First Latina, Only Third Woman to Lead the Tournament of Roses Named 2020 President

Laura V. Farber, a Partner and experienced trial lawyer in Hahn & Hahn’s litigation and employment practice groups, will make history as President for the 2019-2020 year of the Tournament of Roses. Farber will provide leadership for the 131st Rose Parade and the 106th Rose Bowl Game on Wednesday, January 1, 2020.
“Laura is an outstanding lawyer who has been a tremendous leader in a variety of organizations throughout her career,” said Hahn & Hahn Managing Partner Karl Swaidan. “As the first Latina and third woman to serve as the Tournament of Roses president, Laura will offer an important unique perspective and fresh approach.”
Farber has been a volunteer member of the Tournament of Roses Association since 1993 and elected to the Executive Committee in 2012. Throughout her extensive Tournament career, Farber has served on and chaired various committees including Decorating Places, Formation Area, Judging and Membership Development.
Prior to Farber, four Hahn & Hahn Partners went through the same eight-year journey, making the firm home to a total of five Tournament of Roses presidents. In chronological order, those preceding Farber include: Louis Vincenti (1948), Stanley Hahn (1963), William Johnstone (1997) and R. Scott Jenkins (2014).

Farber is also a member of the American Bar Association, where she serves as the State Delegate for California in the House of Delegates, Chair of the Latin America and Caribbean Initiative Council, a member of the Rule of Law Initiative Board, a member of the Steering Committee of the Nominating Committee, a former member of the Board of Governors representing the State of California, past chair of the Commission on Youth At Risk, past chair of the Solo Small Firm and General Practice Division, past chair of the Young Lawyers Division and past member of the ABA Journal Editorial Board. She has also served as member of the Board of Trustees of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, and as a member of the Minorities in the Legal Profession Committee, and she served as President of the Barristers, the LACBA’s young lawyers division.
In addition to her many years of service in the Tournament of Roses, her civic activities include being a member of the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation Advisory Board and the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation Museum Committee, member of the board of directors of the non-profit Clazzical Notes, a four-year member of the board of directors for the YWCA, a member of the school site council for Marengo Elementary School in South Pasadena, and an officer of the South Pasadena Middle School Booster Club.
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Farber’s native language is Spanish. She earned her bachelor’s degree, cum laude, with departmental highest honors, in 1987 from University of California, Los Angeles and her juris doctor, cum laude, in 1990 from Georgetown University.
Swaidan continued, “It’s not that surprising that five Hahn & Hahn Partners would lead the board that produces the city’s legendary New Year’s event, or that Farber would be tapped as President for the centennial anniversary of women getting the right to vote. The firm expects and encourages every lawyer to become actively engaged in community service.”
“We’re one of the oldest law firms in California, formed in 1899, and one of the largest general practice firms in the San Gabriel Valley,” Swaidan noted. “But, we’ve also evolved over the years and we are proud to be certified as a majority Women & Minority Owned Business Enterprise. We have cultivated an environment that fosters community engagement and also reflects the community we serve.”
About Hahn & Hahn LLP
Founded in 1899, Hahn & Hahn LLP is among the state’s oldest law firms and is one of the largest general practice firms in the San Gabriel Valley. Its practices include Litigation, Business, Employment, Family Law, Trust & Estates, Trust Litigation, Real Estate and Land Use/Environmental.