DOWNEY - Local criminal defense attorney Lillian Vega Jacobs was honored as Attorney of the Year for 2012 by the Southeast District Bar Association (SEDBA) during an awards dinner last week at the Rio Hondo Event Center.The award recognizes an attorney "who demonstrates exceptional legal knowledge and skill in their field of law, and contribution to the legal profession and the community." Jacobs is a partner with the immigration and criminal defense law firm of Jacobs & Vega, PLC where she practices criminal defense with her husband, Robert Jacobs, who handles immigration law. She received her bachelor's degree from U.C. Berkeley, graduating with a distinction in general scholarship, and earned her juris doctor degree from the UCLA School of Law. Prior to joining Jacobs & Vega, she was a prosecutor for the Los Angeles County's district attorney's office completing numerous felony trials and prosecuting thousands of cases. Now she represents private clients and is also on the panel of qualified criminal defense attorneys for Los Angeles County accepting court appointments to represent defendants charged with criminal offenses. Jacobs is a member of the Downey Kiwanis afternoon club and has worked with the Key Club and Kiwins Club at Downey High School. She has been elected as a trustee and past president of the Southeast District Bar Association, trustee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, trustee and past treasurer of the Mexican American Bar Association, and is a member of the Latin Lawyers Association and Whittier Bar Association. Deputy district attorney and SEDBA trustee Mario Trujillo served as emcee of the awards dinner while Judge Peter Espinoza of Norwalk Superior Court presented the award.

********** Published: February 9, 2012 - Volume 10 - Issue 43