Javier Alatorre is from Mexico. He is a 2001 graduate of the Universidad Panamericana who has established his own law firm in Mexico City; many of his clients are US corporations with interests in Mexico, or Mexican corporations with interests in the US. He also teaches at the Universidad's high school. He wants to improve his understanding of the US legal system.

Chie Hashimoto is from Japan. She is a 1995 graduate of Dokkyo University with a specialty in civil law. She has studied Persian as well as English, and she worked for trading companies in Japan for about ten years after she graduated. After the LL.M. Program, Ms. Hashimoto would like to work as a manager of the legal division of an international company.

Kayo Loveless is working for Law Office of Carmen DiAmore-Siah as a legal assistant in Honolulu, Hawaii. The office handles mainly immigration matters, and also family law, such as divorce and adoption cases. Over the last two years, Kayo has dealt with various immigrant/nonimmigrant visa applications, and hopes to specialize in immigration law. She also wants to gain a broader knowledge of American legal systems and international law in law school. She earned her LL.B, and LL.M, from Nanzan University in Nagoya, Japan, in 1999 and 2001. Kayo will continue to work in the field of immigration law after receiving her LL.M, or continue studying in the field of international law.

Konul Rashidova is from Azerbaijan. She is a 2003 graduate of Baku State University, with a major in international law. She speaks English and Russian in addition to Azeri. She would like to focus on business and commercial law, which are much needed in Azerbaijan. On her return she wants to teach and to work to promote general legal education. She was awarded a Japan-ADB grant administered by the EWC--our first student funded under this program!

Sylvia Sweaney is from Peru. She graduated from the Catholic University in Lima, where she worked part-time in different firms and after graduation she was a junior partner in a firm specializing in corporations and taxation. Since coming to the US, she has engaged in a variety of entrepreneurial activities, including a helicopter tour company. Now she is eager to return to the legal industry and is especially interested in elder law.

Natalia Williams is a 2004 Phi Beta Kappa alumnus of the University of Hawai'i at Manoa with a B.A. degree in French. In 1999, she earned her Diploma in Law with Honors from the Industrial College in St. Petersburg, Russia, with a major in Jurisprudence and specialization in Civil and Labor Law. She was qualified to practice law in Russia the year of graduation. Ms. Williams has speaking, writing, and reading abilities in Russian, French, and Arabic. Natalia's objective after receiving her LL.M. degree is to transfer to the J.D. Program.

THAILAND

Aphirak Bamrungruan earned his LL.B. from Thammasat University in Bangkok, Thailand in 1999. He worked as a Legal Officer for the Civil Court of Southern Bangkok and passed the Thai bar examination in 2000. He then attended Honolulu Community College and Kapiolani Community College to prepare for the LL.M. Program. After earning his LL.M., Aphirak seeks to work in the judiciary and eventually become a judge in Thailand.

JAPAN

Yoshinori Ebara is a fifth year associate at Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu, one of the largest law firms in Japan, with about 190 lawyers. The firm covers a wide range of international and domestic cases in business law, including M&A, corporate governance, tax and intellectual property, international finance, banking, securities, structured finance, securitization and insurance, litigation and trade disputes. Mr. Ebara has been involved in a wide variety of legal fields, but mainly has handled dispute resolution cases including litigation. He earned his LL.B. from the University of Tokyo in 1998 and was qualified to practice law in Japan in 2000. After receiving his LL.M., Mr. Ebara seeks to join a litigation law firm in the United States.

Sachi Kitada earned her bachelor's degree in law from Kanzawa University and is taking leave from her Master's degree in law from the same institution. She is particularly interested in constitutional law and human rights. After receiving her LL.M. degree, she plans to go back to Japan to complete her Master's degree. Then, she plans to would like to work at a law firm or company.

Chiho Maeda earned her bachelor's degree in law from Seikei University in Tokyo, Japan. She is very interested in comparative criminal justice between Japan and the U.S. After earning her LL.M. Chiho seeks to work as a lawyer in Japan.

Toshikazu Sakai is a fifth year associate at Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu, where he handled securitization transactions, corporate law, intellectual property, information disclosure law, environmental law and public servant law. For the past year, he was on loan to The Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi, one of the largest banks in Japan, where he worked in the Compliance Group of the Retail Banking Department. He earned his LL.B from the Yokohama National University (YNU) in 1996. He also earned a graduate degree from the School of International Relations and Economics at YNU. After receiving his LL.M., Mr. Sakai seeks to gain practical training at a corporate law firm or banking institution in the U.S.

CHINA

Liu Yang earned her bachelor's degree in law from Hunan Normal University. She is also in the process of earning a Master of Law degree from Xiang Tan University. She worked for five years as a trial clerk at The People's Court of Tainxin District of Hunan Province, where she was awarded the Best Employee Award for her outstanding performance in a high-profile case. She dealt with 137 executive cases and assisted the judge with over 1100 significant economic and criminal cases. Upon earning her LL.M. Degree, she aspires to become a judge in China.