Pasadena’s Hahn & Hahn Named Among Los Angeles’ 25 Best Law Firms

Hahn & Hahn, LLP, the Pasadena-based legal powerhouse, has been named one of Los Angeles’ top 25 law firms.

The firm is profiled in today’s Los Angeles Business Journal honoring the Best Law Firms of 2019. The annual survey highlights top-notch firms that have demonstrated excellence in legal practice while also fostering a culture of success through diversity and a commitment to work-life balance. Firms were judged on their culture, compensation, benefits and programs, as well as the success of their diversity and women’s initiatives.

Hahn & Hahn was recognized for its diversity in hiring and promotion, equitable compensation and family leave policies, active support of attorneys’ outside endeavors, and its longstanding commitment to community engagement.

“We are honored to be recognized for the quality of our work and for our employee-centered programs and practices,” said Managing Partner Karl I. Swaidan. “For the 120 years Hahn & Hahn has been in business, it has been our philosophy that we do well by doing good. That means we do good work, both professionally and in the community, and we do right by our attorneys and staff. It has been a successful model for us.”

Hahn & Hahn has evolved to become a legal industry leader in the area of diversity. A majority of the firm’s attorneys identify as women and/or minorities, and Hahn & Hahn is certified by the California Public Utilities Commission’s Supplier Clearinghouse as a Women & Minority Owned Business Enterprise. Women comprise 69% of the firm’s workforce overall, while approximately 45% of employees identify as people of color and/or LGBTQ. Four of the firm’s seven-member Executive Committee are women, as are two of its three department chairs, including one woman of color.

“Our evolution into becoming a majority women and minority firm happened organically,” said partner Rita M. Diaz, who chairs the firm’s Litigation Department. “First and foremost, we hire excellent attorneys. But I think the combination of our strong commitment to work-life balance and our long-standing equal pay policy makes us an especially appealing firm for women attorneys.”

Diaz exemplifies Hahn & Hahn’s model of success. Her practice focuses on contentious trust and estates litigation, as well as guiding trustees and beneficiaries through trust administration issues and advising companies on employment matters. Outside the firm, she serves as Vice President of the Board of the Boys and Girls Club of Pasadena and is a member of Pasadena Community Foundation’s advisory council.

Other professionals who embody Hahn & Hahn’s commitment to diversity include:

Partner Laura V. Farber was recently named an Elite Boutique Trailblazer in the National Law Journal for her well-respected litigation practice and her personal commitment to equity and diversity. Farber is the first Latina and only the third woman to serve as President of the Tournament of Roses. The recipient of many awards and accolades, Farber was this year recognized by the Los Angeles Business Journal in its annual survey of Los Angeles’ Most Influential Women Attorneys.

Partner Christianne F. Kerns is a business attorney who has twice been named one of Los Angeles’ Most Influential Women Attorneys. She is the Chair of the Board of Five Acres, a non-profit committed to strengthening children and families, and previously served on the board of Villa Esperanza Services, a nonprofit serving developmentally disabled individuals.

Partner Candice K. Rogers is a member of the Litigation Department. She is Certified by The State Bar of California as a Specialist in Family Law. Rogers is a past president of the board of Villa Esperanza Services. She is also Board Chair for the Harriett Buhai Center for Family Law, which protects victims of domestic violence and provides free legal services to women living in poverty.

Partner Karla C. Berentsen is Chair of the firm’s Trust & Estates Department. Her practice emphasizes complex estate planning. She serves as Secretary of the Board of the Pasadena Humane Society.

Partner Ryan A. Kaye, a member of Hahn & Hahn’s Trust & Estates practice, was the firm’s first Asian-American Partner. He has taught estate tax at the Loyola Law School. Kaye is a Trustee of the Pasadena Bar Association and a former member of the Board of the Pasadena Museum of History.

Partner D. Jason Lyon, a litigator whose practice focuses on business disputes, was the firm’s first openly LGBTQ attorney. Lyon is a recent Past President of the Board of Young & Healthy, a nonprofit that provides access to high quality healthcare for underserved children, and also sits on the boards of Planned Parenthood Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley and the San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership. He is a member of Pasadena’s Planning Commission.