Four Snell & Wilmer Partners Recognized as Leaders of Influence in Law by San Diego Business Journal

SAN DIEGO – Snell & Wilmer is pleased to announce that partners Brook T. Barnes, Steffi Hafen, Monique Lashbrook, and Bardia Moayedi have been recognized as “Leaders of Influence in Law 2025” by the San Diego Business Journal. This annual award celebrates and honors the contributions and commitments of the outstanding legal professionals in the San Diego community.

Barnes is a labor and employment partner who counsels and represents employers in all aspects of labor and employment litigation, including claims for improper wage deductions, failure to pay wages, failure to pay overtime wages, failure to provide meal periods and rest breaks, misclassification of employees, inaccurate wage statements, commission calculations, Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) claims, class actions, wrongful termination, and retaliatory and discriminatory employment actions. His practice is distinguished by his ability to guide employers through complex disputes while helping them implement proactive strategies to minimize risk. Beyond his practice, Barnes invests in the local community as a board member and coach with the La Costa Youth Organization.

Hafen is the managing partner of the firm’s San Diego office, and is a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust, and Probate Law by the California Board of Legal Specialization. She is a co-leader of the firm’s Private Client Services practice group and a partner in the General Federal Tax practice group. Her practice is concentrated in tax, trust, and estate law, and she employs advanced estate planning techniques, including grantor retained annuity trusts, family partnerships, limited liability companies, charitable remainder trusts, defective grantor trusts, insurance planning, public charities, and private foundations. She also advises clients regarding succession planning for closely held businesses. Hafen serves on the Board of Junior Achievement of San Diego County and the Board of the San Diego County Regional Economic Development Corporation (EDC).

Lashbrook is a real estate partner who focuses her practice on corporate and commercial finance matters. She has extensive experience in real estate acquisitions and dispositions, joint ventures, commercial mortgage financing, commercial leasing for industrial and retail spaces, and property management. She previously served as deputy general counsel for the City of San Diego’s Redevelopment Agency, further strengthening her background in complex transactions and public-private projects. Lashbrook serves on the Board of Directors of the Chicano Federation, is Deputy Regional Governor of the Hispanic National Bar Association, and contributes to the Chicano Park Museum and Cultural Center.

Moayedi is a corporate and securities partner and co-chair of the firm’s Life Sciences Industry Group. He advises life sciences companies from formation through IPOs and acquisitions, with experience in seed financings, public offerings, and M&As. He has led transactions across the industry, including the acquisition of a therapeutics company and multiple IPOs for clinical-stage biotherapeutics and medical device companies. His clients include emerging growth companies, public enterprises, and venture capital firms. Moayedi serves on the board of EvoNexus and advises incubators at UC San Diego, UC Irvine, SDSU, and UC Law San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings College of Law). He also teaches life sciences entrepreneurship at UCSD’s School of Pharmacology.