Angelica A. Arias returned to the OIR after beginning her legal career in private practice. Ms. Arias' private practice focused on civil litigation involving a variety of areas of law. Specifically, Ms. Arias has represented several public entities in litigation matters, including governmental tort claims, CEQA matters and defense of law enforcement in use of force cases. Ms. Arias has also worked for the cities of Chino and Coachella providing general city attorney representation. While working with the City of Chino, Ms. Arias drafted several municipal ordinances and worked closely with code enforcement officers and the police department. Before joining the Office of Independent Review, Ms. Arias was working for Varner & Brandt, LLP in Riverside, California. Ms Arias was a member of Varner & Brandt's litigation department where she represented water districts, corporations and land developers.
Ms. Arias received two B.A. degrees, with honors, from California State University at Fullerton, where she served as the university's first President to the honor society, Phi Eta Sigma. After undergraduate school, Ms. Arias attended Chapman University School of Law. During law school, Ms. Arias was a competing member of the law school's mock trial team and received recognition from the Dean for her trial advocacy work. As a law student, Ms. Arias worked as an intern for the OIR.