Victoria "Tori" Hester focuses on municipal representation, assisting public agency clients in transactional matters, with a focus on ethics, housing and elections law. She is a member of Best Best & Krieger LLP’s Municipal Law practice group out of the firm’s San Diego office, and co-leads BB&K’s Government Policy and Public Integrity group, which focuses on issues related to ethics and conflicts of interest. In this role, Tori routinely advises public agency clients regarding their ethical duties, including how to address potential conflicts of interest. Tori also provides trainings to public agency clients, including the biennial AB 1234 Ethics Training and Brown Act trainings. In addition to her public agency client work, Tori serves on the Executive Committee of the San Diego County Bar Association’s Government Law Section.
 
Tori serves as assistant city attorney for the City of Santee, and handles the day-to-day advisory work, including the City Council agenda review and contract review. A member of BB&K’s Housing Group, Tori also assists public agency clients in ensuring compliance with state housing law, including navigating the rapidly changing requirements of affordable housing and density bonus law.
 
Tori was a summer associate at BB&K before joining the firm in 2014.
 
Tori graduated summa cum laude from Point Loma Nazarene University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in history with a minor in Spanish. Tori received her law degree from University of California, Irvine School of Law, where she was lead article editor on the UC Irvine Law Review, and participated in the UC Irvine Immigrants’ Rights Clinic. As a clinical student, Tori co-authored a report on juvenile deportation titled “Second Chances for All.” Throughout her law school career, Tori engaged in pro bono work, including assisting on a guardianship case and conducting preliminary screenings for the California Innocence Project.
 
Tori grew up in San Diego, where she now lives with her husband, Jeff, an underwater cameraman, and her son Ashton. As a member of the Point Loma Nazarene University Track & Field Team, Tori earned eight All-American titles. She enjoys running, playing volleyball, scuba diving and traveling.

Education

• University of California, Irvine School of Law, J.D.
• Point Loma Nazarene University, B.A., history, summa cum laude

Admissions

• California

Memberships

• San Diego County Bar Association

Community Involvement

• San Diego County Bar Association Government Law Section, Executive Committee member, 2021-present
• Housing Policy Leadership Academy, LeSar Development Consultants, summer 2019
• Pro bono attorney with Casa Cornelia Law Center
• San Diego County Bar Foundation Board of Directors, past member, 2016-2019

Awards

• Top 40 Under 40, San Diego Daily Transcript, 2018
• La Mancha Pro Bono Publico Award, Casa Cornelia Law Center, 2017