Opening Up Shop in Little Tokyo

Transcripts available in the following languages:

I felt very connected to Little Tokyo. I had been going there all my life, I had spent time working there. And so I rented space in Little Tokyo, and opened up my practice, I sent out announcements to all my parents’ friends and all my grandparents’ friends. And then I waited for people to come. And, you know, I was able to make a living doing that. It seems incredible at this point, people just don’t do those kinds of things anymore, but a lot of—there were a lot of people in small private practices in 1970 when I started. There were, you know, there were a handful of Japanese American lawyers—a few in the South Bay, mostly in Little Tokyo. There was a firm in the Crenshaw area, but they moved to Little Tokyo as well. So, there was this little community. Everyone knew each other, and so many people (other lawyers) gave me work. You know, they just gave me cases—probably things that they didn’t want to do—but I was able to start a practice and make a living doing that.

Date: July 10, 2012
Location: California, US
Interviewer: Lawrence Lan
Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum; Japanese American Bar Association

community law little tokyo

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