Associates

Larissa earned her undergraduate degree in English from Arizona State University, magna cum laude.  In 1993, she received her law degree from Arizona State University.  Larissa served as Rules Attorney for the Arizona State Senate and as Assistant Editor and Staff Attorney for the Arizona Legislative Council before starting as an associate at the Spence Law Firm in 2000.

NOTABLE REPRESENTATIONS
Larissa’s practice focuses on research and writing with an emphasis on appellate practice, including notable appellate successes for plaintiffs that reversed earlier trial court summary judgment grants to defendants and denied certiorari petitions to the United States Supreme Court.  Two of Larissa’s notable successes are Miranda v. Clark County, Nevada and United States ex rel. Bahrani v. ConAgra, Inc.

Currently, Larissa is part of the team of lawyers who represent Terry Harrington who was wrongfully imprisoned for twenty-six years for a murder he did not commit.  The United States Supreme Court heard argument in this case on November 4, 2009.  Pottawattamie County, Iowa, Joseph Hrvol, and David Richter v. Terry Harrington and Curtis W. McGhee, Jr..  The County defendants settled with Plaintiffs for $12 Million before the Supreme Court decided the case, resulting in dismissal of the petition for certiorari.  Harrington’s wrongful imprisonment case against the City defendants is set for jury trial January of 2011.

AFFILIATIONS
Arizona State Bar
Wyoming State Bar

ADMITTED IN
Arizona
Wyoming
United States Supreme Court
Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals
Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals

• Through affiliation, Larissa represents clients in many other federal and state courts throughout the United States.

PERSPECTIVE
“I savor the ‘write’ fight against those who harm our clients or steal our hard-fought constitutional rights.”