Lita Abella

Lita Abella is a senior program analyst with the State Bar of California in Los Angeles, where she<br>conducts outreach for the Lawyer Assistance Program, which assists law students, bar applicants,<br>and attorneys with substance use and mental health issues. Prior to that, she was an investigator for<br>more than five years in the Office of Chief Trial Counsel, where she investigated and assisted in the<br>prosecution of attorneys for misconduct. Beginning in 1980, Ms. Abella served with the Los Ange-<br>les Police Department (LAPD) for 20 years, where she worked various assignments including but<br>not limited to patrol, internal affairs, narcotics, vice and the DARE program. She received exten-<br>sive training in both substance use disorders and mental health and was a court-qualified narcotics<br>expert during her years in law enforcement. She attained the rank of lieutenant. Ms. Abella also has<br>been a business owner and licensed private investigator. While in law school, she clerked for the<br>Riverside District Attorney’s Office and the Office of the Attorney General. Mr. Abella received her<br>J.D. from Western State University College of Law.