Su I-Hsiu

Kuroda Law Offices (Taiwan) Partner
Attorney at Law Admitted in Taiwan

Despite obtaining the bachelor and master degrees of law from Taiwan’s best educational institution, National Taiwan University, Mr. Su decided not to follow the steps of most law school graduates and became an investigation agent of the Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Justice, where he tracked suspects, expanded his network of informants and carried out other relevant dangerous and sensitive tasks. Several years later, Mr. Su became a prosecutor in the Banciao District Prosecutors Office. This post exposed Mr. Su to the Office’s different important departments, including the investigation division, the cross-examination division and the division for execution of verdicts. Mr. Su firmly believes that lawyers should not only provide their clients with professional knowledge, but should also be empathetic and put themselves in their clients’ shoes, and thus win their clients’ trust.

Major matters handled

  •  Merger and acquisition
    Mr. Su advised and represented a Japanese listed company in its acquisition of shares in a Taiwanese company and provided support, including drafting the share transfer agreement, negotiating with the Taiwanese company and applying to Taiwanese authorities for necessary permits and approvals.
  • Criminal and civil matters relating to breaches of trust and document forgery
    When the Taiwanese general manager of a Taiwanese subsidiary of the Japanese listed company committed breaches of trust and forged documents, Mr. Su acted as attorney for the Japanese company in the criminal prosecution and the civil claim for unjust enrichment, and succeeded in obtaining winning decisions in both the criminal and the civil matters.
  • Dispute over breaches of contract
    In response to breaches of contract by a Taiwanese company with which our client, a Japanese listed company, conducts business in Taiwan, Mr. Su represented the client and caused the Taiwanese company to cease the breaching acts by filing for injunctions with the court and negotiations.
  • Custody dispute
    In a custody dispute between a Japanese man and his Taiwanese ex-wife, Mr. Su negotiated with the ex-wife on behalf of the man and convinced her to withdraw her claims for the handover of their child and for a prohibition against the child leaving the country.
  • Dispute over default on debts
    In response to defaults on debts by a Taiwanese company with which our client, a Japanese company, conducts business in Taiwan, Mr. Su acted for the client and obtained a decision in the client’s favor, which he then compulsorily executed.
  • Response to investigations by Taiwanese authorities
    When the Taiwanese representative office of a major Japanese company came under suspicion of illegal activities through investigations by Taiwanese authorities, Mr. Su invested relevant laws and precedents, discussed the matter with the authorities and convinced them to cease further investigations and punitive measures.
  • Support of business advancement into Taiwan
    Mr. Su provided various support, including consulting on procedures for incorporation of a company and drafting articles of incorporation, employment regulations and employment contracts, when a major Japanese company incorporated a subsidiary in Taiwan.
  • OEM and ODM transactions
    Mr. Su advised and represented a Japanese listed company in its OEM and ODM transactions with a Taiwanese listed company, and provided a range of support, including drafting the master transaction agreement and negotiating with the Taiwanese company.

    • Traffic accident involving a Japanese person in Taiwan
      During a holiday in Taiwan, a Japanese person was hit and injured by a bus that was breaking the road rules. As counsel for the injured person, Mr. Su filed a criminal suit against the driver who caused the accident and filed an ancillary civil suit against the driver and the passenger transport company that employed the driver to claim damages. Ultimately, Mr. Su succeeded in obtaining a damages payout for the victim.
    • Various law-related seminars for companies
      Mr. Su develops education and training curricula based on each individual company’s needs to present to the company’s management or employees. As of January 2017, Mr. Su has given dozens of legal seminars on corporate law, fair trading law, labor standards law, trade secret law, debt collection, credit management, contract drafting, bribery prevention, intellectual property and other topics to many Japanese and Taiwanese companies.
    • Review and amendment of website terms for Internet-related companies
      In recent years, increasing numbers of Japanese Internet-related companies have branched out into the Taiwanese market and are developing enterprises there, including dating and matchmaking sites, online games, online restaurant reservations, and online sales of movies and photographs. The website terms that these companies use in Japan may not necessarily conform to regulations under Taiwanese law, so Mr. Su reviews the Japanese terms, taking account of the client’s interests, and amends them to produce Japanese and Chinese versions that confirm to Taiwan’s laws.
    • Handling malicious customer complaints for clients
      Companies that operate restaurants or sell food in Taiwan often encounter malicious consumers who demand compensation on unreasonable grounds, such as extraneous objects that were supposedly contaminating their food. In such a case, Mr. Su negotiated with the consumer over many occasions on behalf of the client, taking the client’s interests into account, and resolved the matter peacefully in a manner satisfactory for the client.
    • Criminal defense of a Japanese person
      After leaving a company, a Japanese person established his own company, which conducted operations similar to that of his former company. Following the establishment of the new company, the former company’s performance declined sharply. The former company brought a criminal action in breach of trust, infringement of trade secrets and other crimes against the Japanese person, alleging that he had improperly headhunted the former company’s employees and stolen and used its confidential materials. Mr. Su acted as the Japanese person’s lawyer and succeeded in having the case dropped, which was a complete victory for the client.

Professional Career

  • Japanese translator, Sharp Point Publishing Company, Taipei, 1994–1998
  • Investigation agent, Investigation Bureau, Ministry of Justice, Taipei, 2001–2005
  • Intern judge/prosecutor, National Judge/Prosecutor Training Institute, Taipei, 2005–2007
  • Prosecutor, Banciao District Prosecutors Office, Taipei, 2007–2011
  • Taiwanese attorney at law, Kuroda Law Offices (Taiwan), Taipei, 2011–present
  • Partner since March 1, 2018

Education

  • National Taiwan University, Department of Financial Law, Bachelor of Laws, 1996
  • National Taiwan University, Department of Criminal Law, Master of Laws, 2003

Qualifications

  • Passed the Examination of Investigation Bureau Agents, Taiwan, 2000
  • Passed the National Bar Examination of Taiwan, 2004
  • Passed the Examination of Judges and Prosecutors, Taiwan, 2004
  • Intellectual Property Office, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Patent Attorney, 2005
  • Completed the Intellectual Property Professional Course conducted by the Intellectual Property Office, Ministry of Economic Affairs, 2010
  • Registered with the Taipei Bar Association, 2011 (not admitted in Japan)

Languages

  • English, Japanese, Taiwanese and Chinese

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