About Akiko
Akiko Yamada began her legal path in Tokyo and broadened it in New York. She earned an LL.B. from the University of Tokyo before heading to the United States to complete an LL.M. at New York University School of Law. Those two schools bookend the profile of a lawyer who splits professional time and expertise across two legal systems.
Her career spans law firms in both countries and a brief period in New York offices spread over the 2010s and early 2020s. In 2006 she worked at Nishimura & Asahi in Tokyo, an early posting that placed her inside one of Japan’s larger corporate environments. She moved to practice in New York later and held positions at a Law Office in 2014. By 2019 she joined William Schwitzer & Associates PC and then returned to another New York Law Office in 2021. In 2022 she founded Tigris Legal PLLC and remains the firm’s principal.
Yamada is admitted to practice in Japan and in New York. Her educational background and bi-jurisdictional licenses shape the kind of cases she takes and the clients she serves. She is a current member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and also holds membership in the American Bar Association. Those professional ties reflect continuing engagement with U.S. immigration law communities and broader bar activities.
Colleagues describe a practitioner who moves comfortably between two legal traditions. She has handled matters that require an understanding of Japanese corporate norms and U.S. regulatory frameworks. Her time in Tokyo law practice early in her career exposed her to large-firm processes, while her New York roles gave her hands-on experience in immigration-related and cross-border matters.
Founding Tigris Legal PLLC marked a shift from employee to entrepreneur. The firm’s creation in 2022 allowed her to set practice priorities and handle a caseload that often involves clients with ties to both Japan and the United States. She continues to combine transactional awareness with immigration know-how, advising individuals and businesses on matters that cross national lines.
She maintains active involvement in professional organizations and divides her practice between U.S. immigration and cross-border legal issues. Her current practice concentrates on immigration and cross-border matters.
