Atty. Stephen M. Hankins
Steve Hankins tries cases involving intellectual property, employment, and other disputes. Steve was hooked on trial advocacy right after college when he worked with a group of busy personal injury trial attorneys.
Profile Summary
About Stephen M. Hankins at a glance
Stephen M. Hankins is a business and litigation attorney based in San Francisco, California, practicing at Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila LLP. Educated at University of California Davis (J.D., 1991). Recognitions include Best Lawyers in America — Commercial Litigation (2026). Serands clients in San Francisco, CA and the surrounding metropolitan area.
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About
- Steve Hankins tries cases involving intellectual property, employment, and other disputes
- Steve was hooked on trial advocacy right after college when he worked with a group of busy personal injury trial attorneys
- There were many trials, each one requiring empathy, creativity, forensic legwork, and nuanced advocacy
- Raised by English teachers and artists, these skills come naturally to Steve
- After 25 years of practice, Steve still enjoys more than anything else the careful preparation and fast pace of a hard fought controversy in trial before a jury
- Steve also was destined to be a founding partner at RSHC
- While he received excellent training at a larger firm as a young lawyer, Steve thrives in the nimble, no-nonsense, efficiencies that a smaller firm offers
- He demands from himself and each team he assembles the highest level of exceptional lawyering required by sophisticated clients, their adversaries, and the courts where their matters are resolved
- Prior to founding RSHC, he served as managing partner, practice group leader, and management committee member
- Steve has tried or argued on appeal over twenty cases in jurisdictions across the country, and he has first-chaired a range of cases involving fraud, antitrust, intellectual property, and employment claims
- He serves as outside general counsel to several companies, advising them on a wide range of matters, including international intellectual property enforcement, government investigations, and employment counseling and litigation
- Steve is committed to serving the underserved in employment and civil rights matters
- He loves competition and endurance sports, completing four ironman distance races
Practice Areas Explained
Stephen M. Hankins's Areas of Practice
Each practice area below reflects the types of cases Stephen M. Hankins handles, with a brief overview of what that area of law covers.
Business attorneys advise founders and growing companies on entity formation, contracts, financing, M&A, and dispute resolution.
Stephen M. Hankins is one of 501,317 business attorneys indexed nationally. Browse business attorneys in California →
Civil litigation attorneys for breach of contract, business disputes, civil rights, and class action lawsuits.
Stephen M. Hankins is one of 454,532 litigation attorneys indexed nationally. Browse litigation attorneys in California →
Jurisdictional Context
Why local counsel matters in California
Practicing law in California. Legal matters in California are governed by state-specific rules of civil and criminal procedure, statutes of limitations, and substantive law. Cases originating in San Francisco are typically filed in the local municipal court or the appropriate California state district court, depending on subject matter and amount in controversy. An attorney licensed in California brings working knowledge of local procedural deadlines, judicial practices in this andnue, and the substantive law that applies to cases brought here. Out-of-state attorneys generally cannot represent clients in California courts without local counsel or pro hac vice admission.
Looking for additional California attorneys? Browse all attorneys in San Francisco or all attorneys in California.
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