USD Law Alumnus Bardia Moayedi ’14 (JD) Named Managing Partner of Snell & Wilmer’s San Diego Office
University of San Diego (USD) School of Law congratulates Bardia Moayedi ’14 (JD), who was appointed managing partner of Snell & Wilmer’s San Diego office on April 1, 2026.
A corporate and securities partner and co-chair of the firm’s Life Sciences Industry Group, Moayedi succeeds Steffi Hafen in the role. Since opening in 2020, the San Diego office has grown from a two-person team to more than 50 attorneys and staff while expanding its presence across the county’s business and innovation communities. The firm’s attorneys focus their practices on corporate, employment, intellectual property, private client services, real estate, commercial litigation, and tax services to key sectors in the region.
“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.”
In practice, Moayedi advises emerging growth and public companies across industries ranging from life sciences and clean technology to capital markets. His work focuses on corporate governance and complex transactions spanning mergers and acquisitions, debt offerings, and joint ventures. He has also represented companies in high-value transactions including acquisitions exceeding $600 million and multiple initial public offerings ranging from $50 million to more than $200 million.
Moayedi has been recognized by numerous organizations for his professional achievements including The Best Lawyers in America for corporate law (2023–2026) and venture capital law (2023–2026). He was also named one of San Diego Metro’s Best Attorneys (2026) while being a Leader of Influence in Law (2024, 2025) as well as a Leader of Influence in Life Sciences (2025) honoree by the San Diego Business Journal.
Barb Dawson, Snell & Wilmer chair, notes, “Hafen’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 Moayedi 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.”
Snell & Wilmer has offices in: Phoenix, AZ; Tucson, AZ; Los Angeles, CA; Costa Mesa (Orange County), CA; Palo Alto, CA; San Diego, CA; Denver, CO; Washington, D.C.; Boise, ID; Las Vegas, NV; Reno, NV; Albuquerque, NM; Portland, OR; Dallas, TX; Salt Lake City, UT; Seattle, WA; and San José del Cabo (Los Cabos), Mexico.
Snell & Wilmer is a participating firm in USD School of Law’s Law Firm Challenge program, providing critical support to the law school in supporting our students and programs.
Read the full press release here.
About the School of Law
Each year, USD Law educates approximately 800 Juris Doctor and graduate law students from throughout the United States and around the world. The law school is best known for its offerings in the areas of business and corporate law, constitutional law, intellectual property, international and comparative law, public interest law and taxation.
USD School of Law is one of the 88 law schools elected to the Order of the Coif, a national honor society for law school graduates. The law school’s faculty is a strong group of outstanding scholars and teachers with national and international reputations and currently ranks 34th nationally among U.S. law faculties in scholarly impact and 35th nationally in past-year faculty downloads on the Social Sciences Research Network (SSRN). The school is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Founded in 1954, the law school is part of the University of San Diego, a private, independent, Roman Catholic university chartered in 1949.