Four Hahn & Hahn Attorneys Recognized as Top Business Leaders in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES – July 7, 2022 – Hahn & Hahn LLP announced that Managing Partner Christianne Kerns and Partner Karla Berentsen, Of Counsel Kayla Horacek, and Associate Attorney Lucy Vartanian have been selected as nominees for the Los Angeles Business Journal’s “Women’s Leadership Awards,” which honors the accomplishments of women business leaders in the Los Angeles community.

Kerns is selected as a nominee in the “CEO of the Year” category, recognizing those professionals who are an inspiration to their organization and who lead by example. Kerns is the first female managing partner of the prestigious 123-year-old Pasadena, California-based law firm, which has transitioned from a historic “old-line firm” into a majority woman and minority-owned firm. Kerns and her team handle sophisticated financing transactions and restructure; manage complex commercial business relationships and contracts, and lead multifaceted real estate deals and projects. Kerns is a trusted board member and advisor to boards of directors, equity holders, and C-suite executives with a track record of identifying and effectively addressing risks and legal issues and strategic and operational challenges with the overarching goal of optimizing results value and ROI.

Karla Berentsen, Kayla Horacek, and Lucy Vartanian were all selected as nominees in the “Women to Watch” category, which recognizes emerging leaders who have demonstrated noteworthy contributions early in their careers.

Berentsen chairs the firm’s Trusts & Estates department and is on the firm’s Executive Committee. Her practice focuses on advising individuals and families with their estate planning and then guiding grieving families through the probate and administration process when a loved one passes away. Her clients are diverse in their ages, backgrounds, businesses, wealth, and charitable goals, so every day presents unique challenges. She is fortunate to have built longstanding relationships with her clients and has had the privilege of helping multiple generations within individual families.

With 15 years in practice, Horacek has extensive experience handling divorce and family law matters including business evaluations, complex property division, child custody issues and litigation over contested matters. In addition to her certification as a Family Law Specialist, Horacek is an accredited Minor’s Counsel and has experience as a behavioral technician for children with autism—a combination that provides her with a deeper appreciation of legal issues concerning children with special needs. Horacek also has a deep understanding of paternity matters, domestic violence issues.prenuptial agreements, postnuptial agreements, and cohabitation agreements.

Vartanian is a member of the firm’s Family Law Practice Group. Having exclusively practiced family law througout her legal career, Vartanian is adept at handling a wide range of family law issues, from dissolution and parentage matters to premarital and post nuptial agreements. A fierce advocate for her clients, Vartanian's settlement-oriented and calm demeanor facilitates a productive and respectful working relationship with opposing counsel, and also results in positive outcomes for her clients. Vartanian developed her interest in family law as a result of her positive classroom experience with leading family court judicial officers in Los Angeles County.

Hahn & Hahn LLP has been an active member of the Southern California business and legal communities since 1899. The firm represents entrepreneurs, innovators, business owners, family offices and charitable organizations in their corporate, real estate, employment, estate planning and family law issues and in litigation. The firm is a certified majority Women & Minority Owned