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Legal Storyteller

@bohemianslaw.bsky.social

110 followers 79 following 760 posts

Lawyer / Univ. Lecturer / Writer in USA & Japan / Law Related Ed./ Inequality / Meritocracy/ Invisible Poverty in Japan & Beyond / Sharing Excerpts from #NovelBohemians 米国弁護士 / 大学教員 / ライター instagram.com/bohemianslaw

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Legal Storyteller @bohemianslaw.bsky.social · Jun 29

What is autonomy when #poverty decides for you?

Eagerly awaiting my publication exploring the myth of #meritocracy. My heartfelt thanks to the editorial staff.

#academicsky

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Legal Storyteller @bohemianslaw.bsky.social · 6h

From a dentist to a rock star. Diversity was far from a politically correct term in my law school community. It was a day-to-day reality. I fondly recall my former classmates, many of whom are now sharp-suited lawyers. (Forget about the heated arguments we engaged in!)

#academicsky #lawschool

Reposted by Legal Storyteller

Legal Storyteller @bohemianslaw.bsky.social · 21d

Invisible Poverty:

Not all ghosts are dead. Some are alive and walking Tokyo’s streets—unhoused, unseen, unheard.

#inequality #tokyo
#photography
#streetphotography

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Legal Storyteller @bohemianslaw.bsky.social · 14h

Cheering for America means cheering for MIT and Brown leading the way.

Defend academic freedom. Protect independent inquiry.

#academicsky #education
#university

The New York Times @nytimes.com · 18h

Breaking News: Brown University became the second college to reject a White House deal offering preferential treatment for federal grants.

Brown University Rejects White House Deal for Special Treatment

Brown was the second university to turn down the deal, which would have given a funding preference to universities that agreed to certain requirements.

nyti.ms

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Legal Storyteller @bohemianslaw.bsky.social · 14h

Is inequality the inescapable echo of human life or a harmony we might still retune?

(From my mock trial novel exploring meritocracy from a Japan-US perspective)

#academicsky #fairness
#writersky #education

Legal Storyteller @bohemianslaw.bsky.social · 22h

Harvard says legacy doesn’t matter. Funny how the dorms still look like high school reunions for Andover and Exeter.

Well, #UTokyo accepted nearly 200 students from Kaisei, an elite boys’ school, in just one year. No legacy admissions in Japan, they would hasten to add, though.

Legal Storyteller @bohemianslaw.bsky.social · 1d

Unearthing grace in the unassuming rhythm of a commonplace neighborhood.

#photography #japan
#blueskyartshow

Legal Storyteller @bohemianslaw.bsky.social · 1d

I turned the pandemic into momentum. Those were the days I charged ahead—joining online joint classes with 🇺🇸🇬🇧 universities, MIT among the unforgettable.
Remote learning often faces criticism in education, yet it’s a shame when its unique strengths are pushed to the margins.

#academicsky #education

Legal Storyteller @bohemianslaw.bsky.social · 1d

Law is more than rules—
a flag in flames,
a lone voice against the code,
a story written in human lives.

#lawyersky #academicsky
#writer #law

Reposted by Legal Storyteller

Legal Storyteller @bohemianslaw.bsky.social · May 4

Who gets to love Bach? “Bohemians” asks whether classical music belongs to everyone—or only those who can afford it—through the lives of Tokyo’s invisible poor.

#music #writersky #bach
#poverty

Legal Storyteller @bohemianslaw.bsky.social · 3d

Is This The World We Created?

It's an obscure piece that hardly ignites a lively discussion even among long-time Queen fans. A tender and reflective ballad. Its heartfelt lyrics convey an eloquent message depicting one of humanity's perennial and profound questions.

#queenmusic #music
#poverty

Legal Storyteller @bohemianslaw.bsky.social · 4d

Classical elegance? Hip-hop fire?

Doesn't matter.

Music travels when words can't, creating shared moments.

#writersky #music

Legal Storyteller @bohemianslaw.bsky.social · 4d

They wear secondhand designer dresses, work night shifts, sip espresso from vending machines. They blend in.

This is poverty rendered in modern camouflage: polished nails, polite smiles, and free Wi-Fi.

—Invisible poverty in Japan

#streetphotography #japan
#photography #inequality

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Legal Storyteller @bohemianslaw.bsky.social · 4d

Law School Days:

The classroom that trembled w/ our torts professor’s booming voice. The mock courtroom where we drilled again and again.

Even those days that once raged like a storm now shimmer the moment they are lifted into the light of memory.

#lawsky #lawschool
#academicsky

Legal Storyteller @bohemianslaw.bsky.social · 4d

Sometimes, I ask my students to select music of their choice to weave into a mini-mock trial project, which they then create and present.

#lawsky #academicsky

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Legal Storyteller @bohemianslaw.bsky.social · 4d

I use mock trials as a teaching tool, crafting scenarios accompanied by a background novel. In this process, I incorporate music-sometimes to infuse cultural or poetic narratives into the issues explored, and other times to inspire and captivate students through melody.

#lawsky #academicsky

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Legal Storyteller @bohemianslaw.bsky.social · 4d

Cheering for America means cheering for this: retire legacy admissions and quiet handshakes that clash with equal opportunity.

#academicsky

Spencer LaVere Smith @spencerlaveresmith.bsky.social · 5d

The MIT response is a quick read and well done. I highly recommend checking it out.

MIT does a lot of things right, and has for years.
E.g., standardized tests as a data point for admissions, no legacy admissions, clearly stated values, and standing on principles:
orgchart.mit.edu/letters/rega...

Regarding the Compact | MIT Organization Chart

orgchart.mit.edu

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Legal Storyteller @bohemianslaw.bsky.social · 4d

Osaka, Japan

#photography
#streetphotography

Legal Storyteller @bohemianslaw.bsky.social · 4d

Law doesn't live in textbooks—it breathes in the choices, regrets, and resilience of real lives.

#lawsky #academicsky

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Legal Storyteller @bohemianslaw.bsky.social · 4d

Shinjuku, Japan

#photography #japan
#streetphotography

Legal Storyteller @bohemianslaw.bsky.social · 5d

Kobe, Japan

#photography #japan
#blueskyartshow

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Legal Storyteller @bohemianslaw.bsky.social · 5d

Legacy Admissions:

Some students bring perfect SAT scores.
Others bring… their grandparents’ class rings.

#harvard #meritocracy

Legal Storyteller @bohemianslaw.bsky.social · 5d

No legacy admissions. Rooting for MIT, from across the Pacific --where I'm exploring the myth/ache of meritocracy in America, by focusing on Harvard's legacy admissions, from a U.S.-Japan comparative perspective. Talk about the American Dream.

#academicsky

Kathleen Clark @kathleenclark.bsky.social · 5d

Another impressive highlight from MIT’s response to the proposed “compact:”

“MIT has never had legacy preferences in admissions.”

Dear Madam Secretary,
I write in response to your letter of October 1, inviting MIT to review a "Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education." I acknowledge the vital importance of these matters.
I appreciated the chance to meet with you earlier this year to discuss the priorities we share for American higher education.
As we discussed, the Institute's mission of service to the nation directs us to advance knowledge, educate students and bring knowledge to bear on the world's great challenges.
We do that in line with a clear set of values, with excellence above all. Some practical examples:
• MIT prides itself on rewarding merit. Students, faculty and staff succeed here based on the strength of their talent, ideas and hard work. For instance, the Institute was the first to reinstate the SAT/ACT requirement after the pandemic. And MIT has never had legacy preferences in admissions.
• MIT opens its doors to the most talented students regardless of their family's finances. Admissions are need-blind. Incoming undergraduates whose families earn less than $200,000 a year pay no tuition. Nearly 88% of our last graduating class left MIT with no debt for their education. We make a wealth of free courses and low-cost certificates available to any American with an internet connection. Of the undergraduate degrees we award, 94% are in STEM fields. And in service to the nation, we cap enrollment of international undergraduates at roughly 10%.

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Legal Storyteller @bohemianslaw.bsky.social · 5d

MIT led the way. Now it’s up to all institutions and individuals to stand with them. Defend academic freedom. Protect independent inquiry.

#academicsky

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Legal Storyteller @bohemianslaw.bsky.social · 5d

History will remember the institutions that refused silence.

MIT’s stance was a lesson in intellectual integrity.

#academicsky

Kyle Griffin @kylegriffin1.bsky.social · 5d

Breaking: MIT just became the first university to reject an agreement that would trade support for the Trump admin's higher education agenda in exchange for favorable treatment.

"Fundamentally, the premise of the document is inconsistent with our core belief." www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/u...

M.I.T. Rejects a White House Offer for Special Funding Treatment

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Legal Storyteller

Legal Storyteller @bohemianslaw.bsky.social · Sep 12

Harvard's Legacy Admissions:
A handhake louder than any essay.

U. of Tokyo's Exam Gatekeeper:
Mother's rice balls, quieter than any lecture, fuel the fight.

Handshake or gatekeeper --both wear the mask of merit.

#legacyadmissions #legacy #academicsky #inequality
#japan #harvard #meritocracy

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