Sugimoto Iwao

Mr. Iwao Sugimoto

Written by: Tahoma

Getting picked up by the cops is a teious inevitability in this line of work. Don't lie, we've all been there: You think you've pulled off your plan without a hitch and nobody the wiser, but some police-detective or good samaritan finds enough circumstantial evidence to put you near the crime-scene, and before you know it there's a Lone Star mook knocking on your hideout who just wants to ask a few questions. If you haven't had this happen yet, just give it time, but when the ball finally drops, don't go popping your Kamikaze for a last-stand just yet. Plenty of people have gotten snatched for questioning and walked out free with their dignity intact. Soon as they start asking questions, just say these magic words:
"I want to see my lawyer."
Lone Star aren't above sweating people without their attorneys present if they can get away with it, but as soon as your lawyer arrives they'll suddenly start to care about your rights a whole lot more than before. So get yourself a lawyer whose ethics are negotiable, like our guy Sugimoto for example.
Iwao Sugimoto's one of Raleigh's more popular semi-freelance criminal and civil-litigation lawyer, specialising in exactly the kind of protection folks like you or me need if the worst happens. Not only is the guy competant, but he's also one of the more image-conscious types of lawyer: He's aggressive when it comes to setting boundaries in the interrogation-room, but on the occasion things proceed to court, he plays the facade of a polite and upbeat salaryman to its fullest potential, which is evidentally something Raleigh's judicial systems like to see when you consider his win/loss record. Well, that and his 'connections'...
Friendly word of advice: Iwao's a godsend when you need him, but like any good lawyer he's in it for the money and little else. If you can't afford him and aren't willing to take a loan from one of his friends, don't expect him to do the case pro-bono 'cause you're cute. That said, a few favors here and there might change things...

Physical Description

General Physical Condition

Iwao's got a good bit of chrome underneath his handsome face, but surprisingly, none of it's what you'd expect for a lawyer. No tailored pheremones or anything like that, but he's got a pair of cybernetic eyes and ears, and he's allegedly got himself some Orthoskin and Reflex-Enhancement hardware. Maybe he's got more trouble than he's letting on? Gotta get our data-savant on him...

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Don't let the name give you the wrong idea: Iwao's a native Raleighite, and was actually born Lionel Wilkins to parents Thomas and Mayoko Wilkins, both full citizens of Ares Macrotechnology and both cogs in the megacorporation's legal-machine. Little Lionel was gonna be their greatest gift to the powers that be in Ares: A second-generation lawyer, a kid brought up in an enviroment of learning and culture, all with the express goal of making him a feared and respected implement of destruction in any legal-team. Unfortunately, Lionel had different plans than what his parents wanted, and for a good chunk of his childhood he rebelled against being reared as the ultimate lawyer in every way he could, including petty-crime and vandalism.

Ares actually went pretty easy on the kid at the time, if my sources are to be believed. Not because his parents were lawyers, but because kids like that can make for good security.

— Wolfmother

And what sources are those?

— Anonymous poster

Any recruiter, when you booze them up enough..

— Wolfmother

Lionel eventually grew up and out of this phase and submitted to the will of his parents, finding a new passion in law after being dragged by the collar into criminal procedings. Unfortunately, his actual chances were already dashed: Turns out, even if you've got a sudden passion for the law, that's not gonna mean squat when you've got a criminal-record and a history of being a rebellious little punk. But little Lionel persevered anyway, even if his chances at rising above mail-duty were as unlikelyt as an elf with an earjob.
After his belated graduation from law-school however, it turned out Lionel had a plan after all: He was gonna freelance! Well, not really freelance, since he'd still be paying his dues to the corp, but the spirit's sort of there, right? Lionel got some strings pulled by his parents to get a little office above one of the Ares-owned properties, and repaid that kindness by getting a legal name-change. See, Lionel knew that if he tried to get a career in Ares under his current name, all any employer would have to do is type 'Lionel Wilkins' into their preferred search-engine and get a dozen links to the aftermath of some inane stunt or defacement of public property. But if he practiced law independantly under a different name, one more marketable, he wouldn't have to worry about getting doxxed and scaring off potential clients. And so, the office of Sugimoto: Civil and Criminal Attorney, opened above a dentistry in east Raleigh under the ownership of the new arrival, Iwao Sugimoto.
Now Iwao himself swears up and down that when he started doing law, he was gonna be one of the 'good guy' lawyers. The kind that stands up for the little guy against big businesses, takes cases pro-bono when the client's struggling financially, and avoids anything that would besmirch his good name as an honest attorney. Predictably, this lasted for all of a couple of years before he was on the verge of bankruptcy, and it was a shock that it even lasted that far. Iwao had to start bringing in money, and he had to do it himself, what with his parents not taking his legal name-change very well. And just then, Iwao got a miracle...
He got kidnapped.
Well, not intentionally. Iwao was sitting in his soon-to-be-sold luxury Sedan when an Elf opened the passenger door, sat in the passenger-seat and after a few seconds of confused silence screamed at Iwao to drive, which he politely complied to, upon seeing the gigantic Predator IV pointed at his midsection. Turns out the Elf was a Shadowrunner calling himself Ozone , and a lousy one at that, who bailed on his first milk-run out of anxiety. Turned out to be (almost) the right choice considering the rest of the team got demolished by corpsec, but he was still lingering on the site long enough that some beat-cops approached him for some unfriendly questions about the ruckus inside before he took off in panic. Iwao got about two intersections out before sirens lit up around him, and the two were brought into the station.
Now for a second, Iwao thought he was a dead man. He didn't like his chances of talking his way out, but got the (incorrect) feeling that if he sold out his new friend, he'd have an even worse time of things in the long-term, so he sucked it up and did the only thing he could do in that situation: He claimed to be Ozone's attorney. I've been told that the language used was far harsher, but the general gist of what he said was that his 'client' was just hanging outside minding his own business, when he heard the sounds of shooting (mostly his friends gettiing shot) and made the reasonable decision to run in fear for his life. The gun was just him practicing his constitutional rights, honest!
Through some miracle chicanery, not only did Iwao get out with his life but managed to bring his client out with him, and not a single charge to show for it. Once they were out of earshot, Ozone thanked the shaken attorney. In part by handing him a credstick full of nuyen he was saving for the possibility of living 'off the grid', but also by saying he's gonna tell what's left of his friends about the guy, so he gets more businessness. He obviously meant well, but for Iwao, who was too polite to turn it down, this recommendation was gonna set the tone for his legal career from that point on.

So what happened to Ozone? Can't say I'm familiar with that monicker in these parts.

— Redhat

Shot by a friend of the crew he ditched that actually survived. Not out of vengence, or even knowing that it was Ozone. Guy's Kamikaze was tainted and in his bad trip he happened to put a bullet in the brainpan of Ozone, who was brought along as part of a run's B-team. Can't say he deserved better, really.

— Mosh-Pit

Iwao was understandably not happy about representing obviously criminal clients, but as it turns out being a crooked attorney was an acquired taste, especially when garnished with a healthy paycheck. Thanks to the connections he was making, Iwao's name became more associated with the civil-legislation side of his business and gave his reputation a bright and friendly gleam, all while his clientelle shifted further to the less ethical and higher-paying demographics of the city. These days, his rep's a little more honest and open but Iwao doesn't seem to care much, and neither does Ares, who are happy to take their cut of his profits and not ask too many questions. Gotta love an unlikely success-story, eh chummer?

Education

Thanks to good old-fashioned nepotism, Iwao's got a pretty beefy amount of certification under his belt, including degrees from the Ares-McCanthy School of Law.

Employment

Currently a full-time criminal/civil-legislation Lawyer, but worked eight months as a mailroom-clerk for the O'Lenny & Juarez law-firm.

Personality Characteristics

Savvies & Ineptitudes

Say what you will about Sugimoto, he's got a mouth and he knows how to use it. Guy's a natural wordsmith, able to spin together a compelling argument and adapt it to recent revelations without breaking pace, and using his very long list of favors to get as many colaborators into the plan as he needs. Of course, he's also kind of an impulsive guy with little patience for long-term planning, so sometimes he tends to get bit in the behind on the long consequences, hence the need for deniable assets like us to help him out.

Metatype

Human

Ethnicity

Japanese

Alignment

Lawful Evil

Current Location

Raleigh, North Carolina

Year of Birth

2038 42 Years old

Pronouns

He/Him

Eyes

Brown, Prosthetic

Hair

Black, Neatly-Cut

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Tanned

Height

5'7''

Weight

154 lb.

Known Languages

English, Japanese, Spanish and a little bit of German.

Connection Rating

5