Robert F. Hahn, Esq

Senior Partner

Robert F. Hahn, Esq

For more than twenty years, Mr. Hahn has been guiding and advising licensed legal professionals in every facet of their legal professional practice. Through his experience, judgment, and skill as a negotiator and advocate, Mr. Hahn has established a reputation of successful representation and a record of obtaining the best possible result for each client. His extensive experience with the various State agencies keeps him familiar with the current internal management of these agencies and the attorneys who represent them.

Twenty years of working with the same agencies has helped Mr. Hahn develop legal professional relationships with staff at every level within the agencies. These relationships are characterized by mutual trust, respect, and a sense of regard for the effectiveness of his and his firm’s skills. Because of his long-time familiarity and personal interactions with agency staff and the administrative law judges who hear their cases, Mr. Hahn is able to provide insight into the particular concerns of each licensing agency and design results for each client that are as personally satisfying as possible. It is Mr. Hahn’s practice, and that of his firm, to tailor the handling of each case to the particular needs and concerns of each client. By viewing each client’s set of circumstances through this personal lens, Mr. Hahn offers compassionate and individualized representation, which is unique among licensing defense attorneys. Mr. Hahn has successfully argued cases before nearly every regulatory board and agency in California and is an extremely effective advocate at every level of administrative proceedings.

In addition to his defense work, Mr. Hahn also assists licensees and developers with the sale and leasing of residential care businesses, and prepares the sale and leaseback documents required to ensure a successful transaction.

Mr. Hahn encourages all licensees to protect their personal assets by operating as a corporation or limited liability company and prepares and files the formation documents required.

The Early Years

Prior to becoming an attorney, Mr. Hahn spent thirteen years as a teacher and administrator for special education services in California. While attending law school, Mr. Hahn spent time volunteering as a mental health hearing officer reviewing the safety issues at stake when individuals were hospitalized on a mandatory hold. In this role he was weekly faced with the challenge of applying vague and ambiguous legal criteria to the concrete facts of the individual’s circumstances and required to determine whether or not they posed a “danger to self, others, or were gravely impaired”. During the two years of biweekly service in this position, Mr. Hahn decided over one hundred cases. His role as a hearing officer was to absorb the essential facts, hear the positions of the hospital representative, the patient, the patient’s advocate, and render a decision as to whether the patient could safely be discharged. Mr. Hahn grew adept at balancing the needs of the State with those of the patient and gained valuable experience that has lent itself to an understanding of the mindset and issues relative to an Administrative Law Judge who oversees the hearings that licensees face when agency Accusations are filed. This experience as a mental health hearing officer, along with more than twenty years as a legal advocate for legal professional licensees, provides a unique foundation of practical firsthand experience with government agencies and the administrative disciplinary process.

Associations and Memberships

Mr. Hahn is a frequent presenter at California professional conferences and has given informative talks to numerous organizations including Assisted Living Education, California Assisted Living Association (CALA), and the Society of California Care Operators (SOCCO). Mr. Hahn is an active member of the Oakland Builders Alliance (OBA) and California Assisted Living Association (CALA). Mr. Hahn is also an affiliate member of a 6Beds.org, which was formed to support licensed facility operators who are facing critical challenges from the Department of Labor and Division of Labor Standards Enforcement. Mr. Hahn and his staff donate time to support this association and his firm is one of a select group of firms that are affiliated with this vital organization.

Education

In 1971, Mr. Hahn obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from Lafayette College, located in Easton, Pennsylvania, in English Literature. In 1982, Mr. Hahn received a Master of Arts degree from San Fransico State University in Education of Exceptional Children and in 1985 Mr. Hahn completed his Juris Doctorate from John F. Kennedy University. Mr. Hahn is a member of the State Bar of California.

Mr. Hahn is an avid musician and can be heard playing the harmonica with local blues bands throughout the Bay Area.