Gene Takagi is a San Francisco-based attorney with a reputation for excellent work and client service. Prior to opening his independent office in 2005, Gene practiced in the corporate group of the AmLaw 100 firm Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton, during which time he was awarded Outstanding Barrister of the Year by the Bar Association of San Francisco.

With over 15 years of management experience, Gene understands businesses and nonprofits from a management perspective. In the for-profit sector, he served as operations manager for a privately-held business with an annual budget exceeding $50 million. In the nonprofit sector, Gene served as director of the medical and animal behavior divisions of the San Francisco SPCA. In addition, Gene has served on a number of nonprofit governing and advisory boards, including the boards of Net Impact, the Barristers Club, the Legal Services for Entrepreneurs Program (Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights), JCYC, and Community Initiatives (formerly CIF of the San Francisco Foundation).  

Gene is the author and publisher of the Nonprofit Law Blog and speaks regularly on legal issues to organizations such as the American Bar Association, the California Association of Nonprofits, the Bar Association of San Francisco, CompassPoint, the Foundation Center, the CBO Center, Law.com, the New Progressive Coalition, and Lorman Education Services.  Gene's article on "Corporate Governance for Nonprofits" was published in the June 2008 issue of the American Law Institute / American Bar Association's The Practical Lawyer.Together with Barbara Rosen, of Evans & Rosen LLP, Gene co-authored the article "Group Exemptions Demystified" in the January/February 2008 issue of Taxation of Exempts. 

Gene is one of the inaugural members of the Pro Bono Committee of the Bar Association of San Francisco and past Chair of the Pro Bono Issues Committee of the Barristers Club.  His pro bono work and advocacy has led to recognition by the Bar Association of San Francisco, the Volunteer Legal Services Program (VLSP), the Mayor of Newark, and Equal Justice Magazine. Currently, Gene accepts pro bono cases through the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and the CORP program of VLSP.  In 2007, Gene founded a training program for minority leaders and emerging leaders in the nonprofit sector, which he continues to run today.

Gene holds a law degree from UCLA and a graduate degree in nonprofit administration from USF.

Professional Affiliations

Representative Nonprofit Clients