An Nguyen Ruda

Co-Managing Partner

Overview
Credentials
Insights
Publications
Speaking Engagements

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An Nguyen Ruda is the CEO and Co-Managing Partner of Bartko Pavia LLP. She arrived in this country from Vietnam at five years old, built her career from the ground up, and since taking the helm in January 2023, has driven the firm’s expansion from a single San Francisco office to a bicoastal platform spanning Los Angeles and New York City.

An builds things. She shapes strategy, grows markets, and makes the operational decisions that determine what kind of firm Bartko Pavia becomes. Her focus is on positioning the firm as the premier elite boutique for clients who need sophisticated, senior-level counsel — not a large firm’s overhead and bureaucracy.

Her industry expertise runs deep in labor and employment, where she advises executives and boards on workforce strategy, organizational risk, and high-stakes restructuring. In one of the largest healthcare bankruptcies in the country, she renegotiated seven collective bargaining agreements in 70 days to close a time-sensitive transaction. Clients ranging from family businesses to Fortune 500 companies trust her to solve complex problems quickly and without unnecessary litigation.

An is equally invested in the next generation of legal talent. She mentors young lawyers with the same directness she brings to her clients — pushing them to lead with confidence, think like business owners, and build careers that are distinctly their own.

An is a Northern California Super Lawyer (2022–2025). She holds a J.D., magna cum laude, from Santa Clara University School of Law and a B.A. with highest honors from UC Berkeley.

Credentials

Education

Santa Clara University, School of Law, J.D., magna cum laude
University of California, Berkeley, B.A., with highest honors

Bar Admissions

State Bar of California

Court Admissions

United States District Court for the Northern District of California
United States District Court for the Eastern District of California
United States District Court for the Southern District of California
United States District Court for the Central District of California

Recognitions

2026 Women, Influence and Power in Law (WIPL) Awards Dual Finalist: Managing Partner of the Year and Mentor & Mentee Collaboration
Northern California Super Lawyer (2022-2025)

Insights

Speaking Engagements

30, January 2026

An Nguyen Ruda Joins Panel on Law Firm Governance and Organizational Structure

Speaking Engagements

04, September 2025

An Nguyen Ruda and Josiah Jenkins Present for the San Francisco Employer Advisory Council

Events

18, April 2026

An Evening with Pitzer College

Bartko Pavia recently opened its San Francisco office to the Pitzer College community for an intimate alumni reception as part of the College's Engagement Tour. The gathering brought together Pitzer alumni for an evening of networking, conversation, and reconnection.

Media Mentions

16, April 2026

An Nguyen Ruda Named Dual Finalist for Law.com's 2026 Women, Influence & Power in Law Awards

Bartko Pavia LLP is proud to announce that CEO and Co-Managing Partner An Nguyen Ruda has been named a finalist in two categories for Law.com Corporate Counsel's prestigious 2026 Women, Influence & Power in Law (WIPL) Awards: Managing Partner of the Year and Mentor & Mentee Collaboration (with Luzann Fernandez, Strategic Counsel to Managing Partners).

Speaking Engagements

14, April 2026

Transform 2026: An Nguyen Ruda and Jamie Viramontes on the Legal and HR Realities of AI in the Workplace

At Transform 2026 in Las Vegas, An Nguyen Ruda, CEO and Co-Managing Partner of Bartko Pavia, joined Jamie Viramontes, CEO of Konnect, for a discussion as part of The Human + AI Equation event, focused on how organizations are navigating AI while keeping people at the center of decision making. Framed through both legal and HR perspectives, the discussion focused on what is actually happening inside organizations today, from leadership challenges to compliance risks and real world implementation.

Speaking Engagements

20, February 2026

An Nguyen Ruda Discusses Building Authentic Culture at Bartko Pavia LLP

In a revealing conversation on the Legal Late Night podcast, An Nguyen Ruda, CEO and Co-Managing Partner of Bartko Pavia LLP, shared her unconventional approach to building one of California's most dynamic boutique litigation firms.

Media Mentions

13, February 2026

AI and the Human Premium: An Nguyen Ruda on the Legal Late Night Podcast

Will AI replace lawyers?

Press Release

30, October 2025

An Ruda Serves as Judge at the Berkeley Female Founders & Funders Summit

Press Release

13, May 2025

Bartko Pavia CEO Featured in Chinese Hospital’s AAPI Spotlight

San Francisco, CA — May 2025 — Bartko Pavia LLP is proud to share that our remarkable CEO and Co-Managing Partner, An Nguyen Ruda earned a feature in Chinese Hospital's AAPI Heritage Month spotlight.

Media Mentions

06, March 2025

Boutique Merger Creates Bicoastal 'Sweet Spot' In NY, Calif.

California-based litigation boutique Bartko LLP announced Monday that it has merged with New York-based Pavia & Harcourt to create a combined 61-lawyer firm with a substantial bicoastal platform in San Francisco

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Publications

Labor & Employment New Year Round-Up: What to Expect in 2020
Labor & Employment 2018 Legislative Round-Up: What to Expect in 2019
The California Court of Appeal Further Burdens California Hospitals by Barring Meal Waivers for Employees Working Long Shifts
Daily Journal: Franchisors Should Beware Standardized Noncompetes
Aspatore/Thompson Reuters: Inside the Minds: Negotiating and Drafting Employment Agreements, 2014 ed.
Dancers at Los Angeles bar to become only unionized strippers in U.S. after 15-month battle, 2023

Speaking Engagements

An appeared on the Legal Late Night Podcast exploring the future of modern law firm culture, from redefining workplace relationships and radical transparency to challenging performative DEI and embracing the “human premium” in an AI-driven legal landscape., February 2026
Welcome Address, Circe Built to Last International Women’s Day Event, San Francisco, CA, March 2026
An participated in a panel discussion on behalf of Fordham School of Law to discuss Structural Issues in Law Firm Management, January 2026
An served as a pitch competition judge at the Berkeley Female Founders & Funders Summit , October 2025
Panel Discussion, “DEI: A New Four-Letter Bad Word and What It Means in This New Environment, September 2025
An appeared on How to Run a Midsize Law Firm Like a Boss, an Above the Law podcast, discussing “Prisoner’s Dilemma: Why Running a Law Firm Requires a Unique Mindset, January 2025
Continuing Education of the Bar Presents: Fundamentals of Employment Law
Women Leadership in the Workplace, September 2022