Christianne F. Kerns
Christianne (Chris) Kerns is the Managing Partner and Chair of the Executive Committee of Hahn & Hahn LLP. The firm's first female Managing Partner, Chris champions diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and has led the firm to become one of the largest law firms in California certified as a majority Women Owned Business Enterprise. In her role, Chris leads strategic planning, talent management, partnership matters, compensation, branding, business development, IT, finance, accounting, risk management, crisis management, and human resources, and has budget and P&L oversight.
In addition, Chris actively maintains her legal practice as a member of the firm’s Business department, guiding corporate boards and C-Suite executives to drive growth. Clients appreciate her ability to assess the opportunity and risk landscape to align major business decisions with organizational goals, build boards and board committees, and implement strong governance practices. Her decades of industry experience provide her with in-depth knowledge of complex debt and capital strategies, inorganic growth strategies, strategic partnerships, complex financing acquisitions, commercial real estate, M&A activities, and other business transactions. She advises management teams to identify and proactively curb risk, achieve financial sustainability, manage legal and regulatory compliance, discreetly resolve sensitive internal challenges, and achieve high-level long-term solutions to benefits all stakeholders. She guides CEOs and boards on board recruiting, board committee structure, and development and implementation of board policies and procedures.
Chris also serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of SunAmerica Asset Management, Series Trust and Seasons Series Trust, an over $50 billion mutual fund complex managed by SunAmerica, a subsidiary of Corebridge Financial (NYSE: CRBG). Additionally, Chris has served as a director of various nonprofit organizations for more than two decades, serving on Executive, Nominating, Governance, Finance and Audit Committees.
“My highest priority is to support my business clients and boards of directors as a dedicated professional, offering a wealth of experience and knowledge that I’ve accumulated throughout my career. My approach unites practical advice with a keen business perspective—a rare advantage in the legal community.”