December 12, 2007
Hanson Bridgett Elevates Brown, Swenson, Wu to Partnership
San Francisco (December 12, 2007) — Hanson Bridgett is pleased to announce the election of Thomas B. Brown, Batya F. Swenson and Marcus W. Wu to its partnership ranks, effective January 1, 2008.
"We are thrilled to welcome Tom, Batya and Marcus into our partnership," said Andrew Giacomini, Hanson Bridgett Managing Partner. "Each has shown great leadership ability from day one with the firm. As partners, we know they will continue to add even more meaningfully to the firm's culture and it's future."
Brown's practice focuses on all aspects of municipal law, where he represents both public agencies and private clients. He has extensive experience advising clients and litigating in land use, zoning and planning, the California Environmental Quality Act ("CEQA"), real property entitlements, police power, municipal taxation, Brown Act, Public Records Act, code enforcement, intergovernmental relations, grand juries, elections, initiatives and referenda. Tom joined Hanson Bridgett after serving for 12 years as the City Attorney for the City of Napa. Prior to his tenure at the City of Napa, Tom served as Senior Deputy City Attorney for the City of Berkeley. He received his J.D. from Hastings College of the Law in 1982 and his B.A. from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1978.
"Tom came to us with a great reputation in the municipal legal community, extensive experience as a problem solver in all aspects of municipal law and an impeccable record," said Joan Cassman, Public Agency Section Head. "He has exceeded our high expectations in strengthening our expertise and better serving our clients, old and new."
Swenson is experienced in a broad range of commercial litigation, including intrabusiness disputes, intellectual property cases, and real-estate matters. Swenson's specific experience includes: business accountings and dissolution proceedings; litigation over buy-sell agreements; trademark enforcement and policing; litigation over trademarks and the related Internet domain names; copyright litigation regarding the ownership of software; litigation over commercial leases; and eminent-domain litigation. Swenson earned a J.D. with honors in 1997 from Golden Gate University School of Law and a B.A. in 1992 from the University of Pennsylvania.
"Batya is first-rate in both interacting with clients on a personal level, as well as representing their interests in purely professional terms," said Lawrence Cirelli, Litigation Section Head.
Wu represents both public and private employers in executive compensation and employee benefit matters. He has extensive experience in the design and implementation of all types of retirement and deferred compensation plans. Wu also has assisted employers in the design and implementation of a wide variety of equity compensation programs and retiree health trusts. Wu received his J.D. in 1997 from Hastings College of Law, and graduated from San Francisco State University with a B.S. in 1993 in Accounting, magna cum laude.
"Marcus has been a consummate team player during his years with the firm and has a deep understanding of the intricacies of the tax and ERISA rules underlying employee benefits," said Connie Hiatt, the Chair of the Employee Benefits Practice Group. "Our clients have tremendous confidence in Marcus's skills as a practitioner. As a partner in the firm, I am confident that he will continue to expand the practice development and leadership roles in which he has been so successful to date."
Hanson Bridgett Public Relations:
P: 415-995-5192, F: 415-541-9366
To receive future Hanson Bridgett Press Releases by email or hard copy please email flopez@hansonbridgett.com.