Case Study: WR Hambrecht + Co maintains compliance and reduces HR costs with TriNet

TriNet is the Virtual HR Department for WR Hambrecht CO

WR Hambrecht + Co is a San Francisco–based financial services firm with about 150 employees and offices across the U.S. and Canada. After rapid growth in the late 1990s, the firm faced difficult market conditions following the dot‑com bust and needed to reduce staff across multiple offices while maintaining legal compliance and protecting key talent — all at a time when its in‑house HR leader departed.

Since partnering with TriNet in 1998, WR Hambrecht + Co leaned on TriNet as its virtual HR department: TriNet guided the firm through compliant layoff procedures, supplied required documentation, coached managers on terminations, and offered best‑practice advice to support morale and retain critical employees. The firm ultimately opted not to replace its internal HR manager and expanded TriNet’s role to handle most HR administration, reducing costs and providing a trusted, scalable HR solution.

WR Hambrecht Co

Veronica Bryan

Director, Human Resources