Senior Counsel
Rebecca Reed
Prior to joining Manly, Stewart & Finaldi, Rebecca Reed served as a Senior Deputy District Attorney with the Orange County District Attorney’s Office for 20 years. For nearly a decade, she was assigned to the Sexual Assault Unit, where she was promoted to Assistant Head of the unit.
“As a former Senior Deputy District Attorney I was honored to advocate for victims of crime, none more vulnerable than the sexual assault survivors I had the privilege to represent. Now as Senior Counsel at MSF, I will continue to fight to hold those perpetrators and institutions accountable for their actions and obtain justice for our clients.”
In that leadership role, Rebecca supervised a team of 15–20 attorneys and prosecuted hundreds of cases involving child molestation, rape, rape by intoxication, sodomy, kidnapping, lewd acts upon children, and other serious offenses. Her work led to the successful prosecution of youth group leaders, coaches, clergy members, and teachers.
In addition to her specialization in sexual assault cases, Rebecca handled a wide range of violent felony matters, including homicides, attempted murders, carjackings, armed robberies, assaults causing great bodily injury, and DUIs. She also served in several of the office’s elite units, including the Homicide Unit, Felony Panel Unit, and Post-Litigation Unit. Throughout her career, Rebecca conducted more than 75 jury trials to verdict—over 25 of which involved violent sexual assaults or crimes against children with most offenders now serving life sentences.
Rebecca also held leadership and mentorship roles within the office. As Assistant Head of the Felony Panel, she trained and guided newer prosecutors in trial strategy and courtroom advocacy. She was an active member of the Training Unit, delivering office-wide training programs on trial preparation, evidentiary issues, and presentation skills. She also conducted multiple trainings for local law enforcement agencies, including the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
Verdicts & Settlements
- Jane BNS Doe v. Barstow Unified School District – (2025) San Bernardino Superior Court – $2 million jury verdict, single-victim sexual abuse case involving a female student assaulted by a school district employee in 1981. In her first month as Senior Counsel at MSF, Rebecca conducted the jury trial and secured a full plaintiff verdict. The case marked her first civil trial after two decades in criminal prosecution and lasted 3.5 weeks. Rebecca conducted direct and cross examinations of over a dozen witnesses and secured a unanimous jury decision on the district’s liability.
- People v. Roger Giese – (2018) Orange County Superior Court – high-profile criminal prosecution involving the former director of the Orange County Boys Choir, charged with multiple counts of child molestation involving young boys under his supervision. After fleeing the country on the eve of trial and remaining at large for over a decade, Giese was extradited from the United Kingdom following a tip prompted by an episode of America’s Most Wanted. Rebecca, as lead prosecutor, located an additional victim, and Giese ultimately pled guilty to all charges and was sentenced to decades in state prison.
- People v. Christian Moreno – (2017) Orange County Superior Court – jury trial conviction involving the kidnapping and sexual assault of a teenage girl walking to school in La Habra. The defendant, previously released after serving 16 months for a violent attack on a jogger in Los Angeles, was prosecuted by Rebecca and convicted on all counts. He is currently serving a life sentence in state prison.
Education
- UCLA B.A., 1997
- Southwestern Law School, J.D. 2006
Professional Associations & Memberships
State Bar of California