Summer 2004
Meet Our 2004 Summer Associates
The members of this year’s class are from left to right
(Steven Miller, On
Lu, Roshan Jain, Rob
Becht (back row); Anita Matta,
Dena Duthoy, Christina
Luini, Rovianne Leigh, (front
row). To learn more about the summer associates, including their
reasons for selecting Hanson Bridgett as the place to spend the
summer of 2004, click on the name links above or scroll down to
see the entire class.
Rob Becht
Prior to law school, I served as CEO of a health care organization
that primarily managed skilled nursing facilities. I am a certified
nursing home administrator by trade and also have experience in
hospital operations. As a CEO, I dealt with all the legal aspects
of running a health care organization. I always found it frustrating
that most counsel I worked with either were not passionate about
providing great client services or did not understand the challenges
we faced as health care providers. My goal as an attorney will be
to utilize my experience and skills to assist health care clients
in meeting the challenges of a changing health care business environment.
I want to do this by giving great client service with an understanding
and compassion for the issues faced by my clients.
When going through the recruiting process, I wanted to find a group
of attorneys that were passionate about their practice, enjoyed
what they did and believed in outstanding client service. I also
wanted to find a firm that was committed to making a positive impact
on the health care industry. I believe I found that at Hanson Bridgett.
When I first met Joel Goldman, partner in the Health Section, it
was evident that he loved what he did, was passionate about his
legal practice, and is committed to the industry he serves. The
Health Law Section at Hanson Bridgett feels like a tightly-knit
group of attorneys who are practicing in a smaller firm but within
a larger firm platform. Hanson Bridgett has the right mix of people,
passion, and commitment to service, and is a firm where I could
build the career I want as a health care lawyer.
Dena Duthoy
I chose to interview with Hanson Bridgett because of its size, range
of expertise, and unique practice areas such as Public Agency and
Health Care. After going through the interview process with several
firms, Hanson Bridgett stood out as a great place to work. I immediately
appreciated Hanson Bridgett’s approach to work/life balance,
its dedication to promoting diversity and congeniality in the workplace,
and its commitment to training new lawyers.
My summer at Hanson Bridgett has been challenging, yet enjoyable.
I have worked with several attorneys across a spectrum of practice
areas, including Public Agency, Business, Health Care, Employee
Benefits, and Labor and Employment. Hanson Bridgett staff and attorneys
have shown great interest in my experience at the firm by providing
guidance, career advice, and interesting assignments. I have had
ample opportunity to get to know the people at Hanson Bridgett on
a more personal level, and have noticed a general dedication to
community service and maintaining a life outside of the office.
I am originally from the Los Angeles area and moved to the Bay Area
for college. Although I’ve been in the Bay Area ever since,
I still make frequent trips to Southern California to spend time
with my parents and three younger brothers. After graduating from
Stanford, I taught in a third-grade English as a Second Language
(ESL) classroom and worked as a substitute teacher for San Francisco
Unified School District. I enjoy dancing, the outdoors, and watching
the Angels win.
Roshan Jain
After going through the on-campus interviewing process, choosing
Hanson Bridgett was easy. When I interviewed at the firm I came
to realize that many of the partners were once summer associates
and in a world where lawyers do not seem to stay at the same firm
for more than three years, this fact spoke for itself. After working
at Hanson Bridgett for seven weeks, I know why people stay here.
The firm invests a tremendous amount of energy in its attorneys
and staff to help them develop and ensure their happiness. The attorneys
I have worked with have always made themselves available to answer
my myriad of questions and seem interested in my development as
an attorney. The firm plays a leading role in the community in providing
pro bono services and gives its summer associates the opportunity
to engage in the pro bono program through the Stanford Law Clinic.
And finally, the attorneys at Hanson Bridgett are encouraged to
have a life beyond the office, which in turn probably makes them
better, more human attorneys.
Hanson Bridgett is also unique in that it encourages its summer
associates to work in each of the firm's numerous practice areas.
For most law students finishing their second year, this is a wonderful
opportunity to understand the differences between litigation and
transactional work and gain experience in different substantive
areas of the law. Before coming to Hanson Bridgett I did not really
know that firms like this existed. I thought my choices were limited
to big, impersonal firms or small boutiques with highly specialized
practices. However, Hanson Bridgett truly combines some of the attributes
of a bigger firm with more resources with the personal attention
of a smaller firm.
Rovianne Leigh
I did not have to think long about whether to come back to Hanson
Bridgett this summer. In fact, I mailed my acceptance letter the
day after I received it. Last summer, I was given challenging work
and the opportunity to explore an array of practice areas. The attorneys
I worked with were consistently supportive of my growth, and offered
constructive feedback on my work. Although I am only here for two
weeks, I have the opportunity to do interesting work in both the
Public Agency and Litigation Sections. Since last year, I have narrowed
the areas I am interested in pursuing on a long-term basis. I know
that working in Hanson Bridgett’s public agency and land-use
groups would enable me to cultivate a fulfilling career. Moreover,
working with people who care about my growth and development as
an attorney is extremely important to me. At the end of the day,
Hanson Bridgett stands out because here you are valued as a person
as well as an attorney, and those values correspond well with mine.
On Lu
Law is a second career for me. I spent the last decade launching
U. S. hardware and software manufacturers into Europe and Latin
America. Starting law school was a monumental decision for me, not
only in terms of career and finances, but also motivation and basic
sanity. For someone in my shoes, there is no better firm to invest
my future in than Hanson Bridgett. Two reasons in particular won
me over.
First, this firm likes to hire marriage counselors who have actually
been married. For its medium size, Hanson Bridgett has an exceptional
number of lawyers that bring some type of real world experience
to the practice of law. The firm recognizes that “prior lives”
attorneys are more interesting to have around and are more useful
to clients. This summer, my business experience has been utilized
as an asset. It has been a thrill to quickly grasp commercial concepts
and more thoroughly comprehend the financial motivations and needs
of our clients.
Secondly, Hanson Bridgett is a place to call “home.”
At the elderly age of 33, I have neither intention nor desire to
“firm-hop” every three years. The firm I was searching
for, during the on-campus interviewing marathon, was one where I
could learn to be an excellent lawyer, work hard towards a bright
future, and keep cranking until social security kicks in. I am always
inspired by this firm’s low attrition rate of attorneys and
staff, and the impressive number of current partners and attorneys
that had their humble beginnings in the firm’s summer associate
program. This stability and faithfulness is a rare jewel in the
legal industry, and is worth much more to me than a slightly bigger
paycheck and more extravagant office space.
When I am not drafting legal memos, I play volleyball, travel to
exotic lands, hunt for hole-in-the-wall restaurants, collect comic
books, and fight super-villains to keep our city safe.
Christina Luini
When I started the on-campus interview program last fall, I had
no idea what to look for in a law firm. After I read about several
firms, they all started to blur together. Hanson Bridgett, however,
immediately stood out to me. I found it impressive that although
a mid-size firm, Hanson Bridgett possesses a broad range of practice
areas. As a San Francisco native, I was also attracted to Hanson
Bridgett’s strong Bay Area roots and clients. The enthusiastic
reviews of former summer associates, who attested to the firm’s
supportive environment, work-life balance, and commitment to diversity,
also drew me to Hanson Bridgett.
The Hanson Bridgett attorneys whom I met during the interview process
solidified my interest in the firm. Much of my time at the on-campus
and callback interviews was spent laughing out loud. The attorneys
I spoke with all had wonderful things to say about the firm and
expressed a true interest in getting to know me. Needless to say,
I was ecstatic when I was offered the opportunity to work here this
summer.
Thus far, Hanson Bridgett has done nothing but exceed my expectations.
Everyone has been very welcoming. The open-door policy here is what
I have found most impressive. Whenever I have a follow-up question
or need some assistance with an assignment, someone always seems
willing to help and offer some advice. Moreover, the summer program
coordinators and my mentor have been invaluable in assuring that
I receive assignments and meet the attorneys in the practice areas
I am most interested in.
During my rare free time, I love to spend warm days sitting on the
beach or in the park reading a good novel, and cold days watching
movies. When time and finances permit, I also love to travel.
Anita Matta
The word around my law school was that Hanson Bridgett is a rarity
among law firms in the level of collegiality among the attorneys
and staff, the caliber of its attorneys, and its broad areas of
expertise. At my callback interview, I met the nicest group of people
and learned about Hanson Bridgett's commitment to fostering attorney
growth through providing summer associates with wonderful mentoring
opportunities.
As a summer associate, I have experienced first hand Hanson Bridgett's
excellent work environment and learned that the attorneys at Hanson
Bridgett not only genuinely love to work at this firm, but genuinely
love to work with each other. Additionally, my legal skills have
grown exponentially because of the care taken by Hanson Bridgett's
attorneys to fulfill their commitment to fostering my growth. Looking
back, I definitely made the correct choice in choosing Hanson Bridgett
over other larger law firms.
Steven Miller
I returned to law school after a number of years as a professional
musician. As a member of a string quartet, I traveled around the
world playing concerts and making recordings. I also taught, and
continue to teach at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Law
school was certainly a switch for me, but I have not regretted it
for an instant—career changes are an exciting thing! Actually,
my career as a musician prepared me well for law school. Many of
the same skills apply to both disciplines. What other professions
require a skill set that combines creativity, flexibility, and discipline,
an ability to interpret a text with a precise attention to detail,
and the communicative skills necessary to build consensus?
I chose to work at Hanson Bridgett this summer because of the excellence
of its Public Agency and Labor & Employment practice groups.
I have always thought that helping government agencies carry out
their important responsibilities would be fascinating. I am also
drawn to the human drama that often characterizes disputes in the
labor and employment arena. Since I have been here at Hanson Bridgett,
my expectations have been more than met. I have been given interesting
assignments in the areas of my interest. The firm has also given
me exposure to practice areas I knew nothing about. Through these
assignments, I have discovered that anything can be interesting
once you dig beneath the surface.
Even more than the interesting and challenging nature of the work,
I have been impressed with the culture of Hanson Bridgett. In its
marketing materials, the firm stresses its ability to keep a small
firm mentality within the context of a larger organization. It is
really true. People here are valued as people and are encouraged
to have a life outside of the firm. I have been inspired and energized
by the unusual combination of dedication, intelligence, kindness
and good humor that characterizes all of the people I have met here
at the firm.
Non-Discrimination Policy: Hanson, Bridgett, Marcus, Vlahos & Rudy, LLP seeks to ensure a positive and diverse work culture where each person may work and develop professionally to the best of his or her ability free of unlawful discrimination or prejudice. To this end, the firm is an equal opportunity employer that prohibits unlawful discrimination or prejudice of any kind based on race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion or creed, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, mental or physical disability, or pregnancy.
