Mia Yamamoto is an experienced attorney who has defended thousands of clients, including those accused of sex crimes.

Attorney Mia Yamamoto. Photo: NBC

On the morning of May 13, US time, actor Minh Beo will appear at the second trial at the Orange County Superior Court, Westminster branch. Minh Beo is accused of sexually abusing a minor while on tour in the US at the end of March.

Minh Beo's family said that the Do Phu - Anh Tuan law firm - who represented the actor in the previous trial on April 15 - will not continue to defend Minh Beo. Mr. Thien Thanh, Minh Beo's cousin, said that Japanese-American lawyer Mia Yamamoto will be Minh Beo's defense attorney after the trial on May 13.

Attorney Mia Yamamoto is a transgender woman who was born Michael Yamamoto in 1943 in a World War II relocation camp in Poston, Arizona. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, US President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered the relocation of Japanese Americans to such camps.

Growing up in that environment, Yamamoto was no stranger to racism. Yamamoto said she received a lot of support from her parents, who encouraged her to not be afraid to express her cultural identity, according to the Daily Pennsylvanian.

Yamamoto said her brothers were often bullied by their peers due to anti-Japanese sentiment after World War II. Eventually, Yamamoto and her brothers found “safe haven” in Mexican gangs, who she said were not afraid to stand up to racism. Yamamoto credits gang culture for its psychological benefits, not its illegal activities. Yamamoto has acted as a defense attorney for former gang members.

Yamamoto was born male, but she knew her true gender was female, and this tormented her for many years.

As a teenager, Yamamoto read about Christine Jorgensen, the first openly transgender woman in the United States. “I thought there was someone else in the world like me,” she says. Excited, Yamamoto showed the article to her mother, who immediately burst into tears. “I realized then that it was taboo to feel uncomfortable about my gender,” she says, and she learned to hide her feelings.

Mia Yamamoto as a boy named Michael. Photo: NBC

Yamamoto graduated from California State University in 1966 with a degree in government. She then served in the military. She was inspired by the LGBT community in the military. The US Army deployed her to Vietnam in 1967. When she returned to the US, she felt compelled to join the anti-war movement, according to Hyphen Magazine.

Leaving the military in 1968, she attended law school at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and began practicing private defense in 1984, after working for state offices.

After 20 years of successful legal career, Yamamoto realized it was time to change her gender, not only to liberate herself, but also to let her family and friends see her true self. After her transition, she took the name Mia Yamamoto, instead of her old name Michael.

Her decision was well received by most of her clients. Yamamoto says she has become an inspiration for many people to come out as their true gender, something she never thought would happen. Of course, many of her former friends and colleagues still refused to accept her after her transition. She completed her full transition in 2005.

On her website, Mia Frances Yamamoto describes herself as one of the most prominent and successful criminal defense attorneys in Southern California. She has tried more than 200 jury trials and represented thousands of clients accused of crimes including murder, assault, sexual abuse, narcotics, theft, white collar crimes, and driving under the influence.

She has been honored by the Criminal Court Bar Association and the Los Angeles Women's Bar Association. In 2002, Yamamoto was named one of the "100 Most Influential Lawyers in California" by the California Daily Journal. She was named "Defense Attorney of the Year 2006" by the Century City Bar Association. She was also voted a "Southern California Super Lawyer" by her peers in polls published by Los Angeles Magazine in 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012.

She was also appointed by the Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court to serve on a task force focused on improving jury trials and court fairness. She has also been recognized by numerous organizations for her work with the LGBT community.

According to VNE