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Stephen G. Larson
Photo: Stephen G Larson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons9

Stephen G. Larson

American judge (born 1964)

Stephen Gerard Larson (born October 26, 1964) is a former United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California and a partner in the Los Angeles law firm of Larson LLP, which he co-founded in 2016 as Larson O'Brien LLP. He consistently ranks among the top litigators in the U.S., having been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America© for his work in Commercial Litigation and Criminal Defense: White-Collar since 2015.2

From Wikipedia’s article on Stephen G. Larson (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Born 1964.1

About

As a judge and an attorney, Larson is known for high-profile cases, including his role from 2011 to 2018 as lead defense counsel in People v. Biane et al., the case which former California Attorney General (and former governor) Jerry Brown once touted as "the biggest corruption scandal in San Bernardino County, if not the state's, history. Larson won full acquittal for developer Jeff Burum in 2017 and then represented Burum and his company, Colonies Partners, in two civil rights suits against San Bernardino County and its former District Attorney alleging malicious prosecution, among other charges. On November 24, 2020, the parties jointly announced a settlement agreement of $65 million to resolve the litigation.

Larson represents former USC water polo coach Jovan Vavic in the highly publicized “Varsity Blues” college admissions case against racketeering, conspiracy, and fraud charges. He also represents tax agent Ramin Salari charged alongside former Los Angeles County Assessor John Noguez in a public corruption case. On May 22, 2020, Larson obtained the dismissal before the California Court of Appeal of two separate cases charging Mr. Salari with numerous counts of bribery, embezzlement, and tax fraud—charges which were recently re-filed in a pair of new complaints. The case, dating back to 2012, became highly publicized after then-Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley stated that it was one of the county's most significant public corruption cases in decades. In addition to trial practice, Larson frequently advocates before court of appeals across the country. He sat by designation as a United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit judge on seven occasions during his tenure as a U.S. District Judge, since 2015 Larson has appeared before both the California Supreme Court and the Supreme Court of the United States.

Larson and United States National Security Advisor Robert C. O'Brien co-founded Larson O'Brien LLP in January 2016. Before co-founding the firm, Larson was practice leader of Arent Fox's Complex Litigation group. In addition to his trial and appellate work, Larson is a member of FedArb and is frequently engaged as an arbitrator and mediator in complex commercial disputes.

From Wikipedia’s article on Stephen G. Larson, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2

Companies

Early life and education

  • Date not recordedWalsh School of Foreign Service3
  • Date not recordedUSC Gould School of Law3
  • Date not recordedDamien High School3

Larson was born in Fontana, California. He received a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service degree from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in 1986 where he was a member of the Philodemic Society, and a Juris Doctor from the USC Gould School of Law in 1989. He was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1989.

From Wikipedia’s article on Stephen G. Larson (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Career

Occupation: lawyer, judge.5

Teaching career

During law school, Larson was an instructor at Daniel Murphy High School in Los Angeles from 1988 to 1989. From 1995 to 1999, he was a lecturer at California State University, Long Beach. From 1997 to 2001 he was an adjunct assistant professor at the Glendale University College of Law, and from 2001 to 2005 he was an instructor at the California Southern Law School. He was later an adjunct professor at the University of La Verne College of Law.

Additional work

On October 21, 2020, the General Assembly of the Office of American States (OAS) elected Larson to the Inter-American Juridical Committee for a four-year term beginning on January 1, 2021. He is a founding member with the U.S. Department of State in its Public-Private Partnership for Justice Reform in Afghanistan. He was also a member of the Pacific Council on International Policy and is a frequent lecturer on law and international affairs. Larson was the Distinguished Jurist in Residence and a member of the Board of Visitors at the University of La Verne College of Law and was appointed by founding Dean Erwin Chemerinsky to serve on the Dean's Advisory Council for the newly chartered law school at the University of California at Irvine. He previously served as chair of the Los Angeles County Blue Ribbon Commission on Public Safety.

In 2011, Larson, a Catholic, was awarded the Amar Es Entregarse Award from Diocese of San Bernardino.

From Wikipedia’s article on Stephen G. Larson (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Personal life

  • Born1964, Fontana6
  • CitizenshipUnited States7

Sources

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