Remembering Garrick Lew on the 7th Anniversary of His Passing


Seven years ago, on March 19, 2016, we lost our dear friend and former law partner Garrick S. Lew.

Throughout his life, Garrick stayed true to the principles that guided his life: advancing justice, fighting for the underdog, mentoring young attorneys, and being fiercely loyal to family and friends. His absence is still deeply felt to this day.

We remember Garrick on this anniversary with love to his family – wife Diane Hiura, sons Dillon and Brandon, father Share, sister Sherene, and brother Rictor and Rictor’s wife Patty.

Through the Minami Tamaki Yamauchi Kwok & Lee Foundation, Dale Minami, Donald Tamaki, Brad Yamauchi, Minette A. Kwok, and Jack W. Lee partnered with AABA Law Foundation to create the Garrick S. Lew Fellowship in February 2017. The fellowship awards $10,000 to a third-year law student committed to a criminal defense practice after graduation.

On this anniversary of Garrick’s passing, we recognize the six recipients of the Garrick S. Lew Fellowship selected by AABA Law Foundation:

  • 2017: The inaugural recipient, Christopher R. Gueco, graduated from University of California College of the Law, San Francisco (UC Law San Francisco, formerly UC Hastings). He worked in the Solano County Public Defender before opening his own law practice.
  • 2018: John So graduated from UC Law San Francisco, and worked in the Alameda County, San Francisco, and Ventura County public defender offices. He later served as a Deputy Public Defender in Los Angeles County.
  • 2019: Belle Yan clerked in the public defender offices in the District of Columbia and Alameda County and was a paralegal at the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office. She later served as a Deputy Public Defender in Santa Clara County. Belle graduated from UC Law San Francisco.
  • 2020: Stephanie I. Kim graduated from UC Law San Francisco and worked as a Post Bar Law Clerk in the Santa Clara County Public Defender’s Office. She was previously a Certified Legal Intern in the Marin County Public Defender’s Office and a Trial Law Clerk in the Federal Public Defender’s Office in Los Angeles.
  • 2021: Diana Li graduated from Stanford Law School and the next year served as a fellow in the special litigation section of the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia.
  • 2022: Richard Lee was a 3L at UC Law San Francisco, where he was Editor in Chief of the Hastings Race and Poverty Law Journal. Richard planned to work at the San Francisco Public Defenders after graduation.

Garrick will always be greatly missed, and his legacy continues with those who walk the path he helped blaze.

The AABA Law Foundation administers the Garrick S. Lew Fellowship. Donate to the Fellowship online at https://bit.ly/gsl2023. For information on donating by check, visit the AABA Law Foundation web page. Please write “Garrick Lew Fellowship” in the memo of your check.