May 1, 2023
New York, NY, May 1, 2023 -- Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP today announced that Koren (Kori) Bell has joined the Firm as a partner in the Litigation Department, where she is part of Willkie’s White-Collar Defense Practice and the Strategic Motions & Appeals Practice Group. She is based in Los Angeles.
A nationally recognized litigator, Kori has been lead counsel in some of the country’s most complex and highly-publicized trials and appeals, including in a case she argued at the U.S. Supreme Court. Kori focuses her diverse practice on white-collar defense matters, complex commercial litigation, and government and internal investigations. In courtrooms across the country, she has handled high-stakes matters for prominent clients across a range of industries in a variety of areas—from business disputes to products liability, defamation to civil rights, and all manner of white-collar crime.
“Kori is a powerhouse litigator known for her tenacious client advocacy in some of the most significant, high-profile cases in recent years,” said Alex Weingarten, Managing Partner of Willkie’s Los Angeles office. “As we continue to expand our Los Angeles platform, which now includes over 80 lawyers, Kori will further enhance our white-collar defense and commercial litigation capabilities. We are thrilled to welcome her to Willkie.”
Kori spent nearly a decade at the Federal Public Defender’s Office in Los Angeles, the largest office in the federal defender system, where she supervised trial litigation and defended clients in some of the office’s most difficult and complex federal criminal trials and appeals. She began her career as a law clerk to the Honorable Stephen Reinhardt of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, following her graduation from Yale Law School after serving as a Fulbright Scholar. Most recently, Kori was a partner at Larson LLP.
Kori commented: “Willkie’s reputation for litigation and white-collar defense work is unparalleled and I’m delighted to join the firm’s growing Los Angeles team. I’m looking forward to collaborating with my new Willkie colleagues in Los Angeles and across the globe in advising clients on their most challenging litigation issues.”
Kori has been recognized as a leading litigator by numerous publications, including by Benchmark Litigation as a “Litigation Star” and one of the “Top 250 Women in Litigation;” by the Daily Journal as a “Top Women Lawyer;” and by the Los Angeles Business Journal as a “Leader of Influence,” among others. She is active in the community as a Board Member of the Federal Bar Association-LA, and as a member of the Mexican American Bar Association’s Judicial Externship Committee, the Latina Lawyers Bar Association, the Los Angeles County Bar Association, the Chancery Club, and the Women’s White Collar Defense Association.
Kori’s addition follows the arrival of former federal prosecutor Marina Torres, who joined Willkie’s Los Angeles office in January.
Willkie’s Litigation Department includes approximately 250 lawyers worldwide who represent major U.S. and non-U.S. financial services companies, accounting firms, insurance and reinsurance companies and brokers, media companies, and individuals in complex commercial and class-action litigation. The Department has extensive experience conducting internal corporate investigations and internal corporate matters. In addition, the team regularly represents companies and individuals in investigative and enforcement proceedings brought by federal and state regulatory agencies.
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Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP provides leading-edge legal solutions on complex, business critical issues spanning markets and industries. Our approximately 1,200 attorneys across 13 offices worldwide deliver innovative, pragmatic and sophisticated legal services across approximately 40 practice areas. Learn more at www.willkie.com.
