Four Snell & Wilmer Attorneys Recognized as Leaders of Influence in Technology by the San Diego Business Journal

SAN DIEGO – Snell & Wilmer is pleased to announce that attorneys Christopher Franich, Eli W. Mansour, April M. Wurster, and Sarah Hibbard have been recognized as “2026 Leaders of Influence in Technology” by the San Diego Business Journal. This award honors individuals whose innovation and leadership continue to shape San Diego’s technology ecosystem.  

Franich is an intellectual property partner who advises startups, emerging growth companies, and Fortune 100 companies on patent strategy, intellectual property portfolio development, and technology transactions across industries including software, artificial intelligence, aerospace, medical devices, and advanced manufacturing. Drawing on his background as an aerospace engineer, he helps clients protect and commercialize innovative technologies while navigating patent prosecution, portfolio management, and intellectual property disputes.

Mansour is a technology transactions partner who advises technology, life sciences, and medical device companies on intellectual property and commercial transactions, including licensing, technology transfers, strategic collaborations, clinical research, manufacturing, and commercialization agreements. He works with startups, research institutions, and established companies to bring innovative technologies to market while protecting valuable intellectual property. He serves as co-chair of the San Diego Chapter of the Licensing Executives Society, helping foster collaboration across the region’s innovation community.

Wurster is an intellectual property partner and co-chair of the firm’s Life Sciences and Medical Technology Industry Group who advises technology and life sciences companies on patent strategy, intellectual property transactions, and commercial agreements involving licensing, manufacturing, and collaborative development. Drawing on her background in molecular biology and experience as in-house counsel, she helps startups, universities, and public companies protect emerging technologies and bring innovation to market.

Hibbard is corporate and securities counsel who advises technology, digital health, and life sciences companies on corporate governance, venture financings, mergers and acquisitions, and commercial transactions, including licensing, technology transfers, and strategic collaborations. Drawing on her experience as a former general counsel, she helps founders, boards, and executives navigate growth and commercialization. She serves on the board of Connect, co-chairs the San Diego Chapter of the Licensing Executives Society, and mentors entrepreneurs through SDSU’s Lavin Entrepreneurship Center and the Start-up Legal Garage at UC Law San Francisco.