معرفی
Della Thompson-Bell is a faculty member at Southwestern Law School, where she teaches legal writing and appellate advocacy in the Part-Time Day J.D. (PLEAS) program. She earned her J.D. from Southwestern in 2002 and joined the faculty in Summer 2021, bringing over 17 years of legal practice experience from the City of Torrance, where she worked in both criminal and civil divisions.
Her educational background includes a B.S. in Business Administration from California State Dominguez Hills (1987) and a J.D. from Southwestern University School of Law (2002). She is a member of the California State Bar.
Professor Thompson-Bell's research and teaching focus on legal education, appellate advocacy, civil rights litigation, and legal ethics. Her professional experience includes defending municipalities in personal injury, wrongful death, and civil rights cases, advising city commissions, and providing ethics training under Assembly Bill 1234. She also practiced legal malpractice and insurance bad faith defense earlier in her career.
Her scholarly work includes a 2024 peer-reviewed article on social-emotional learning in K-12 education and a 2003 article on property insurance law. These publications reflect her interdisciplinary interests at the intersection of law, education, and public policy.
She has no listed scientific awards.
As a former law clerk to U.S. District Court Judge Dean D. Pregerson and Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Allen Webster Jr., and as a Research/Special Projects Editor for the Southwestern University Journal of Law and Trade in the Americas, she brings significant practical and academic experience to her role. She is actively involved in mentoring students and emphasizes the importance of finding one's voice through education and advocacy.
She does not supervise any listed students but plays a key role in academic success programs and student development. She maintains an active presence in legal education and public service law.
