Meet Lori Myers
Lori Myers is more than a criminal defense attorney. Her knowledge and experience in this area of law has not only earned her numerous awards and accolades, but she has become a teacher and mentor to countless new and experienced lawyers on the topic of criminal defense. With nearly two decades of experience, drive, and determination, she is the exact kind of courtroom warrior one should use on a criminal defense case to succeed, and a key resource for attorneys looking to learn about criminal defense, how to properly prepare cases and clients, and be a warrior in and out of the courtroom. Lori offers legal representation through her private practice, The Law Office of Lori Myers, as well as to indigent criminal defendants as a contracted attorney for the County of Riverside. Moreover, as the founder of The Warrior Attorney Academy, Lori offers a live, 6-week online program guiding other attorneys on how to step into a courtroom with confidence to navigate each situation thrown at them – to be able to competently and effectively represent and advocate for their clients – and take their practice up to the next level. Training can also be conducted via one-on-one and group consulting. Whatever your legal needs or questions are – Lori Myers is here to personally help.
About
Those who have seen Lori Myers scurry efficiently between virtually every courtroom in downtown Riverside’s Hall of Justice know her for her unending commitment to her many clients, her considerable knowledge on all matters criminal, and her bright smile. The source of her smile, you might ask? Lori considers it an honor to be a criminal defense attorney.
In a society and culture quick to condemn the work of criminal defense attorneys, those who have chosen this profession find that even fellow lawyers downplay the importance of their role. At best, criminal defense attorneys are viewed in a rather grey area of social acceptability. Nonetheless, and to the benefit of our local criminal defendants, Lori has graciously chosen this area of law.
Lori Ann Myers was born in Huntington Beach, California and grew up in Lake Forest, California, a suburb of Orange County. Prior to attending law school, she received a real estate license, which she maintained until just a few years ago. She received her law degree from Western State University College of Law. Since obtaining her law degree, Lori has practiced almost exclusively in the area of criminal defense. Working as a clerk for the Orange County Public Defender’s Office in law school cemented her belief that criminal defense was her calling. Accordingly, Lori’s first job as an attorney was with the Law Offices of the Public Defender in Riverside County.
Currently, Lori has a vibrant private practice, which includes representation of clients in the counties of Riverside, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego. She has tried multiple homicide cases and meets the State Bar requirements to represent clients charged in capital cases in which the death penalty is sought. She has tried – to verdict – cases involving sexual molestation, rape, driving under the influence, vehicular manslaughter, assault, robbery, gang allegations, and murder.
Lori’s involvement in the community has included participation as a coring attorney for various Mock Trial competitions and volunteer with VIP Mentors. VIP Mentors, formerly called Volunteers in Parole, contracts with the California State Bar Association to provide volunteer attorneys who serve as mentors to parolees. The program helps facilitate a successful re-entry into society by providing the parolee with much needed guidance and advice from a reliable mentor.
In addition to her private practice, Lori provides representation to indigent criminal defendants. The Public Defender has many cases in which a conflict of interest is present. In these situations, the defendant is still entitled to a defense attorney. The County of Riverside contracts with entities to provide defense attorneys to indigent defendants who cannot be represented by the Public Defender. Lori has been working within this system of court appointed counsel for over a decade.
It is difficult to describe a typical day in the life of a criminal defense attorney. Lori is in court almost every day covering complex and varied aspects of numerous criminal cases, simultaneously. Hence, the aforementioned scurrying. While the court may be aware of and appreciate Lori’s efficiency, her clients likely fail to realize just how busy she is. This is because she slows her pace when speaking to and advising clients. She speaks to her clients at their level, literally. She has been known to actually sit on the courtroom floor to speak to an in-custody client, eye to eye. Lori’s clients are appreciative of her dedication to their defense and concern for their well-being as she creates attorney-client relationships built on mutual respect, dedication, and a commitment to excellence.
After court, Lori is busy visiting clients in custody at the local jails, writing motions, preparing cases for hearings, corresponding with district attorneys, meeting with clients, and answering countless phone calls from clients. Through it all, Lori finds time for non-court activities as well, not the least of which is spending time with her two Golden Retrievers.
In 2021 Lori launched her signature training program, Warrior Attorney Academy, a 6-week live online training academy for criminal defense lawyers that goes from case file to jury trial. As 2022 begins, the Warrior Attorney Academy is almost done with Cycle 4 of the program and Lori looks forward to all the other attorneys she can help mentor in their criminal defense careers.
People do not fall into this line of work. It is calculated. The genesis of the desire to represent the criminal accused is always rooted in philosophy of justice and compassion. Add in a positive attitude, stellar work ethic and a booming voice and you have just described the attorney with the bright smile, darting efficiently around the Halls of Justice. While Lori Myers considers it an honor to be serving the community of Riverside, her clients should quite certainly consider it an honor to be represented by her.
I have been blessed with different levels of success in my journey through life and I have found those successful transitions are a result of continued hard work. When I felt like giving up, I constantly reminded myself to look for the positive in the situation.
Additionally, there are multiple individual courses that you can purchase if there is a specific area that you want to focus on, and are not ready to delve into the full academy.
Don’t forget, I offer one-on-one consultations to other attorneys that focus on specific individualized needs and guidance to your practice, your clients, and/or your cases.