Ernest Hammond
Ernest Hammond III is Associate General Counsel, AI Product at Meta, where he provides legal guidance and support for the development and launch of AI products, features, and tools to Meta’s AI research teams and other stakeholders. With a focus on technology and privacy law, Ernest advises internal teams on a wide range of legal issues, including product development, data privacy and security, intellectual property, and regulatory compliance.
Before joining Meta, Ernest worked as product counsel at Twilio and Uber, partnering with global product, engineering, compliance, and other teams to guide the development of products and services to meet strategic objectives while ensuring compliance with rapidly evolving laws and regulations.
Ernest is actively engaged in efforts to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the legal community, including as a Board Director for the Justice and Diversity Center of The Bar Association of San Francisco (BASF) and the BALIF Foundation. He previously served in a variety of other leadership positions including as a Board Director for BALIF (the nation’s oldest and largest association of LGBTQI attorneys), an Ambassador for the California Minority Counsel Program, Co-Chair At Large for the Minority Bar Coalition of the SF Bay Area, Barristers Club Diversity Director for the Bar Association of San Francisco, and Men of Color Project Member for the American Bar Association. Ernest has received multiple awards for his exceptional leadership in DEI and the legal profession, including Modern Counsel’s 35 Under 35 2024, the 2023 Rising Star Award from the Minority Corporate Counsel Association, the 2022 Barristers Diversity Award from BASF, and the 2022 Minority Bar Coalition Unity Award. Besides his work in DEI, Ernest is an active advocate for access to justice and serves on the boards of the Child Care Law Center and UnCommon Law.
Ernest earned his B.S. 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.
