September 2023

Ashley Bell Joins Sideman & Bancroft

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Ashley Bell, associate attorney

We are pleased to announce the arrival of a new associate attorney, Ashley Bell. Ms. Bell will be primarily supporting Partner Jim Shore’s practice as well as the larger Brand Integrity and Innovation Group. 

Before joining Sideman and Bancroft LLP, Ms. Ashley Bell had extensive experience in criminal law as a Criminal Prosecutor with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office in Southern California. In her capacity as a Deputy District Attorney, Ms. Bell prosecuted a wide variety of criminal cases from misdemeanor matters involving: domestic violence cases, violation of restraining orders and criminal protective orders, battery, child endangerment, theft, driving under the influence of alcohol and controlled substances and more – to felony crimes involving: assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury or death, assault with firearms, possession of firearms, felony domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse, grand theft, burglary, robbery, forgery, identity theft, prison crimes, crimes against law enforcement, witness intimidation, and attempted murder.

Ms. Bell has successfully prosecuted every case she has taken to jury trial, from the beginning of criminal proceedings to favorable guilty verdicts. Her most recent jury trial conviction involved multiple co-defendants with gang affiliation prosecuted for attempted murder against multiple victims. Ms. Bell, as sole counsel, prosecuted the case for one month against multiple defense attorneys and received guilty jury verdicts resulting in multiple life sentences. Ms. Bell’s last assignment prior to ending her journey as a Deputy District Attorney was the Gang Prosecution Unit and the Crimes Against Peace Officers Unit. Ms. Bell has managed high volume cases, caseloads, and calendar departments at every stage of the criminal proceedings, while conducting preliminary hearings, mandatory settlement conferences, evidentiary hearings and various prosecutorial procedural motions and oppositions, jury and bench trials, and Appellate Briefs.

Prior to her experience as a Deputy District Attorney, Ms. Bell received her Juris Doctor from the University of La Verne, College of Law in La Verne, California, and her Bachelor of Arts Degree in the Philosophy of Law and Sociology from the University of California, Riverside, where she graduated Cum Laude. She is based out of Southern California where she is from.

During law school, Ms. Bell was the founder and treasurer of the Public Interest Law Foundation. Ms. Bell was a member and the  director of the Mock Trial Team that qualified their team for State Championship. She was awarded Best Trial Attorney her second-year and earned CALI Excellence for the Future Awards in Criminal Procedure, Criminal Law, and Trial Advocacy.