Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe’s international reach was felt in February, as the firm helped achieve refugee status in Japan for a pro bono client from Ethiopia. The matter was successfully handled by complex litigation lawyers in the firm’s Tokyo office and thanks to its involvement with the nonprofit organization, Japan Association for Refugees (JAR).
Fleeing persecution in Ethiopia, the client applied for refugee status while visiting Japan and gained official recognition by Japan’s Ministry of Justice under the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act.
The Japanese government recognizes very few people as refugees. According to Orrick information, only 28 out of 10,901 refugee applications were successful in 2016.