Hanson Bridgett Furthers Commitment to Real Action with Announcement of Newly Appointed Director of Pro Bono and Social Impact
August, 2021 - San Francisco, California
August 24, 2021 (San Francisco, CA) – Hanson Bridgett LLP, a preeminent law firm for all of California, is pleased to announce the appointment of Samir Abdelnour as Hanson Bridgett's first Director of Pro Bono and Social Impact. Since taking the reigns as acting Managing Partner in January, Kristina Lawson has prioritized putting diversity, equity, inclusion, and social and community impact work at the forefront of her strategic plan. With the previous appointment of Jennifer Martinez as the firm's Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, now the addition of Abdelnour as the Director of Pro Bono and Social Impact will allow the firm to further its work toward taking real action in these spaces.
"I am excited to step into this role and pursue new opportunities for Hanson Bridgett to continue making good on our commitment for meaningful, positive social and community impact now and for the long-term," Abdelnour said.
Throughout the past six months, Abdelnour has worked with the firm's Pro Bono Committee, Executive Leadership Team, and Management Committee to create this new role and develop a strategic plan for its implementation. In his new role, Samir will be aligning the firm's pro bono and non-legal volunteer priorities, charitable giving, community service, and other social impact activities under a unified vision that will take the firm to the next level toward achieving the "real action" the firm committed to in 2020.
"This role is an essential next step for our firm in order to maintain and increase our real action for supporting the communities in which we live and work through measurable, thoughtful actions," Martinez said. "Samir is absolutely the right person to lead us in this new capacity."
Last year, Hanson Bridgett attorneys contributed nearly 7,500 hours of pro bono work with a focus on assisting businesses and individuals impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, supporting racial justice movements, representing families seeking asylum in the U.S., and aiding victims of domestic violence.
"As Chair of the Pro Bono Committee, I can state firsthand how vitally important Samir's new role will be. His partnership, years of experience, and collaboration will allow us to take Hanson Bridgett's work in the pro bono space to the next level," shared Candice Shih, Senior Counsel and Chair of the firm's Pro Bono Committee.
Further details about Hanson Bridgett's pro bono and social impact work can be found here.
