Five minutes with … Tsuyoshi Sueyoshi, Yuasa and Hara

Managing IP is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 1-2 Paris Gardens, London, SE1 8ND

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2025

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

Five minutes with … Tsuyoshi Sueyoshi, Yuasa and Hara

Tsuyoshi Sueyoshi.JPG

Each week Managing IP speaks to a different IP lawyer about their life and career

Welcome to the latest instalment of Managing IP’s ‘Five minutes with’ series, where we learn more about IP lawyers on a personal as well as a professional level. This time we have Tsuyoshi Sueyoshi, partner at Yuasa and Hara in Tokyo.

Someone asks you at a party what you do for a living. What do you say?

Academic mercenary (person for hire) or part-time staff officer in contentious matters or negotiations.

Talk us through a typical working day.

Attending one or more meetings with a client(s), drafting briefs for lawsuits and/or invalidation actions, preparing advice and opinions to questions to clients, searching for evidence, studying precedents and academic literature.

What are you working on at the moment?

Drafting a complaint. The deadline is approaching.

Does one big piece of work usually take priority or are you juggling multiple things?

I juggle multiple tasks until 5:30 pm before focusing on one big piece after 5:30 pm. During business hours, it is difficult to focus on one heavy task, because of interruptions.

What is the most exciting aspect of your role and what is the most stressful?

Winning in disputes, the conclusion or closing of agreements, and completing draft papers are among the most exciting.

Approaching deadlines is the most stressful.

Tell us the key characteristics that make a successful IP lawyer.

Interest and understanding in science and technology. Putting forward logical arguments.

What is the most common misconception about IP?

IP rights are fragile and artificial. Some people believe that once a patent is granted it is solid. However, when an opposing party finds buried but competent prior art, a patent can be invalidated.

What or who inspires you?

Questions from clients.

If you weren't an IP lawyer, what would you be doing?

I'd be a researcher or a scientist.

Any advice you would give your younger self?

Tomorrow is another day.

more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

Tim Gilman, who joined Kasowitz alongside three other partners, says he is excited to be part of the firm’s ‘elite’ litigation team
A backlash against a White House video promoting deportation and Casalonga opening a new office in Düsseldorf were also among the top talking points
The firm has brought on board two counsel and an associate to complement two previously revealed partner hires
Bradford Newman, who has joined the firm’s new Silicon Valley office as head of complex technology disputes, discusses plans to build the practice group and attract local talent
Managing IP summarises the highlights from the IP STARS rankings for copyright and IP transactions work, the final firm rankings release of the year
Developments included the first judgment from the Nordic Baltic division, an injunction covering the UK, and a new code of conduct
Alston & Bird acted for InterDigital, while Samsung was represented by Fish & Richardson, during the arbitration process
Powell Gilbert lawyers reveal how they navigated parallel EPO proceedings and collaborated with European peers to come out on top in the Nordic-Baltic Division’s first judgment
The firms posted increases in revenue and profit per equity partner, with both giving a nod to their IP expertise
EasyGroup, the owner of the easyJet airline, said in a press release that UK-based first-instance judges are “less experienced”, bringing a long-running debate back to the fore
Gift this article