The 2023 New York Metro Super Lawyers magazine features a profile of Partner Matthew Draper's work in the Japanese parliament, and how that formative cross-cultural experience influences Matthew's work today as international arbitrator and counsel.
Super Lawyers has ranked Matthew as a top Alternative Dispute Resolution in New York City since 2018.
Before attending law school, Matthew served as an aide to Ms. Akiko Yamanaka, a member of the Japanese parliament (the Diet). Ms. Yamanaka was a member of the Diet's Foreign Affairs Committee. She hired Matthew as a speech and article writer and to conduct research.
Matthew explains to Super Lawyers how his experience in Japan has helped him in his career in international arbitration:
"Often, in Japan, I was in situations where I didn’t fully understand everything being said. And even if you think you can figure everything out based on the information in front of you, it’s often better to bide your time until you more fully understand what’s going on."
On one level, Draper’s current arbitration practice has ... everything to do with what he learned in Japan. In each step of the arbitration process, as more information becomes available, some arbitrators might be tempted to decide the issues early. “I try to wait to decide until I have everything in front of me,” he says.
Matthew is a leading US international arbitrator and counsel, based in New York. For more information about Matthew, click here.
