Press Release

June 23, 2022 (San Francisco, CA)– Hanson Bridgett LLP, an AmLaw 200 law firm serving all of California and beyond, has been honored with two national awards for its diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. For the 13th consecutive year, the firm ranked as a Best Law Firm for Women by Seramount, now part of EAB. In addition, the firm climbed to the sixth spot on The American Lawyer's annual Diversity Scorecard listing, up from 37th last year.

"I am proud to lead a firm that, since its founding in 1958, has had such a strong focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion. These rankings validate the strategic, industry-leading work that has been done at Hanson Bridgett LLP over many years," Lawson said. "As a law firm for all of California, it is vital that our firm's composition mirrors the personality and diversity of the communities in which we live and work."

The Seramount list of 50 law firms, now in its 15th year, showcases law firms' efforts and successes in finding, retaining, promoting, and developing women lawyers. Rankings are determined through a comprehensive application process that includes responding to more than 300 questions about attorney demographics at different levels, schedule flexibility, paid time off and parental leaves, and development and retention of women. Hanson's Bridgett's accomplishments landed the firm on Seramount's coveted “Hall of Fame” list for the fourth time, which is reserved exclusively for those who have been ranked on the list for 10 or more years.

Recently, Hanson Bridgett LLP revamped internal policies, including its parental leave policy. The revised policy is generous and above and beyond what peer firms are providing in terms of leave, to both attorneys and administrative professionals. The firm also rolled out a new associate compensation structure last year that had innovative components, including sabbaticals and billable credit for diversity, equity, and inclusion projects and other social impact work.

"I’m proud that Hanson Bridgett continues to take meaningful steps to support women and diverse attorneys," said Jennifer Martinez, the firm's Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer. "Part of my mandate when I was named as the first CDEIO in the firm's history, was to increase and measure the firm's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion both within our firm and our communities. Since 2018, overall hiring of diverse attorneys has increased, specifically women by 10% and persons of color by 5%. I will continue to collaborate with the recruiting and professional development teams, among others, to innovate and expand upon the solid foundation the firm has built over its 60+ year history."

The American Lawyer's annual Diversity Scorecard records the average number of full-time-equivalent minority attorneys and self-described multiracial attorneys at Am Law 200 and National Law Journal 250 law firms in the calendar year 2021. The Diversity Scorecard was revamped this year to emphasize diversity of all kinds across an organization’s entire complement of attorneys, with an emphasis on diversity in leadership positions. It was updated to reflect the need for firms to be truly diverse rather than concentrate their DEI efforts on any one ethnic group.

"The 2022 Diversity Scorecard rankings are based in part on the percentage of ethnically and racially diverse partners, associates, and other full-time equivalent attorneys at participating firms. Hanson Bridgett’s jump in rankings this year is, in large part, a reflection of the team’s hard work and commitment to developing and facilitating an inclusive recruiting process in alignment with our longstanding commitment to DEI and core values. I am incredibly proud of this progress, particularly because the team was successful in recruiting so many talented lawyers during the most competitive year for recruiting legal talent in recent history," said Marisa Compesi, Director of Attorney Recruiting.

Currently, the firm's attorneys consist of 47% women, 34% people of color, and 7% self-identified LGBTQ+ individuals. As part of the firm's dedication to taking real action, female law students and attorneys are offered extensive support as they advance in their careers, including through Hanson Bridgett’s Women's Impact Network (WIN). This internal committee brings together all women attorneys in the firm, including summer associates, for leadership training, mentoring, and client development. The firm's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Network (DIN) serves to enhance Hanson Bridgett as a center of legal excellence, business, and a great place to work by increasing the diversity of its members and fostering a culture of inclusion, awareness, and acceptance. The DIN also works to improve the diversity of our legal communities by supporting and mentoring diverse law school students and lawyers. Both committees are directly involved in the nomination and appointment of leadership positions in the firm, so as to ensure accountability for our diversity goals.