For over thirty-four years, Don Tamaki has specialized in representing entrepreneurs, privately held companies and non-profit corporations (including many health care organizations acquiring electronic health records technology).  He has been selected to Northern California Super Lawyers from 2004 through 2010, and has received the highest ratings for competency and ethics from Martindale-Hubble. 

He received his undergraduate degree from U.C. Berkeley, and he also received his law degree from Berkeley.  He was admitted to the California Bar in 1976 and to the United States District Court for the Northern District of California and the United States Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

On a daily basis, he advises management on statutory requirements and best practices with respect to corporate governance and employment-related issues.   His transactional practice includes software development and licensing, manufacturing and distribution agreements, commercial leases, and startup technology companies in their formation, investor financing and acquisition.

His commercial clients include the Straits Restaurant and Sino Restaurant chain, Toppan Forms Co. Ltd. (notably its development of groundbreaking signature capture technology for the first handheld computers used by United Parcel Services drivers), Nth Connect Telecom Inc., videogame developer Yuke's, Ltd., technology manufacturers Everex Communications and AverMedia Technologies, and technical service consultants SafeBridge Consultants, Inc. and Technical Safety Services, Inc.  Mr. Tamaki's experience has included preparing and negotiating agreements involving technology research and development, formation of joint-venture companies, manufacturing and distribution, and licenses for both large multi-national corporations as well as start-up and emerging companies.

Mr. Tamaki's nonprofit clients include the California HealthCare Foundation, The Center to Promote Healthcare Access, Inc., the Consulate General of Japan, Gardner Family Health Network, Clinica Sierra Vista (Kern, Inyo Fresno Counties), Family Health Network (Tulare County, Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, Asian Health Services, Inc.,), Baker Places, Inc., and Asian American Recovery Services, Inc., ZeroDivide, Inc., the Asian American Journalists Association, the Northern California Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

His media and entertainment law clients include Olympic ice skating gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi, KPIX Channel 5 news anchor Wendy Tokuda, Emmy Award winning documentary filmmaker Eric Fournier, independent film producer Richard Hall, and the independent film distributor Center for Asian American Media.  

Mr. Tamaki's litigation background includes representing clients in numerous disputes in both trial and administrative hearings.

He also defended Patrick Hayashi, who came up with the baseball hit by Barry Bonds' record-setting 73rd home run in a single season, only to be sued by a plaintiff claiming to own the historic and valuable ball. Despite Mr. Hayashi's multiple offers to settle the case out of court, the plaintiff pressed for a trial, which resulted in the court exonerating Mr. Hayashi of any wrongdoing and affirming his interest in the ball.

In keeping with the firm’s tradition of community service, Mr. Tamaki served on the pro bono team that reopened the landmark Supreme Court case of Korematsu v. the United States, overturning Fred Korematsu’s conviction for refusing as an American citizen to be interned during World War II.  Mr. Tamaki also serves on the board of Glide Foundation and is the board president of the San Francisco Japantown Foundation.