Faces of HR: How Jennifer Martinez Champions DEI at Hanson Bridgett

Jennifer Martinez, Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer (CDEIO) at Hanson Bridgett LLP, is a driving force in the legal industry’s push for diversity, equity, inclusion, and opportunity. With a passion for both legal advocacy and social justice, she has dedicated her career to creating a more equitable workplace.

As CDEIO, Martinez spearheads the firm’s DEI initiatives, creating and implementing strategies that foster a culture of belonging and empowerment. Her focus on cultural competency, unconscious bias, and equitable advancement has made a significant impact on the firm’s workforce.

Before stepping into her current role, Martinez was a seasoned employment lawyer, representing employers in complex litigation and providing strategic counsel on a wide range of employment matters. Her deep understanding of the legal landscape, combined with her commitment to DEI, makes her a valuable asset to Hanson Bridgett and its clients.

A Lifelong Pursuit of Justice

From a young age, Martinez dreamed of a career in law. Inspired by a desire to fight for justice and make a difference, she pursued her legal education at Stanford Law School. Her early career as an employment litigation attorney ignited her passion for advocating for workers’ rights and challenging systemic inequalities.

Martinez’s commitment to DEI is rooted in her personal experiences as a Latina in the legal profession. She is determined to create a more inclusive environment where individuals from all backgrounds can thrive. By championing diversity and equity, Martinez is shaping the future of the legal industry and inspiring others to join the movement for change.

In our latest Faces, meet Jennifer Martinez.

Who is/was your biggest influence in the industry?

I have been fortunate to have many mentors and allies in my career.  But there’s two that really stand out for me and are probably even mentors to some of my own other mentors. Fred Alvarez was my first mentor and remains my ultimate model for what a labor and employment attorney should strive to be. He’s so incredibly knowledgeable, experienced, deeply respected by both the plaintiff and defense bar, and an all-around good human being.  He taught me a standard of excellence, while also emphasizing the “no jerks” rule (honestly, the rule may have been stronger than “jerks”), that I keep front of mind throughout my practice.

The other mentor that comes to mind is Jahmal Davis. While Fred gave me an incredible foundation, Jahmal really made me the individual lawyer that I am. He was the first to show me that I could be an excellent lawyer and still my authentic self, and that there was strength in showing up that way. He made lawyering real in a way, shaping the strategy of a case, bringing me into the client relationship, and teaching me about the business of law.

It sounds like through your experience you really care about people, and you want to help them feel safe and comfortable, which is important in the industry. Please elaborate here.

It’s personal for me, for one. It’s difficult to make it in this industry by any metric. What kills me is the amount of talent we probably lose out on because the industry or the practice of law is alienating to people from historically underrepresented communities or first generation professionals. And this goes back to that love of problem-solving even as a kid—maybe it’s the eternal optimist in me, but this feels like a fixable problem! Fixable doesn’t mean easy-to-fix, by the way. But I find the challenge fulfilling.

How can HR most effectively demonstrate its value to the leadership team?

In my legal practice, my client contact is often the head HR person at a company. From my immediate perspective, if an HR team is proactive about legal risk and can minimize the number of internal complaints, demand letters, and legal claims, that value-add is huge. And, of course, that’s easier said than done, but I think there’s a strong DEI element here—tons of research shows that diverse and inclusive workplaces are more innovative, more adaptive to change, and have significantly lower attrition rates. Workplaces where employees feel they are reviewed and promoted equitably, and are treated overall with emotional intelligence, report higher employee satisfaction. All of these goals of DEI can help minimize those internal complaint and legal claim issues. 

Where do you see the industry heading in five years? Or are you seeing any current trends?

I want to answer this in two ways, starting with where I hope the industry doesn’t head in five years.  In the business world generally, the current trend of DEI “backlash” or “anti-DEI” really irks me.  Most of the DEI “opponents” base their opposition on a fundamental misunderstanding—often an intentional misrepresentation—of what DEI programs and initiatives are. DEI programs are not about quotas or lowering standards. They are simply recognizing that diverse workplaces are more successful, and where we have diverse workplaces we need to be thoughtful and intentional about equity and inclusion to counteract unconscious and systemic biases. These initiatives not only benefit people from underrepresented groups, they end up benefiting all employees. 

The noisy opponents of DEI want to instill fear in businesses that they will be sued for their DEI programs. But the fear is their point—they want you to do their work for them, and rollback DEI programs on your own. And this rollback is coming barely four years after one of the largest racial justice movements since the Civil Rights Movement. That’s heartbreaking. We shouldn’t give into these fear-based threats. And I am optimistic that many companies and law firms are, in fact, not giving into the backlash, even if they may be doing their DEI work more quietly. So, in terms of where I see the industry heading in five years, my hope is that more businesses embrace the many benefits of embedding a DEI lens in their workplaces, such that the critics are drowned out by positive results.

Do you have any advice for people entering the profession?

I remember the Hon. Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers telling me as a law student that I should “find my piece of the P.I.E.” And by that acronym, she meant to practice as an attorney with passion, integrity, and excellence. I’ve always loved that approach to success in the profession—you keep those values top of mind, and you can find a path to the top. 

I would add to that foundation that you should always keep your community in mind—meaning, find a way to give back both in service but also in mentoring people that come after you. You cannot be a successful attorney on your own, you need a support system, which also means you have to invest back into that support system. And remember that your ultimate role as an attorney is one of justice; I think that calling necessarily includes giving back to the community that got you there, the community where you live, and/or the community where you work.

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