Three Alumni Lead National City Attorney’s Office with a Sense of Service to Community

Three Alumni Lead National City Attorney’s Office with Sense of Service to Community

Charles E. Bell Jr. ’07

Gabriela Torres ’07

When the National City Council unanimously appointed Charles Bell Jr. ’07 as City Attorney last year, they were getting more than a legal expert in municipalities. They were also getting the first of three California Western alumni who share a hands-on passion for commitment to community.

Inspired by what he learned about Brown v. Board of Education in 5th grade, Charles knows the power of law as a force for good within a community. As a resident of the city he works for, he puts that power to work on issues that directly affect the lives of his fellow National City residents. He also understands the importance of representation, immersing himself directly in the community and assisting with creating the first ever Mock Trial Program at Sweetwater Union High School.

Shortly after his appointment as City Attorney, Charles hired two likeminded former classmates— Gabriela Torres ’07 and Jennifer Gilman ’04—as Deputy City Attorneys. Together, these three alumni have taken the lessons they learned at California Western and apply them as a close-knit, highly skilled legal team for one of San Diego County’s most vibrant and diverse cities.

Gabriela knew that she wanted to be an attorney from a very young age. When she was in elementary school, her 16-year-old brother was shot and killed by a gang member on a friend’s patio in Lincoln Park. During the criminal trial that followed, Gabriela spent every day in the courtroom, watching and listening intently to the proceedings with a growing sense that using the law for good would be her calling. “That’s when I said I wanted to be a lawyer,” she recalls.

Jennifer joined the team after starting out her career in employment law. Prior to law school, she had aspirations of becoming a gay rights activist and working for Lambda Legal. You can imagine her surprise when she ended up in employment law, then municipal law—both of which she enjoys immensely. She then made a jump to private practice, but only briefly, as municipal law beckoned her once again. “Those of us who work in government are not known to earn princely salaries, but civil service is its own reward,” she says. “When the opportunity to work at National City presented itself, I jumped at it.”

Teamwork is among the more valuable lessons learned at Cal Western that Charles, Gabriela, and Jennifer have brought into their National City office. “We work together well,” says Jennifer, noting that as a closely coordinated team, they are each able to work to their individual strengths. “We divide up the work that needs to be done so that the city is served well by our counsel.” Charles says that such teamwork, combined with their passion for serving the community, are traits that were nurtured in all three of them at California Western, and they are instrumental in making an important, positive impact on their work for National City and its citizens.

Jennifer K. Gillman ’04