CLOC Member Spotlight: Takashi Suzuki

The CLOC Member Spotlight series profiles the incredible individuals within our community who are driving transformation in legal ops. Each spotlight provides inspiration, fosters connections, and gives readers a chance to learn more about their peers. By sharing these stories, we celebrate the diverse voices and talents that make CLOC a vibrant and connected community.

July 2025 Member Spotlight: Takashi Suzuki

Takashi Suzuki is the Deputy Head of the STC Office, Legal Department with Mitsubishi. He serves as a regional co-lead for CLOC Japan. Keep reading to learn more about Takashi.

About me:

I started my career at a Japanese law firm in 2005 and joined my current company in 2016. I stayed in Silicon Valley for 6 months in 2018  – and during that time, joined the CLOC Community. I am working as both an inhouse counsel and leading legal operations.

Why I love being a CLOC member:

Since I joined in 2018, CLOC has been always providing valuable guidance for my journey in legal operations. As I thought such valuable guidance needed to be shared with colleagues in Japan, I led the development of the Japan regional group, together with my co-lead Maki Kadonaga, in 2021, and we have been actively discussing and amplifying legal operations in Japan. Our discussions are compiled in our book “Legal Operations in Japan” published in March 2024.

My advice for other legal ops professionals:

In today’s fast-changing world, every company must pursue innovation. To drive innovation, the legal function needs to support it as well. In order to deliver legal services that enable innovation, the legal function itself must become innovative. Legal operations makes innovation within the legal function possible. That’s why legal operations can play a key role in supporting a company’s strategy and driving innovation.

A fun fact about me:

Sometimes at work, it takes time to get used to new ways of doing things or to start using tools like Generative AI — and some people even resist it. Staying ahead of change and being innovative all the time is tough. But when I watch my 7- and 5-year-old sons, they’re chatting with ChatGPT and having fun creating new images from their own photos. Maybe the secret to staying innovative is just enjoying new things and keeping that playful mindset.

CLOC Member Spotlights provide an opportunity to showcase members within our community who are making a difference in their organizations, in their CLOC groups, within the CLOC community and/or the industry as a whole. Do you know of a really cool thing a CLOC member is doing? We invite you to nominate a member of the CLOC Community for a future feature in the CLOC Member Spotlights Series.