Judge Edwards was born in Yokohama, Japan, the son of Major Wilbur P. Edwards, Sr. and Mary C. Edwards. His early years were spent throughout the Eastern United States and Germany at various U.S. Army posts. After completing high school in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, he attended and graduated cum laude from Harvard College with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Relations. Immediately following college, he started a business career in commercial real estate with Purity Supreme Supermarkets as a real estate representative in a position involving real estate acquisition for convenience stores. That position was followed by a similar position with Grand Union Supermarkets. In 1974, he became the Northeast Division Real Estate Manager for the Southland Corporation (7-11) with responsibility for locating convenience stores throughout New England, New York and New Jersey. Following that position, in 1979, Judge Edwards spent two years as a real estate manager for the toy chain Toys “R” Us with responsibility for locating stores in Illinois, Michigan, Maryland/Virginia, and Florida.
Judge Edwards commenced his legal career in 1981 upon admission to Boston College Law School. He completed his studies, graduating with a Juris Doctor degree in 1984. He initially worked as an associate at Roche, Carens & DeGiacomo, primarily concentrating in commercial real estate, affordable housing, construction and title law. Following his stint at that firm, he joined Denzil McKenzie & Associates which subsequently became the partnership of McKenzie & Edwards, P. C. While a principal of the firm, Judge Edwards continued to develop a diverse real estate practice including affordable housing, title and title insurance, landlord-tenant matters, residential and commercial conveyancing, corporation organization and governance and bankruptcy. In addition to extensive attention to serving the firm’s clientele and growing the firm with his partner, Judge Edwards was also involved with volunteer positions with the Massachusetts Bar Association, the Massachusetts Black Judges Association and the Boston College Black Alumni Network. Judge Edwards also mentored law school graduates as they prepared for the bar exam.
In 2002, Acting Governor Jane Swift appointed Judge Edwards to the Southeast Housing Court to sit in the Brockton courthouse. Over the following 16 plus years, Judge Edwards and one colleague covered Plymouth, Bristol and Barnstable counties (five courthouses) conducting bench and jury trials involving landlord-tenant disputes, zoning issues, sanitary and building code violations, emergency temporary restraining orders and nuisance complaints related to animals. Judge Edwards also received an Honorary Degree from Southern New England School of Law during this period. He also serves on the Board and is the current Treasurer of the Massachusetts Judges Conference. Judge Edwards also continues to mentor both recent law school graduates and applicants for judicial and clerical appointments. Judge Edwards retired from the bench in December 2018.
Judge Edwards will be volunteering with the Justice Bridge Legal Center at the University of Massachusetts School of Law in its New Bedford Office. Justice Bridge is a legal incubator that provides start-up assistance, mentoring and resources to newly-admitted lawyers to help them provide reduced-fee legal services to modest-income clients. Judge Edwards will participate in mentoring primarily in the areas of housing and real estate law.