Ernest Hammond

Bio

Ernest Hammond is the Director of the First-Generation Program and an Adjunct Professor at UC Law San Francisco, where he co-teaches AI Law. A first-generation college graduate, Ernest brings both personal experience and professional insight to his work supporting students who are the first in their families to pursue higher education. He is especially passionate about mentorship, professional identity development, and building inclusive pathways into the legal profession.

Ernest also serves as Associate General Counsel, AI Product at Meta, where he advises cross-functional teams on legal issues related to generative AI, speech and language technologies, and other advanced machine learning applications. His work focuses on regulatory strategy, privacy, intellectual property, and the responsible development and deployment of emerging technologies. Before joining Meta, he held senior product counsel roles at Twilio and Uber, partnering with global teams to navigate legal risks in the technology and healthcare sectors

Ernest’s commitment to first-generation student success spans more than a decade. He previously mentored aspiring Black law students through the Bridge Builders Esq. National Mentorship Program and supported high school and college students through UStrive, a platform supporting first-generation learners. He currently mentors LGBTQ+ undergraduates through the University of Florida’s Pathways to Pride Program, and has also supported LGBTQ+ law students through the mentorship program of Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom (BALIF), the nation’s oldest and largest association of LGBTQ+ legal professionals. A former board member of BALIF, Ernest now serves on the board of the BALIF Foundation, which provides scholarships and other funding to LGBTQ+ law students and graduates.

Ernest is a dedicated advocate for equity and justice. He currently serves as Board Chair of the Child Care Law Center, which works to make access to affordable, high-quality child care a civil right and a pathway to educational and economic opportunity for low-income families. He also serves on the boards of UnCommon Law, which advances healing and justice for people impacted by incarceration; Fresh Lifelines for Youth (FLY), which disrupts the cycle of incarceration through legal education, leadership training, and mentorship to system-involved and at-risk youth; and the Justice and Diversity Center of the Bar Association of San Francisco. He is the co-founder of the Annual Barristers Diversity Conference at the Bar Association of San Francisco and has spoken nationally on topics including AI governance, legal ethics, and LGBTQ+ equity.

Ernest’s leadership and service have earned widespread recognition. He received Modern Counsel’s 35 Under 35 Award (2024), the Minority Corporate Counsel Association’s Rising Star Award (2023), the Barristers Diversity Award from the Bar Association of San Francisco (2022), the Minority Bar Coalition Unity Award (2022), and the Leadership Luminary Award from the LGBTQ Division of the National Bar Association (2024).

Ernest earned his B.S. in Psychology from the University of Florida, his M.B.A. from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and his J.D. from Washington and Lee University School of Law. He lives in San Francisco with his husband and their two adorable fur babies.

Education

• Washington and Lee University School of Law
  J.D. 2013

• Gies College of Business, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
  MBA. 2022

• University of Florida
  B.A. 2010