The first 30 minutes are at no charge.
Consultation slots
We hold two fixed slots each week for people outside Japan. These are actual times, not “flexible on request.”
| Japan time | Your local time | |
|---|---|---|
| Slot A | Thursday 9:00–11:00 JST | US West Coast Wed 17:00–19:00 · US East Coast Wed 20:00–22:00 · Hawaii Wed 14:00–16:00 |
| Slot B | Tuesday 17:00–19:00 JST | UK Tue 9:00–11:00 · Central Europe Tue 10:00–12:00 |
If you are in Japan, including Okinawa and US base communities, our regular hours are weekdays 9:00–17:00 JST.
Consultations are held on Zoom.
Before your consultation
The form below asks more than a contact form usually does. That is deliberate.
In a cross-border matter, the answer to “what are my rights” depends on facts that take time to establish — nationalities, where each of you habitually resides, where you married, whether either of you has started proceedings elsewhere. If we spend the first thirty minutes collecting those, we will not reach your actual question.
With the form completed in advance, we can usually tell you at the first consultation which country’s law applies and what the realistic range of outcomes is.
What happens after
If you decide to instruct us, here is the sequence — including the parts that take time.
1. Engagement letter
Signed electronically. A scanned signature or an electronic signature is fine. You do not need to post anything at this stage.
2. Identity verification
Japanese law and Bar Association rules require us to verify your identity before accepting instructions. We will tell you exactly which documents we need. For clients outside Japan this can normally be completed by scan.
3. Power of attorney for court proceedings
This one requires physical post, and you should plan for it.
If your matter goes to family court mediation or litigation, the court requires the original signed power of attorney when the application is filed. A scan will not do.
Allow two to three weeks for international post in each direction. If your matter is time-sensitive, tell us at the first consultation and we will start this step early.
4. Payment
The consultation fee is payable by credit card (VISA or Mastercard). The retainer and later fees are payable by bank transfer or credit card. Full details are on the fees page.
Send us your details
Contact
Childsupport Law Office / Childsupport Gyoseishoshi Office
Wakamatsu Building 7F, 3-3-6 Nihonbashi-Honcho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-0023, Japan
Tel: +81-50-6871-7273
Email: info@law-childsupport.com
Weekdays 9:00–17:00 JST (excluding Japanese public holidays)
Paying us
The first 30 minutes are at no charge.
Later consultations can be paid by credit card (Visa or Mastercard). The retainer and later fees are paid by bank transfer, and we hold receiving accounts in US dollars, Japanese yen, pounds sterling and euro — so from the United States this is a domestic ACH transfer at no cost to you, and from the UK or the eurozone an ordinary domestic or SEPA payment. You do not have to send an international wire. See Fees.
Transfer details are given on the invoice.
⚠️ We never send bank details by unprompted email, and we will never ask you to redirect a payment to a different account. If you receive a message that appears to do either, telephone us on +81 50-6871-7273 before acting on it.
Before you book: Before Your Consultation — the questions we ask you to answer beforehand, and why each one matters. If you are outside Japan, Instructing Us From Outside Japan sets out what can be done by email and what cannot.