Hanson Bridgett Expands Family Wealth Practice with Addition of Claire Sullivan in San Francisco
Estate planning and tax attorney joins the firm’s San Francisco office
SAN FRANCISCO – Aug. 20, 2026 – Hanson Bridgett LLP, today announced that Claire Sullivan has joined the firm as a partner in its San Francisco office, strengthening the firm’s family wealth practice for high-net-worth individuals, families, and business owners across the Bay Area.
Sullivan advises clients on sophisticated estate planning, trust administration, and tax-efficient wealth transfer strategies, with a focus on designing customized plans that preserve and protect multigenerational wealth. Her clients include high-net-worth individuals, family groups, business owners, real estate investors, and fiduciaries. She regularly structures revocable and irrevocable trusts, generation-skipping trusts, and asset protection entities; represents fiduciaries through trust and probate administrations; and counsels clients on federal and state income, gift, estate, property, and generation-skipping tax matters, including the preparation and review of IRS Forms 709, 706, and 1041.
Her arrival gives California clients access to a broader, full-service legal platform. Sullivan’s estate planning work frequently intersects with the needs of founders, startup executives, and real estate investors, opening the door to collaboration with Hanson Bridgett’s tax, real estate, and litigation teams on matters ranging from equity compensation and QSBS strategies to business sales, real estate restructuring, and contested trust administrations.
“Claire is a terrific addition to our team,” said Dan Spector, leader of Hanson Bridgett’s Private Client Services Section. “She understands that great estate planning is about much more than tax efficiency. It’s about families, businesses, and the decisions people make to protect what they’ve built. Her experience, practical approach, and deep and expansive roots in the San Francisco Bay Area will be critical assets to our clients, and we’re very glad to have her with us.”
Sullivan joins Hanson Bridgett from Delagnes, Linder & Duey, LLP, where she was a partner and served as primary advisor to high-net-worth individuals, multi-generational families, and business owners. She began her legal career at Andersen Tax LLC in San Francisco, where she specialized in private client services before entering private practice.
Sullivan earned her bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Southern California, and her law degree from the University of San Francisco School of Law, where she also completed an LL.M. in taxation and a certificate in tax law.
She received the Andersen Tax Award from the University of San Francisco’s Graduate Tax Program for superior academic performance and excellence in the tax curriculum, as well as CALI Awards for Estate & Gift Taxation and Graduate Estate Planning.
About Hanson Bridgett’s Family Wealth Practice
For more than 60 years, Hanson Bridgett has helped individuals and families manage and protect their wealth through estate planning, business succession, tax planning, and charitable giving. This group has extensive experience handling complex assets, including pre-IPO stock, equity compensation, and concentrated real estate holdings, and regularly serves clients in technology, venture capital, and private equity alongside the firm’s tax group.
About Hanson Bridgett
Hanson Bridgett LLP is an Am Law 200 law firm with more than 200 attorneys and offices across California. Rooted in California and well-versed in its complex legal landscape, the firm proudly serves clients nationwide. The firm is structured to support businesses, public agencies, nonprofits, and individuals spanning industries, including: construction, corporate and risk management, government and transportation, employer services, health and senior care, wealth management, and real estate and environment. As the first law firm certified as a B Corp, Hanson Bridgett is deeply committed to public service, sustainability, and advancing the communities where we live and work – in California and beyond.
For media inquiries, contact:
Patrick L. Clos
Communications Manager
Hanson Bridgett LLP
415-995-5098 | [email protected]