Daily Journal, California’s preeminent legal newspaper, recognizes partners Kori Bell and Hilary Potashner as two of the “Top Women Lawyers” of 2022.
The annual special edition honors the state’s leading female lawyers.
Kori Bell, Bilingual Trial and Appellate Lawyer
Kori’s profile features one of her many highly publicized matters of the last three years—her defense of the former University of Southern California (USC) water polo coach Jovan Vavic in the “Varsity Blues” college admissions case. Kori and her team notched several pretrial victories in the case, including obtaining dismissal of the government’s lead racketeering charge and of its property fraud allegations; and winning severance of their client’s trial.
Now, Daily Journal highlights, Kori and her team are challenging the government’s unprecedented theories in pending post-trial motions. “What conspiracy?” is one of the central questions in the acquittal motion arguing that our client’s April 2022 conviction should be tossed.
“The government’s premise of a conspiracy assumes that all of these coaches and parents were involved in a sprawling nationwide conspiracy. Many of them didn’t know each other,” Kori told Daily Journal. “There’s insufficient proof of a conspiracy.”
Some clients, Kori notes, want her to fight for their day in court. “Others want a swift, discreet resolution at the earliest juncture,” she explained to Daily Journal.
Another high-profile client hoping for Kori to clear her name, Daily Journal mentioned, is the former president of Outcome Health, who Kori is representing against criminal charges and parallel SEC civil charges that will go to trial in January 2023.
Daily Journal covers her accomplished career, which includes serving as a supervising federal public defender who argued before the U.S. Supreme Court. Now in private practice, she represents prominent clients in trials and appeals with a focus on white collar defense matters. Bilingual in Spanish, Kori also represents plaintiffs and defendants in complex civil litigation, commercial disputes, civil rights cases, and internal investigations.
“What I love most about our practice is the diversity of our matters. It’s very rewarding to deliver results through creative and focused advocacy.”
— Kori Bell
Hilary Potashner, White Collar Defense and Civil Trial Attorney
Hilary’s profile features a few of her wide-ranging, high-profile matters, including her role in the investigation into Riverside County’s foster care and conservatorship systems. The highly publicized investigation arose from allegations that the 13 Turpin children were mistreated while under County care after being rescued from their abusive home.
“But our analysis and our assessment is much more systemic,” Hilary clarified to Daily Journal, adding that Larson’s report will “cover a much broader array of concerns.”
Daily Journal highlights Hilary’s complex civil and white collar defense matters of note, such as her representation of the owners of a dive boat company in connection with a civil wrongful death action related to a multi-fatality fire. Her profile noted her successful appeal of SEC v. Yang, in which she and her team secured the reversal of a multimillion-dollar disgorgement and penalties judgment against the clients, and then got the judgment significantly reduced by millions on remand.
Hilary, Daily Journal notes, “has had good success winning agreements not to prosecute clients before they are criminally charged. Her approach is to master the facts and give prosecutors a more global and comprehensive view.”
“Often when given that kind of picture, they decide it doesn’t make sense to move forward,” Hilary explained.
Among her successful defenses is a recent case where Hilary represented a college student against a Title IX accusation for which he was found not responsible. Hilary told Daily Journal that she was “very gratified that this young person was able to walk in graduation . . . and move on to the next chapter in his life.”
The profile summarizes Hilary’s impressive career in the public sector, which culminated in her position as the federal public defender in the largest defender’s office in the country, before joining Larson in her first private sector position.
“Joining Larson as a partner three years ago opened a new chapter in my career. This broadening of forums to litigate in, that’s been exciting and engaging for me.”
— Hilary Potashner
Larson congratulates Kori, Hilary, and all of this year’s honorees on being recognized as “the best women lawyers in California.”
See the full list of the “Top Women Lawyers” on the Daily Journal website here, see Kori’s full profile here, and see Hilary’s full profile here (subscription required).
About Daily Journal
Across Los Angeles and San Francisco, the Daily Journal provides California attorneys with the news and information they need, covering the courts, regulatory changes, State Bar, and legal community. changes Learn more on the Daily Journal website here.
