June 4, 2003
Temple University, Japan Campus (TUJ) and Temple University’s Beasley School of Law are pleased to announce the appointment of Matthew J. Wilson as director of the Temple University Law Program in Japan, effective July 1. Professor Wilson takes over for Lawrence Repeta, who is leaving TUJ to further his academic research at the National Security Archive in Washington, D.C., through an Abe Fellowship.
Professor Wilson comes to TUJ from his private international law practice as an attorney at Akerman Senterfitt P.A., a full-service, Florida-based law firm, and as the former general counsel for Advanced Telecommunication Network, Inc., a New Jersey corporation. He is licensed to practice law in Florida and New Jersey. As legal counsel to domestic and multinational corporations, Professor Wilson’s legal activities have encompassed commercial litigation, intellectual property, transnational law, and corporate transactions.
For Professor Wilson, the appointment to TUJ is a homecoming of sorts. He earned his Juris doctorate degree from Temple University in 1999, including spending a semester at the Temple University Law Program in Japan in 1997. During his law studies, Professor Wilson took an extended leave of absence to participate in a complex, multimillion-dollar lawsuit in Saipan between two Japanese companies.
Professor Wilson will provide TUJ law students from Japan, the United States, and other countries with valuable insights into the theory and practice of international law, comparative legal systems, and the extraterritorial application of U.S. law. Speaking for TUJ, Dean Kirk Patterson says, “We are delighted that Professor Wilson will be joining TUJ. As a Temple alumnus and a participant in the TUJ law program, he is especially well qualified to represent the Temple University Law School Program in Japan. And his extensive experience working in Japan will be a great asset as he further raises the profile of our law program and develops corporate legal training and other nondegree programs.”
Prior to pursuing his law degree, Professor Wilson lived in Japan for five years, during which time he worked for Yokogawa Electronics and Sony Corp. He also has extensive experience as a legal and technical translator and in operating his own import-export company. Professor Wilson is proficient in speaking, reading, and writing Japanese.