40 Under 40 | August 25 – 31, 2017

By Chris Officer
Staff Writer

A self-proclaimed connoisseur of “Grey’s Anatomy,” Monnett De La Torre began as a biology and pre-medicine major.

But after her first organic chemistry class, she traded in the pipettes for pencils to study economics. It’s a move that guided her to a completely different profession. And now the 32-year-old attorney carries around a portfolio chock-filled with notes to defend business clients that come to LightGabler. She received her juris doctorate from the New England School of Law in 2010.

“I look forward to the ability to think creatively and develop strong arguments in support of my clients’ positions each day,” she said.
De La Torre started her career in construction defect law, which included defending developers. The transition into business litigation was natural from there.

Today she represents subcontractors and individuals and handles a number of cases in contractual rights and obligations. A member of the Women Lawyers of Ventura County, De La Torre successfully helped in the negotiation of more than $5 million in settlements and defended against multi-million dollar claims since her law career began in the downtown LA and San Diego areas.

“I am most proud of the experience I gained in various areas of law and arguing before (California’s) Fourth District Court of Appeal on two separate matters,” she said.

After living in San Diego, De La Torre made her way to Ventura to live with her husband Nick, who serves as a county fire department engineer. When not in the courtroom, she spends the weekends at sporting events with her son Liam and three dogs Brady, Cruzer and Lucy. And catching up on “Grey’s Anatomy,” too.

• Mentor or biggest inspiration? My mother. She is the hardest worker I know and always taught me to do my best.
• Favorite restaurant in town? Boathouse at Hendry’s Beach in Santa Barbara. I love anything near the ocean.