Alyssa Bell is a Partner at the Los Angeles-based law firm of Cohen & Williams LLP ("CW").
Alyssa is a seasoned criminal defense attorney and appellate specialist. Alyssa has extensive federal litigation experience at all stages of proceedings and wide-ranging expertise in criminal matters, including extradition, financial fraud, RICO conspiracy, narcotics offenses, and Fourth and Fifth amendment challenges to government overreach. She is particularly known for her creative and intelligent approach to complex litigation.
The Daily Journal recently recognized Alyssa's accomplishments, by naming her one of the Top 40 Lawyers under 40 in 2019.
Prior to joining CW, Alyssa spent six years at the Office of the Federal Public Defender, where she attained a coveted position in the prestigious Appellate Unit. She has appeared numerous times before the Ninth Circuit, where she is well-recognized as a fierce and persuasive oral advocate. Alyssa also served as the Office's impact litigation coordinator, spearheading a strategy to challenge corrupt police practices in a high-profile series of cases. Her work vindicating her clients’ rights has been recognized in the L.A. Times. As a Trial Deputy, Alyssa garnered a track record of achieving impressive results for her clients, ranging from the successful negotiation of pre-indictment dispositions to victory at trial.
Prior to the Federal Defender's Office, Alyssa served as a law clerk to the Honorable Richard A. Paez of the Ninth Circuit, and the Honorable Margaret M. Morrow (ret.) of the Central District of California. She is an alumna of the New York University School of Law, where she was a Root-Tilden-Kern scholar and the recipient of three graduation prizes recognizing her academic achievement and legal scholarship. She was awarded first place in the venerated UVA Journal of International Law and Human Rights writing competition and published in the NYU Review of Law and Social Change, where she also served as Senior Articles Editor.