Introduction

Mr. Masataka Ogasawara, the visionary founder and managing lawyer of ZeLo, a Tokyo-based law firm, has been recognized for his exceptional leadership and innovation in the legal field. In June 2024, he was awarded the prestigious "Managing Partner of the Year" at the ALB Japan Law Awards, becoming the youngest recipient in the history of this honor. Additionally, he had already made his mark in 2021 by being named the youngest recipient of the "Young Lawyer of the Year" award. Under his leadership, ZeLo has experienced remarkable growth over the past seven and a half years, staying true to its ambitious vision of "Reforming legal services to contribute to the creation of laws and provide a legal platform for myriad economic activities."

Founding ZeLo: A Vision for Democratizing Advanced Legal Services

My co-founder, Mr. Nozomu Tsunoda, and I both began our legal careers at Mori Hamada & Matsumoto, one of Japan's premier law firms. In March 2017, we joined forces to establish ZeLo, driven by the mission to provide equitable access to advanced legal services for not only large urban corporations but also startups and small to medium-sized enterprises across regional areas. ZeLo has embraced legal tech and innovative approaches to pioneer next-generation legal solutions, positioning itself as a leader in corporate law as we enter our eighth year of operation.

What truly distinguishes ZeLo from other law firms is our simultaneous founding of LegalOn Technologies, Inc. (LegalOn), a startup dedicated to developing cutting-edge legal software solutions. My dual role as both a lawyer and an executive gives me a unique perspective, enabling us to provide strategic legal advice that is deeply informed by practical business experience. LegalOn has raised approximately 17.9 billion yen in total funding and was ranked 10th in Nikkei’s 2023 NEXT Unicorn survey. At ZeLo, our approach is rooted in the lessons learned from overcoming the legal challenges faced during LegalOn’s growth, ensuring that our clients receive counsel that is aligned with their business objectives.

Previous initiatives and commitments

• ZeLo’s Growth and Achievements

Since its founding seven and a half years ago, ZeLo has experienced remarkable growth, expanding its team of professionals from just two founding members to a current total of 56 attorneys. This growth has been achieved without any compromise in our hiring standards; from the beginning, we have sought individuals who not only have the potential to surpass the founders but also fully embrace the firm’s vision. We have been meticulous in recruiting top talent from Japan's leading firms as well as specialists across diverse fields. In total, including paralegals and support staff, ZeLo now employs 122 individuals.

Our client base has similarly expanded, with the number of active client companies across a wide range of industries exceeding 400, and a cumulative total of 745 companies since the firm’s inception. ZeLo’s achievements have not gone unnoticed; we have won the Rising Law Firm of the Year award at the ALB Japan Law Awards for three consecutive years since 2020, alongside several listings in ALB’s prestigious rankings.

• ZeLo’s Cutting-Edge Focus on Emerging Industries

While ZeLo has established a solid foundation in traditional fields such as M&A, dispute resolution, and finance, the firm distinguishes itself by excelling in forward-thinking sectors like AI, web3, healthcare, and mobility. By continuously monitoring the evolution of startups and emerging industries, we proactively identify legal challenges in these areas and track both domestic and global trends to provide timely, relevant insights to our clients.In addition to handling domestic matters, ZeLo emphasizes a strong expertise in international cases. Our international arbitration practice is led by Joel Greer, a U.S. attorney with vast experience in the field. Meanwhile, Fiesta Victoria, an Indonesian attorney, heads our efforts in supporting Japanese businesses expanding into Indonesia. Satoshi Nomura directs our international department, where we actively engage in cross-border M&A and finance, offering flexible, agile solutions to meet the dynamic needs of our global clients.

• Leveraging AI and Communication

At ZeLo, we have seamlessly integrated the AI-powered legal platform "LegalOn Cloud," developed by LegalOn, into our service offerings. This enables us to handle cases with both speed and efficiency, without compromising on the depth or accuracy of our legal work, which is reinforced by the expertise of our professionals. The combination of rapid, high-quality legal services offered at reasonable fees has earned the firm substantial trust from our clients.

Moreover, ZeLo’s specialists place a strong emphasis on fostering effective communication with clients. We recognize that when a company’s legal department seeks advice, it is often during or just before a critical situation. To mitigate this, our team strives to cultivate an environment where clients feel as comfortable consulting with us as they would with their internal teams. We actively utilize a wide range of communication tools to accommodate client preferences, ensuring not only the quality of our legal solutions but also a high level of engagement in day-to-day interactions.

• Empowering Women and Supporting Professional Development at ZeLo

At ZeLo, we are dedicated to building a system that allows talented professionals to sustain their careers in a supportive and inclusive environment, with a strong emphasis on breaking through gender barriers. According to the "White Paper on Gender Equality, Reiwa 6 Edition," published by the Gender Equality Bureau of the Cabinet Office in June 2024, the proportion of female lawyers in Japan stands at 19.6%. However, ZeLo ranked prominently in the "2023 Law Firm Female Ratio Ranking" by Corporate Legal Innovation Platform Inc., boasting a 25% ratio of female lawyers. As of September 2024, 17 out of our 56 specialists, including non-lawyers, are women, representing approximately 30% of the firm.

ZeLo’s innovative policies have been instrumental in fostering an environment where women thrive, even in an industry where female representation remains a challenge. We offer a parental leave system for lawyers, an uncommon practice in the legal field, where taking leave often hinders career advancement. Our system allows for up to two years of leave, with salary paid for one year, complemented by flexible working hours to accommodate diverse family needs.

As part of our forward-thinking approach, we also offer a robust system for lawyers aspiring to study abroad, irrespective of their seniority. Since 2021, two of our lawyers have utilized this opportunity, pursuing further education at international law schools, including Stanford University.

Building the Future: Strengthening ZeLo’s Role in the Startup Ecosystem

In terms of our practice, we are committed to continuously enhancing our capabilities in cutting-edge sectors while contributing to the startup ecosystem. Through close collaboration with our group firms, we aim to provide comprehensive services that cover all aspects of legal affairs, intellectual property, labor management, registration, and accounting/tax matters.

In our daily operations, we actively leverage AI and legal tech to support not only our domestic clients but also foreign companies entering the Japanese market, as well as Japanese clients expanding overseas. These efforts position ZeLo as a foundational pillar for economic activities, ultimately transforming us into an essential infrastructure for society as a whole. Our vision is to create a future where all businesses can focus on their core operations, with legal matters efficiently and seamlessly addressed through the robust infrastructure we are building.

Conclusion

As LegalTech continues to gain momentum in Japan, ZeLo’s mission is far from complete. The firm not only leads the industry but also aspires to become a foundational pillar for future economic activities. ZeLo's journey of innovation and progress will continue to push boundaries, shaping the future of legal services.