Three Snell & Wilmer Partners Selected for Inclusion in San Diego Business Journal’s 2023 Women of Influence in Law

SAN DIEGO (June 26, 2023) – Snell & Wilmer is pleased to announce that San Diego Partners Steffi Hafen, Jaime D. Choi, Ph.D., and Monique Lashbrook have been selected for inclusion in San Diego Business Journal’s 2023 Women of Influence in Law. According to the publication, this recognition celebrates women trailblazers in law by highlighting their careers and significant accomplishments within the San Diego community. 

Hafen is the managing partner of our San Diego office, and is a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law, 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 focused in tax, trust, and estate law. She is also a member of the Lawyers’ Club; the Association for Corporate Growth; and the San Diego and the North County Estate Planning Council. She received her L.L.M in Taxation from Loyola Law School, her J.D. from the University of Southern California, Gould School of Law, and her B.A. from University of California, Santa Barbara. 

Choi is an intellectual property partner whose practice focuses on patenting complex, interdisciplinary technologies and building strategic patent portfolios, with an emphasis on evaluating and mitigating risk from third-party patents. She advises clients in a variety of market sectors, including bioinformatics, medical devices, robotics, microfluidics, semiconductor fabrication, digital signal processing, photonics, advanced imaging, and fabrication of complex materials and devices that use them. Choi also has deep experience in disputes, including litigation, arbitration, licensing, and trade secrets. She received her J.D. from University of San Diego School of Law, her Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and her B.A. in Chemistry from Rice University.  

Lashbrook is a real estate partner who focuses her practice on real estate, corporate and commercial finance-related matters and transactions. She has extensive experience handling real estate acquisitions and dispositions, joint ventures, commercial mortgage financing, commercial leasing for industrial and retail spaces, and property management matters. She is an active member of the Chicano Federation, serving on the board of directors as secretary and as a member of the executive committee. Lashbrook is also a member of University of San Diego’s Burnham-Moores Center Real Estate Committee, the Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA), and San Diego La Raza Lawyers Association. She received her J.D. from University of Illinois, College of Law, her MBA from Saint Ambrose University, and her B.A. from University of California, Los Angeles.