Snell & Wilmer Names Bardia Moayedi as Managing Partner of its San Diego Office

SAN DIEGO – Snell & Wilmer is pleased to announce that corporate & securities partner Bardia Moayedi has been named managing partner of the firm’s San Diego office effective April 1, 2026. Moayedi, who serves as co-chair of the firm’s Life Sciences Industry Group, succeeds Steffi Hafen, partner and co-chair of the firm’s Private Client Services Practice Group.

Since opening in 2020, the San Diego office has experienced significant growth, expanding from a two-person team to a thriving office of 33 attorneys and 21 staff members. Over the past several years, the office has steadily expanded its presence in the region’s business and innovation communities, including relocating to a larger office in Del Mar to accommodate the firm’s growing team and its increasing role in hosting client programs, industry events, and community initiatives. Our San Diego attorneys are regularly honored by their clients and peers for their outstanding legal skills and high ethical standards, and have been recognized by several organizations including The Best Lawyers in America©, San Diego Super Lawyers, the San Diego Business Journal, and San Diego Metro magazine.

“I am honored to serve as managing partner of our San Diego office,” said Moayedi. “Steffi’s leadership has been instrumental in shaping both the growth and character of this office. I’m looking forward to building on the strong foundation she helped establish while continuing to support our team, our clients, and the broader community.”

“It has been a privilege to help found and build the San Diego office,” said Hafen. “As I hand this responsibility off to Bardia, I am confident in his leadership and his dedication to our people and our clients. His deep ties to the community and his experience guiding organizations through important transactions make him well prepared to lead the office into its next chapter.”

Barb Dawson, Snell & Wilmer chair, added, “Steffi’s leadership has been central to the remarkable growth and success of our San Diego office, and we are grateful for her many contributions. As Bardia assumes this leadership role, we are excited for his guidance and are confident that the office will continue to thrive as a key part of our California presence.”

Moayedi is a corporate and securities partner who advises companies and financial firms on a broad range of corporate and transactional matters, including venture capital financings, mergers and acquisitions, debt offerings, joint ventures, IPOs, follow-on offerings, and tender offers. Deeply engaged in the Southern California innovation ecosystem, he serves on the board of directors of EvoNexus and is an affiliate professor at the University of California San Diego, where he co-teaches life sciences entrepreneurship. He also works with startup incubators at UC Irvine Applied Innovation, SDSU ZIP Launchpad, and UC Law San Francisco, and is an active member of Biocom California. Moayedi received his J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law and his B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles.