Lara Villarreal Hutner

Why I love what I do...

"I love a challenge. Practicing law and mediating cases gives me the opportunity to come up with real solutions to others' problems. In litigation, that looks like crafting an effective litigation strategy to cost-effectively achieve my clients' desired result. In mediating cases, it looks like resolving cases in a way that allows people to heal and move forward with their lives. As a baby lawyer, a senior partner once told me I had 'a zest for the profession.' I always liked that. And after 25 years of practicing law, it still feels true."

​

Professional Experience

Lara Villarreal Hutner is the founding partner of Villarreal Hutner PC. In her 25 years of practice, Lara has successfully represented numerous Fortune 100 Companies, including in the technology, media/entertainment, financial, and manufacturing industries, in a variety of employment-related matters, as well as plaintiffs in very select cases.

​

Lara has successfully defended national employers in single and multi-plaintiff actions involving wrongful termination; harassment and discrimination based on sex, age, race, gender, ancestry, national origin, sexual orientation, and disability; retaliation; defamation; and false imprisonment.​

​

As a litigator, Lara has yet to have a case she wanted to settle, but couldn't. And every case she has been forced to litigate to judgment, she has won.

 

As an advisor, Lara has a 100% success rate advising employers on employee terminations, including C-Suite, attorney, and other high-risk and highly-sensitive terminations, none of which resulted in litigation. 

​

As a mediator, Lara is uniquely-positioned with 25 years' experience as both a successful defense and plaintiff attorney. And she is tenacious - having successfully resolved many cases after others could not.

​​

Professional Qualifications and Activities

Prior to founding Villarreal Hutner PC in 2006, Lara represented Fortune 100 clients in employment matters at Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP and Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges LLP. Lara also served as law clerk to the Honorable Stewart A. Newblatt of the United States District Court, Eastern District of Michigan.

​

Lara has been honored with the California Minority Counsel Program's Client Service Award (CMCP). Lara is a member of CMCP as well as The National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF).

​

Lara is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest rating for professional ethics and legal ability.

​

In addition, Lara has been repeatedly designated a Super Lawyer, placing her among the top 5% of Northern California employment attorneys.

​​

Before Law School...

Lara is a published James Joyce scholar and was a Carnegie-Mellon Scholar at Yale University and a Rotary International Scholar at La Universidad Autónoma de México. Lara also can read and write Egyptian hieroglyphics and speaks Nahuatl.