COMMUNITY

Legal Organizations

Edwin served as the Chair of the Magistrate Merit Selection Committee for the Northern District of California in 2011. He also served as Co-Chair for the District’s Lawyer Representative Committee to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. He was also a member of the Judiciary Committee for the Bar Association of San Francisco (BASF).

Edwin served as President of both the Asian/Pacific Bar of California (ABC), a voice for Asian American bar associations in the state, as well as President for the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area (AABA). As ABC President, he led the organization in its support of the confirmation of several highly qualified Asian American candidates for the federal bench. As AABA President, Edwin spearheaded many new events, greater visibility and membership, a directed strategic planning effort, and the hiring of the organization’s first Operations Director. He also championed efforts aimed at increasing the number of Asian Americans attending law school and lobbied for the appointment of a more diverse judiciary.

Edwin is also a former member of the Board of Directors for BASF. While in that capacity, he was instrumental in organizing Tsunami relief efforts that totaled over $1,000,000 in law firm donations and played an essential role in the creation, funding, and hiring of BASF’s first ever Diversity Coordinator. Edwin is proud to be involved in the Robert M. Takasugi Public Interest Fellowship, an entity that has provided over $100,000 in monetary awards through the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association Law Foundation to public interest minded law students.

CALIFORNIA COMMISSION ON ACCESS TO JUSTICE

Appointed by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in April 2009, 2009-11

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

Chairperson, Magistrate Judge Merit Selection Committee, 2011
Chairperson, Lawyer Representative Committee for the Northern District of California to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, 2010-11
Court Criminal Rules Committee Member, 2011-13
Criminal Justice Act Panel Member, 2009 to present
Lawyer Representative for the Northern District of California to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, 2008-10

BAR ASSOCIATION OF SAN FRANCISCO (BASF)

Judiciary Committee, 2009-11
Board of Directors, 2005-06
Diversity Taskforce Committee, 2004-07

ASIAN PACIFIC ISLANDER AMERICAN PUBLIC AFFAIRS ASSOCIATION

Judicial Appointments Committee, 2008-12

ASIAN/PACIFIC BAR OF CALIFORNIA

President, 2008-10

NATIONAL ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION (NAPABA)

Finance Committee, 2008-09

NATIONAL ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION LAW FOUNDATION

Robert M. Takasugi Public Interest Fellowship Board Member, 1999 to present

ASIAN AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION OF THE GREATER BAY AREA (AABA)

President, 2007-08
Officer, 2004-07
Board of Directors, 2002-04

Speaking and Articles

Edwin has been an invited speaker on a variety of topics including general and white-collar criminal defense, internal investigations, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, diversity in the legal profession, hate crimes and anti-Asian violence by the California State Bar, the Bar Association of San Francisco, and many academic institutions. Edwin has also been published in California Lawyer Magazine and the NAPABA Reporter.

  • Panelist, National Association of Women Judges, “The Color of Justice,” San Francisco, CA, November 2011
  • Panelist, Judicial Council of California and the State Bar of California, “Continuing a Legacy of Excellence: A Summit on Achieving Diversity in the Judiciary,” San Francisco, CA, September 2011
  • Moderator, NAPABA 21st Annual Conference, “Plenary Session: The Legacy of Vincent Chin,” Los Angeles, CA, November 2010
  • Panelist, American Constitution Society, “The Judicial Nominations Crisis – What Does This Mean for Our Courts and Our Democracy?” Berkeley, CA, October 2010
  • Article, “Guiding Your Way,” printed in California Lawyer Magazine, December 2009 and NAPABA Lawyer, Spring 2010
  • Panelist, National Asian American Law Students’ Association Annual Conference, “Resurgence of Change,” Boston, MA, November 2009
  • Speaker, Minority Bar Coalition of Northern California Annual Unity Conference, “Ending Hate: Why Hate Crimes Occur and How to Fight Back,” San Francisco, CA October 2009
  • Presenter, American Bar Association, “State of Diversity in the Legal Profession,” Western Regional Hearing, San Francisco, CA, March 2009
  • Lecturer, University of San Francisco, “Asian Americans in the Law,” San Francisco, CA, March 2009
  • Panelist, University of San Francisco Law School, “Careers in Criminal Law,” San Francisco, CA, March 2009
  • Moderator, NAPABA 20th Annual Conference, “Anatomy of a Corporate Scandal,” and Speaker, Bar Leadership Institute, Seattle, WA, November 2008
  • Lecturer, University of San Francisco, “A Survey of Anti-Asian Violence Cases,” San Francisco, CA, October 2008
  • Panelist, University of California at Hastings, “Careers in Criminal Law,” San Francisco, CA, October 2008
  • Panelist, State Bar of California Annual Meeting, “Advancement to the Bench,” Monterey, CA, September 2008
  • Panelist, BASF, “Using Diversity as a Strength in the Legal Profession,” San Francisco, CA, August 2007
  • Panelist, Jackson Lewis 18th Annual Corporate Counsel Conference, “Whistleblowers: Old Concept, New Frontiers,” Las Vegas, NV, May 2007
  • Lecturer, University of California, Boalt Hall, “Hate Crimes Against Asian Americans,” Berkeley, CA, April 2007
  • Panelist, Minority Corporate Counsel Association Exposition, “Department of Justice Enforcement Trends: Avoiding the Horizontal Pinstripes and the Perp Walk,” Chicago, IL, March 2007
  • Panelist, Practicing Law Institute, “Diversity in the California Legal Profession: A Status Report and Call to Action,” San Francisco, CA, March 2006
  • Panelist, 6th Annual Bay Area Asian Pacific American Law Students Association Conference, “Improving Your Trial Techniques: Advice for Strategies and Tactics,” San Francisco, CA, February 2006
  • Panelist, 11th Annual National Asian Pacific American Conference of Law and Public Policy, “Bridging the Divide: APA Fragmentation and Cooperation,” Harvard University, March 2005
  • Article, “A Community Victorious – The Taraval Hate Crime Case,” printed in NAPABA Lawyer, Winter 2004 and AABA Newsletter, August 2004

Pro Bono

Edwin has never forgotten his public interest roots. Using his knowledge of the criminal justice system and his training in anti-Asian violence and hate crimes cases, he continues the serve the community even after entering private practice by volunteering hundreds of hours in pro bono legal services to victims of hate crimes every year. He played major roles in high profile Anti-Asian violence cases in the Bay Area. In 2004, Edwin represented the five Chinese American victims of the Taraval Hate Crime case and in 2005, he represented the Anand family whose home was torched by a hate-motivated arsonist in Concord.

Edwin’s skill and expertise in these areas is evinced by the fact that Asian non-profit organizations, minority bar associations, media, the California State Bar, and even local prosecutors have all called him for assistance with hate crime cases and issues. Edwin has worked with various non-profit legal organizations such as the Asian Law Caucus, Chinatown Community Development Center, Asian American Justice Center, and Bay Area Legal Aid, just to name a few.