the landmark English treatise, “Doing Business in Japan” whose General Editor Prof. Zentaro Kitagawa was her mentor at Kyoto University. She is fluent in Japanese.
Ms. Kitagawa is a member of the American Bar Association, California State Bar Association, Texas State Bar Association, New York State Attorney Register, Georgia State Bar Association, Michigan State Bar Association, Orange County Bar Association, Japanese American Bar Association, Japan Business Association (JBA), Kyoto University Alumni Association (Rakuyukai), Tokyo University Alumni Association (Nanka Todaikai), Dallas Japanese Association, Houston Japan Business Association, Austin Japan Community, Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Georgia, Advisory Board Member for the International Law Section of the Practicing Law Institute. She was also an Advisor to the Executive Committee of the International Law Section of the State Bar of California, and presented seminars to the Japan Business Association (JBA), Dallas Japanese Association(DJA), Houston Japan Business Association, JETRO (Los Angeles and Houston), Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Southern California (JCCSC), South Bay Management Seminar (SBMS), and American Association of Japanese University Women (AAJUW), and Orange County Japanese American Association, Osaka Chamber of Commerce, Business Research Institute (BRI), Japan Overseas Enterprises Association (JOEA) and many other Japan business organizations throughout Japan and the U.S. She was featured in numerous interviews on U.S.-Japan law in the Los Angeles Times, Mitsubishi UFJ Research & Consulting, ILS Magazine, Rafu Shimpo, Transpacific Magazine, U.S. Japan Publications, and other publications. She was featured in the American Bar Association Employment law section “Member Spotlight” on August 7, 2017 and was a plenary speaker at the Japan-Texas Economic Summit in May 2018 in Houston, Texas. Ms. Kitagawa is active in the Japanese and Nikkei Japanese-American community organizations. She volunteers at Legal Clinics, Scouts BSA, and teaches kids how to fish and about fishing conservation. She teaches about Japanese and Japanese American history, culture and law to schools and to many community organizations. She supports and donates to many Japanese business and Nikkei business and community organizations. Ms. Kitagawa has published articles and taught numerous seminars on U.S. and Japan business law, including the following: