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Associated Press
19-05-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Hanson Bridgett LLP Plants Flag in Fresno with Addition of Labor & Employment Partner Ryan Eddings
SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 19, 2025-- Hanson Bridgett LLP announced today that accomplished labor and employment attorney Ryan Eddings has joined the firm as a partner. He becomes Hanson Bridgett's first attorney based in Fresno, California, where the firm plans to open an office in 2025. Eddings will lead the firm's expansion in the Central Valley. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: Hanson Bridgett LLP Plants Flag in Fresno with Addition of Labor & Employment Partner Ryan Eddings 'As California's fifth-largest city and a major hub for agriculture, business, and innovation, Fresno has a dynamic economy and a vibrant future. The Central Valley region's significant growth in recent years merits expanded access to sophisticated legal services, and we're excited to be part of that continued progress,' said Kristina Lawson, managing partner of Hanson Bridgett LLP. 'The addition of Ryan, with his deep experience and strong labor and employment practice, is an important step in strengthening our presence in the Central Valley. Expanding in this region is central to our broader growth strategy and reflects our commitment to being California's law firm — equipped to serve the complex legal needs of clients across the entire state.' Eddings comes to Hanson Bridgett from the labor and employment firm Littler Mendelson P.C., where he has practiced for more than 15 years. He brings significant first-chair experience defending a range of employment disputes, including wage-and-hour class actions, cases brought under California's Private Attorney General Act, and single-plaintiff discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wrongful terminations. In addition, he advises management on all aspects of labor and employment law and the employment relationship, including hiring, termination, and other employment policies. For the last three years, Eddings acted as Littler Mendelson's managing shareholder in Fresno, a period in which the office nearly doubled in size. 'As a full-service firm, Hanson Bridgett provides a platform on which I can offer world-class counsel to employers in a range of disciplines, establishing a deeper connection with my clients,' said Eddings. 'I am inspired by the firm's strategic focus on California in general and Fresno in particular, and I look forward to leading its growth here.' A native of Fresno, Eddings returned to the city early in his legal career and advises local and national clients in health care, agriculture, and a range of other industries. He now serves as a board member of the City of Fresno's Historic Preservation Committee. Eddings is the second significant lateral hire for Hanson Bridgett in recent weeks. Last month, the firm added Gregory Reed as a partner in the firm's transportation and logistics practice group. Reed is based in Washington, D.C. Eddings received his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and his J.D. from the Loyola University Chicago School of Law. About Hanson Bridgett LLP Hanson Bridgett LLP is a full-service AmLaw 200 law firm with more than 200 attorneys across California. Creating a diverse workforce by fostering an atmosphere of belonging and intentional support has been a priority at Hanson Bridgett since its founding in 1958. We are dedicated to creating an environment that provides opportunities for people with varied backgrounds, both for attorneys and administrative professionals. As the first law firm recognized as a certified B Corp, we are committed to the communities where our employees live and work and consider it part of our professional obligation to serve justice by encouraging and supporting pro bono and social impact work. View source version on CONTACT: Media Contact: Patrick Clos, Communications Manager Hanson Bridgett LLP 415-995-5098 |[email protected] KEYWORD: UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA CALIFORNIA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: LABOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES LEGAL PUBLIC POLICY/GOVERNMENT HUMAN RESOURCES SOURCE: Hanson Bridgett LLP Copyright Business Wire 2025. PUB: 05/19/2025 09:30 AM/DISC: 05/19/2025 09:29 AM
Axios
14-03-2025
- Business
- Axios
Companies stay quiet on DEI in the Trump era
Companies, notably large employers, are pulling back and hushing up about diversity, equity and inclusion, per a survey of executives out Wednesday. Why it matters: The survey from employment law firm Littler Mendelson was conducted in two waves — once before and once after President Trump's inauguration — and is a stark illustration of the outsized impact of the White House's broad crackdown on diversity initiatives. By the numbers: After Trump took office last month, 53% of the executives surveyed said his anti-DEI policies will likely lead organizations in general to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion programs. That's a sharp increase from what executives said before January 20, when only 38% said this. 55% of executives polled said they are now more worried about the risk of DEI-related lawsuits, government enforcement actions, and shareholder proposals. Those fears are more widespread among federal contractors (74%), public companies (67%) and large employers (65%). How they did it: 347 C-suite executives, including chief executives, legal officers and diversity heads, were surveyed in December 2024. Then 340 executives were surveyed again in early February. The most common change firms are making in the DEI space: They're looking to stop talking about this stuff publicly. 61% of executives surveyed said they're weighing whether to remove or reduce DEI-related language from websites, proxy statements, and/or outward-facing communications. The share jumps to 70% for executives at federal contractors and public companies who are facing more regulatory pressure. "Diversity has almost become a bad word," an unnamed general counsel told Littler Mendelson, though "we've managed to maintain several previously implemented initiatives regardless of what they are called." Reality check: Companies really are split here. 47% of executives said their DEI commitments remain the same or might even grow. "I think it's perceived that everyone is abandoning [their DEI efforts], but think the survey shows that's not the case," said Jeanine Conley Daves, a shareholder at Littler Mendelson. State of play: On Tuesday afternoon, Apple shareholders rejected an anti-DEI proposal from an activist group, a victory for the company and proponents of diversity work in Corporate America. Anti-DEI shareholder proposals are becoming more common, more than doubling in 2024 to 13 from six the prior year, according to a tally from the Conference Board out this week. The group is advising companies to prepare for more in the coming months. The bottom line:"I think the work on diversity will go on," Richard Edelman, CEO of communications firm Edelman, told Axios in an interview, unrelated to the survey, on Monday. For many firms it's a business imperative to foster a diverse workforce, he said. "It may be going on under a different name, but it will go on." Editor's Note: This story has been corrected to reflect that surveyed executives were responding to a question about companies in general (not their own companies specifically).
