Not entirely by his own design, Stephen is the neighborhood business owners’ kid that made good. He is the cousin who likely would have happily stepped into the family restaurant business but instead got into law school and came out alive.

Despite what appears to be worlds away from the food and beverage business, what has stuck to him in all these years is the belief in ‘serving up’ the same customer focused service. Carved onto his heart is the unwavering calling to be a comforter and encourager for hard-working immigrant families overwhelmed by the very legal system that is meant to protect. To solve real-life problems, to bring peace of mind into business operations, and to utilize and explain in plain English (or Chinese) the legal system as a resourceful tool rather than a perceived stumbling block to making sound financial decisions – these are goals included in the mission that keeps Stephen hungry for becoming better at what he does each day.

Stephen is currently splits his time between his private law practice and as as staff Legal Counsel YWAM San Francisco in the Tenderloin where he and his family also reside. Stephen has served as legal counsel to a San Francisco based community bank advising on banking law and consumer compliance. He also serves as pro-bono Legal Counsel for an Asian American hospice care non-profit organization. Previously he served as VP and Corporate Counsel to a technology start-up, where he handled the corporate governance, private placement, all vendor and customer contracts, leasing and all day to day legal matters.

Stephen’s cross-border transactions experience was honed while serving as Foreign Legal Counsel at King and Wood Mallesons in Beijing, one of Asia-Pacific’s largest law firms. Stephen’s areas of practice include estate planning, business law and immigration. Stephen holds a Juris Doctorate from Santa Clara University School of Law; he holds a Master’s of Law (LLM) from Peking University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is fluent in English and speaks Mandarin. He has been licensed to practice law in California 2003.