Yohance Edwards joined the Ninth Circuit on January 7, 2019, as the Director of Workplace Relations. Prior to his appointment as the first Director of Workplace Relations in the federal judiciary, Mr. Edwards was the Associate Director and Deputy Title IX Officer in the Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination at the University of California, Berkeley.

At UC Berkeley, he oversaw the process for resolving complaints of discrimination and harassment based on race, color, national origin, age, gender, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity, including allegations of sexual harassment. He also conducted trainings on the university’s harassment and nondiscrimination policies and procedures and helped coordinate campus compliance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.

Prior to his time at UC Berkeley, Mr. Edwards was an attorney at the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. In that role, he was responsible for enforcing federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination at educational institutions receiving federal funding from the U.S. Department of Education. Mr. Edwards previously served as a staff attorney in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and as an associate at the law firm Munger, Tolles & Olson.

Mr. Edwards received his B.A. from Brown University. He received his J.D. from New York University School of Law, graduating magna cum laude and Order of the Coif. After law school he clerked for Judge McKeown of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

As Director of Workplace Relations, Mr. Edwards leads the Circuit’s efforts to prevent and resolve workplace issues and is available to assist judges and staff throughout the circuit on Employment Dispute Resolution related matters. Employees may contact him directly if they wish to discuss a workplace issue confidentially and seek guidance on their options for resolving an issue. Mr. Edwards will also oversee the development of improved training for employees and judges throughout the Circuit and additional training for employees who play a role in implementing the EDR Policy.