He began his career with national employment law firm Littler Mendelson in Chicago and was an associate attorney at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. He honed his trial skills working for public law centers Asian Law Alliance in San Jose and Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles. Ralph then spent a decade as an attorney representing California's Department of Fair Employment and Housing, Department of Industrial Relations and U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ​