TODD K. MASUDA

I have been serving privately held and nonprofit companies on transactional, commercial, and employment law matters since 2007. My clients have been everywhere in the business lifecycle — in formation, in expansion stages, in crisis events, and in transition and exit mode.

At this point, “outside general counsel” describes my practice pretty well. It basically means that clients call me with general concerns and I prioritize and handle their legal issues. In addition to representing companies, I counsel physicians and executives in employment and severance matters.

My working style is pretty plainspoken and analytical. Formalizing business relationships is the core of my work as a lawyer, usually involving negotiated contracts or unilateral policies. I want to understand how a client approaches its relationships — as buyer or seller or employer or partner, and so on — so we can lock in the right terms in the right places. I secretly believe that when we are able to see things as they really are, legal solutions will present themselves. The best result is when my client says, this totally makes sense.

Part of my job is knowing what I don’t do. To make sure my client issues are addressed comprehensively and expertly, I regularly collaborate with or make referrals to a network of sophisticated lawyers and other advisors and professionals.

I started Masuda Law in late 2020 after practicing in well-regarded Cleveland law firms. I received a JD with honors from CWRU Law School in 2007, and am licensed in Ohio. Before law school I was an artist who had moved to Cleveland from the City of New York; before that I was raised in Hawaii, California, and Japan. These days I live with my artist spouse and our complex teen in the leafy suburb of Cleveland Heights. For fun I like to play electric guitar in the free jazz style, explore the city by bicycle, take pictures, and read books.