Congratulations to the 2025 Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame Recipient: Simona Farrise
Simona Farrise Best has been an attorney for more than 30 years. She holds a LL.M (Master of Laws) from Berkeley Law, a Juris Doctor from Golden Gate University, and a Bachelor of Science in Business from DePaul University.
She is an highly skilled Trial Lawyer and has tried cases throughout America (CA, IL, LA, SC, MI, WA, etc.). In 2025 she was inducted into the Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame of the California Lawyer Association. She has been named a Northern California SuperLawyer from 2005-2025. Farrise has handled complex multi-party injury and mass impact actions, including Toxic exposures leading to cancer deaths, injurious pharmaceutical drugs, employee rights actions involving race & gender discrimination and harassment, medical and nursing home neglect, and other serious injury actions.
For many years, Attorney Farrise Best has been honored and recognized among the top lawyers in California as a SuperLawyer™ in both Northern and Southern California and nationwide. She has served as a Board member of many organizations, including Equal Rights Advocates, The Impact Fund, Consumer Attorneys of California, more locally, the Charles Houston Bar Association, and A New Way Of Life ReEntry program in Los Angeles, CA. From Jan. 2023-March 2025, she was the Head of Consumer & Environmental Protection and Complex Prosecutions at the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office. She lead a team that won several significant judgments against major corporations: *Alameda County Receives $7 Million From Kaiser Settlement; *Livermore Co. Blocked from Selling Flavored Vaping Products; *DA Announces Radius Recycling, Inc. Faces Fines of Up to $33 Million Following Historic Indictment for Crimes Related to August 2023 Oakland Fire; *Alameda County District Attorney Sues Farmers Insurance and Other Home Insurance Companies Alleging Widespread Scheme to Underinsure Homes in California; *Alameda County District Attorney Announces Lawsuit Against Automobile Insurance and Software Companies, Alleging Scheme Underpaying California Residents for Totaled Vehicles to Maximize Insurance Profits.
Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame
The Litigation Section seeks nominations for the Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame. These awards are bestowed upon attorneys who have excelled as trial lawyers and whose careers exemplify the highest values and professional attainment.
The nomination period for 2025 is now closed.
The deadline to submit a nomination was February 25, 2025.
Any dues-paid member of the Litigation Section may nominate a member of the State Bar of California (either currently active or, if retired, previously active). Self-nominations are not accepted.
To submit a nomination, provide the following necessary materials:
- A completed nomination form
- A
summary of your nominee’s lifetime achievements as a trial lawyer that you
think makes your nominee worthy of being inducted into the Trial Lawyer Hall of
Fame, including, but not limited to the following criteria:
- contributions made by your nominee to the law, the legal profession, the State Bar, the Litigation Section, trial practice, and/or the general public
- notable cases, verdicts, and/or judgments, including matters of precedential importance (with citations and case numbers, if known)
- law-related public interest and non-law-related public interest work
- other honors or awards the nominee has received
- contributions the nominee has made to diversity of the legal profession and/or areas of practice
- A law firm biography (or other available biography) about your nominee
- Optional three letters of recommendation in support of your nominee, with each letter not exceeding three pages.
To read about past Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame award recipients, click here.