October 1, 2026
Sumikawa Law Office
Introduction
Our mission is to provide sincere, high-quality legal services to our clients and to everyone who deals with our office. We value the opinions and requests we receive and treat them as opportunities to improve our services.
However, a small number of people have made unreasonable or excessive demands of our attorneys and staff (collectively, “our staff”), or have engaged in abusive language, intimidation, threats and similar conduct that denies their dignity. Such conduct not only harms our staff but may also disrupt the handling of other clients’ matters.
We have therefore adopted this Basic Policy to ensure that our staff’s rights are respected, that they can work safely and with focus, and that we can continue to provide proper legal services to all of our clients.
Definition and Scope
Based on the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s Customer Harassment Countermeasures Manual for Companies (February 2022), we define customer harassment as complaints or conduct directed at our office in which the means or manner used to pursue a demand is socially inappropriate in light of the validity of the demand, and which harms the working environment of our staff.
This Policy applies to conduct by the following persons:
- Clients, including their family members and associates
- Persons who book or receive legal consultations
- Opposing parties in matters we handle, and their associates
- Anyone else who contacts our office in person, by telephone, email, letter, social media or otherwise
Asking questions or expressing opinions or dissatisfaction about case strategy, progress or fees is a legitimate right and is not covered by this Policy. We assess each situation in light of both the substance of the demand and the means and manner in which it is made.
Examples of Covered Conduct
The following are examples only and are not exhaustive. Any unlawful use of physical force against a person constitutes a crime such as assault or bodily injury, whatever the reason. Conduct short of physical force may, depending on its nature and degree, constitute crimes such as intimidation, extortion, coercion, defamation, insult or forcible obstruction of business, and may also be a tort giving rise to a claim for damages.
1. Demands lacking validity
- Demands that we handle a matter by unlawful means or means not permitted for attorneys, such as fabricating or destroying evidence, making false assertions, or intimidating the opposing party
- Demands that we guarantee success or a particular outcome
- Demands that we perform work outside the scope of the engagement agreement without amending the agreement or paying additional fees
- Groundless demands to reduce or refund agreed fees or costs
- Improper demands by an opposing party on our office as counsel for our client, such as demands to disclose client confidences or to act as an intermediary in negotiations with our client
- Other demands on matters we cannot handle, or excessive demands that depart from established procedures
2. Socially inappropriate means or manner of pursuing a demand
- Violence or injury, such as grabbing a person, pulling clothing or throwing objects
- Intimidation such as shouting, striking desks or kicking, and other overbearing conduct
- Remarks that deny staff members’ dignity, discriminatory or sexual remarks, and slander
- Threats to give recordings or footage of our exchanges to the media or to post them online
- Publishing staff members’ names, photographs or other personal information online or elsewhere
- Suggesting ties to organized crime or other anti-social forces
- Announcing an intention to file a disciplinary complaint or criminal complaint, knowing it to be groundless, in order to force a demand
- Repeatedly demanding the same explanation or apology, or repeating the same conduct within a single visit or call
- Excessively long calls or meetings, refusing to leave, or staying on the premises
- Persistent visits or calls (including silent calls), or sending large volumes of emails or letters
- Insisting on contact outside business hours or through staff members’ personal phones or social media
- Approaching staff members’ homes or private lives, stalking and other harassment
- Any other unlawful or improper conduct that causes staff mental distress
Our Response
If we determine that customer harassment has occurred, we will end the interaction and ask the person to leave our office. If our staff cannot safely handle the situation, we will promptly contact the police or the building management or security company.
Consultations and new engagements
We may end a consultation and decline future consultations or engagements.
Ongoing matters
If a client’s conduct destroys the relationship of trust and we judge that it cannot be restored, we will explain this to the client and, in accordance with the Basic Rules on the Duties of Practicing Attorneys, withdraw from the matter (terminate the engagement) or take other appropriate measures. When withdrawing, we will take care that the client’s rights are not unduly prejudiced, including by attending to deadlines and the transfer of case files.
Conduct by opposing parties
For conduct by opposing parties and their associates, we will limit communication to writing, restrict meetings and telephone contact, and where necessary send a warning letter, consult the bar association or take other legal action.
Restrictions on contact
We may refuse further visits, calls or emails, or limit communication to writing only.
Legal action
We will respond firmly to conduct that may constitute a crime, including by immediately reporting it to the police and filing a damage report or criminal complaint. We will deal strictly with conduct that constitutes a tort, including by claiming damages and seeking provisional injunctions prohibiting approach or telephone contact. If we find that a staff member’s name or other personal information has been posted online, we will request its removal, seek disclosure of the poster’s identifying information and take other legal action.
Protecting Our Staff
To protect our staff from customer harassment, we take the following measures:
- Incidents are handled by the office as an organization, through the responsible attorney or the managing attorney, rather than being left to individual staff members.
- We maintain a point of contact where staff can seek advice and report incidents, and no staff member will be treated unfavorably for doing so.
- We attend to the physical and mental wellbeing of affected staff.
- To establish the facts and ensure a proper response, we keep records of calls and meetings and may record them where necessary.
- When reporting to the police or taking legal action, we take full care to protect client confidentiality.
Legitimate Opinions and Concerns
If you are dissatisfied with how your matter is being handled or with our fees, please first raise it with the responsible attorney or the managing attorney. If the issue cannot be resolved within our office, you may also use the dispute mediation service or public inquiry desk of the bar association to which we belong. We will respond in good faith to all legitimate opinions.