Lewis Brisbois is pleased to announce that San Bernardino Partner Rima Badawiya has been named a nominee for the 2026 LA Times Studios Inspirational Women Forum & Leadership Awards. The annual program recognizes accomplished women whose achievements, influence, and service are making a meaningful impact across their industries and communities.
Rima serves as a member of Lewis Brisbois’ Management Committee, chief diversity partner, and co-chair of the firm’s national Healthcare practice. In addition to helping shape firm strategy, she maintains an active trial practice defending complex, high-stakes matters involving healthcare providers and senior living facilities across the country.
For more than two decades, Rima has made mentorship and professional development central to her leadership. She actively identifies promising attorneys, invests in their growth, and creates opportunities for them to strengthen their confidence, judgment, and leadership skills. Many attorneys she has mentored have gone on to become partners, firm leaders, judges, and public servants.
"Rima's mentorship began the day she recruited me, taking a chance on my potential and immediately investing in my success," Lewis Brisbois Associate Azucena Crespo said. "She has a unique talent for recognizing potential, creating opportunities for growth, and empowering others to succeed. Having Rima in my corner has shaped my professional journey and made a lasting impact on my career."
"Rima's mentorship style has helped newer attorneys like me to grow with confidence," said Lewis Brisbois Associate Tess Ponce. "She invests time in developing our judgment, encourages strategic thinking, and models how to balance rigor with empathy. She sets high standards, and she leads by example; she also creates space for others to succeed. Rima offers accessible, real‑world wisdom to the next generation of legal professionals. She promotes inclusion. She opens doors for others and amplifies all voices."
Over the last two years, Rima has helped advance a more intentional, values-driven approach to leadership development throughout Lewis Brisbois, including its nine California offices. Working closely with firm leadership, she has championed professional development, succession planning, and mentorship initiatives designed to give talented professionals opportunities to grow and lead.
As chief diversity partner, Rima also works with attorneys and business professionals to develop programming that promotes professional growth, celebrates cultural heritage and identity, and strengthens connections across the firm’s offices. Each year, she organizes a California-wide MCLE program addressing bias in the courtroom and legal profession, reinforcing attorneys’ ethical responsibility to promote fairness, professionalism, and respect.
Rima’s service extends beyond the firm. She is involved with the Riverside County, San Bernardino County, and Los Angeles County bar associations. Through the Riverside County Bar Association’s New Attorney Academy, she shares lessons from her career and serves as a resource for attorneys navigating the early stages of the profession. She also financially supports Operation Helping Hands SoCal, an organization providing essential resources to individuals experiencing homelessness and community college students facing financial and housing insecurity.
The sixth annual Inspirational Women Forum & Leadership Awards will recognize women who are redefining leadership across Los Angeles. The event is scheduled for November 5, 2026, in Santa Monica.