Press Release

January 27, 2021 (San Francisco, CA) – Hanson Bridgett LLP, a leading California law firm advising clients nationwide, is pleased to announce it has received the 2020 Platinum Diversity Award from the Contra Costa County Bar Association (CCCBA). The award honors law firms that embrace diversity awareness and implement comprehensive, targeted actions. It is the second year in a row the firm has earned the highest of four levels of recognition.

“Hanson Bridgett is proud to again be recognized for the strides we made in 2020 toward bridging the inequities in the legal profession, and in our communities more broadly, that have long marginalized women and people from diverse backgrounds,” said Kristina Lawson, who became the firm’s first female managing partner earlier this month. “Our commitment to diversity has always been strong, and while we’ve come a long way in recent years, in 2020, it became clear that we have a great deal more work to do. We just appointed our first Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer (CDEIO), and she has hit the ground running. I am optimistic that our strengthened efforts inside the firm and in our broader networks and communities will help create powerful, lasting change.”

The CCCBA named its first diversity awards winners in 2018. To achieve the Platinum level, law firms must complete a minimum of 50 in-depth tasks that aim to capture their diversity efforts in the areas of education, training, and communications; internal and external commitments; and recruiting and retention efforts. Hanson Bridgett far exceeded the CCCBA requirements, having implemented a number of processes and committees to advance diversity and equity in the legal profession – including sponsoring law school recruitment receptions, workshops, and fellowships for students of color to create necessary pipelines and opportunities.

“It’s a real honor for Hanson Bridgett to receive this award. As a young Latina who has not only been supported but repeatedly encouraged to take on leadership roles since I joined as an associate eight years ago, I know firsthand that law firms who commit to turning the tide and taking real action for change can do it,” said Partner Jennifer Martinez, who was named CDEIO on January 1. “I’m excited to help steer Hanson Bridgett into our next chapter as we explore new approaches to increasing the diversity of voices within the firm at all levels.”

Since its founding, Hanson Bridgett has incorporated diversity as a core value, implementing a wide variety of initiatives to support its female and minority attorneys, such as its Diversity and Inclusion Network (DIN) and Hanson Bridgett Women’s Impact Network (HBWIN). The firm has received dozens of other diversity awards over the years, including Law360’s “Ceiling Smashers,” honoring the 25 U.S.-based law firms with the highest percentage of female partners (2015-2020); Top Performer and Compass Award designations from the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (2020); and recognition as one of the “Best Law Firms for Women” by Working Mother Media (2020).

Hanson Bridgett will formally accept the 2020 Platinum Diversity Award at CCCBA’s annual Officers Installation and Diversity Award virtual event on Friday, January 29. The full list of winners, both from 2020 and years prior, can be viewed here.