LOS ANGELES – The Western San Bernardino County Bar Association will honor Arent Fox LLP Litigation partner Stephen G. Larson with the 2012-2013 Jennifer Brooks Lawyer-of-the-Year Award in recognition of his outstanding professionalism during a 23-year legal career.

Before returning to the private practice of law in 2009, Mr. Larson served as a respected and accomplished jurist, first as a US Magistrate Judge and then as a US District Judge in the Central District of California, where he emphasized the importance of honesty, integrity, politeness, and civility between opposing counsel in his courtroom. Prior to his judicial tenure he served as an Assistant US Attorney in the Criminal Division in Los Angeles, where he led the prosecution of 24 criminal trials and received the US Department of Justice Director’s Award for Superior Performance.

“Stephen exhibits all the qualities that the former president of the Los Angeles Superior Court, Judge Charles W. McCoy, deems essential to the best the legal profession has to offer,” said Robert C. O’Brien, managing partner of the Los Angeles office. “He calls them the “Five Cs” -- candor, compassion, civility, courage and competence – all qualities that Jennifer Brooks demonstrated in her practice,”

Civility in the legal profession is an emphasis of the American Inns of Court, an organization with which Mr. Larson has been involved as a former president and judicial master for the Leo A. Deegan American Inn of Court in Riverside, as well as a member of the Judge Paul R. Michel Intellectual Property American Inn of Court in Los Angeles. Mr. Larson has also been a member of the Federal Bar Association since 1998, serving previously as president and a board member of the Inland Empire chapter and currently as a board member for the Los Angeles chapter. In addition, Mr. Larson has served as the Distinguished Jurist in Residence and an adjunct professor at the University of La Verne College of Law.

“As a judge, Stephen built a reputation for patience, understanding of the law and a determination to ensure that justice was applied fairly and equally to all parties,” said Mr. O’Brien. “And he has subsequently established himself as a trial attorney who delivers exceptional results.”

Drawing on his years as a prosecutor and a judge, Mr. Larson has built a dynamic private practice in commercial litigation and delivered winning strategies in several high-profile cases over the past 18 months. A member of Arent Fox’s national White Collar and Investigations group, he represents companies and individuals at trial and in government investigations alleging violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and related statutes. He also counsels clients on compliance issues and has extensive experience in intellectual property and complex business litigation matters as well as in mediation and arbitration.