Cedric Chao is Co-Chair of the firm's international arbitration practice and focuses on commercial litigation, international arbitration, and complex criminal matters. Mr. Chao handles numerous jury and court trials in both commercial and criminal matters, and has taken or defended hundreds of depositions.
Mr. Chao has argued ten times before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, including once to an en banc panel, once before the U.S. Supreme Court, and three times before the California State Court of Appeal. He has second-chaired three additional Ninth Circuit arguments and one other U.S. Supreme Court argument.
Mr. Chao has led litigation teams in significant international and domestic commercial arbitration proceedings under the rules of the American Arbitration Association (both domestic and international arbitrations), the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the London Court of International Arbitration, the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law, and Judicial Arbitration Mediation Services, and has advised a team appearing before the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC).
He is listed on the panels of approved international commercial arbitrators maintained by CIETAC and the Singapore International Arbitration Centre, and has served as an ICC arbitrator.
Prior to joining Morrison & Foerster in 1981, Cedric Chao worked for three-and-one-half years as a federal prosecutor.
He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Lex Mundi, on the Executive Committee of the Inter-Pacific Bar Association, and as Secretary of the Board of Directors of the Hong Kong Association of Northern California. Mr. Chao also has served as Chair of the U.S. Magistrate Judge Screening Committee for the Northern District of California, Chair of the California State Bar's Litigation Section, Co-Chair of the American Bar Association's International Litigation Committee, and President of the Singapore American Business Association.