Ayano Ichida, Chief Legal Counsel, Aderans America Holdings, Inc.
Where do you work, and what is your role?
I work at Electro Rent. We help innovators around the world access the test and measurement equipment they need without having to own it. In my role as SVP General Counsel, I oversee our global HR, Legal, and Trade Compliance teams.
What do you love about being an in-house attorney?
I'm a compulsively helpful person, and I'm passionate about process, so I really thrive in an environment where I can help people build better systems to avoid problems, and not just react to problems once they've already developed.
What resources do you consult or use to stay current regarding the legal matters you work on?
ACC resources, as well as blogs like Radical Compliance, are great. For the last year or so, I've also been using ChatGPT to create regular news digests about topics of interest to me. Like any generative AI tool, it requires careful review and judgment, but it's become a useful starting point.
If you were not a lawyer, what career would you choose?
I really love serving on and advising nonprofit boards. I would probably find something related to that.
Why did you join ACC, and what do you like the most about being an ACC SoCal Member?
Tina McKnight, my mentor and former ACC SoCal board member, encouraged me to join. The resources and events are great, but I also just really like hanging out with other lawyers and learning about what they do.
What is your favorite ACC event and why?
I love a walk-and-talk, so any kind of hike. Last year's Griffith Park hike was particularly fun!
What is the best career advice you have received?
Find out which parts of your boss's job they don't like to do, and then get good at those things.
When you aren’t practicing law, what are you doing?
My husband and I love to grow and cook our own food. Right now, we have potatoes, broccoli, oranges, limes, lemons, fennel, and tons of leaf lettuce in the garden.
Do you have a favorite quote or motto?
"Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present." -Marcus Aurelius
If you could have dinner with one person from any point in history, who would you choose and why?
Abraham Lincoln seems like a pretty good hang. He'd probably have some quality advice for the lawyers of today. Also, I think people tend to forget that he had a wicked sense of humor.
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