Emilie de la Motte

Emilie de la Motte is a versatile litigator who helps clients solve their most complex and difficult legal matters.  As a top litigator for the past 20 years, Emilie’s expertise includes complex law and motion work, including demurrers, motions to compel, motions to quash, pre-trial in limine motions, protective orders, preliminary injunctions, motions to strike, summary judgment and adjudication and motions for trial bifurcation. Emilie has extensive experience representing clients in both the public and private sectors and has a strong track record of successfully bringing cases to favorable conclusions through summary judgments and pre-trial motions.  

Prior to joining Carmel & Naccasha as a Partner, Emilie served as Of Counsel as an independent contractor to law firms such as Hawkins, Parnell & Young in San Francisco, Andre, Morris & Buttery in San Luis Obispo, as in-house counsel for The Wonderful Company in Los Angeles and Dunn & Pangotacos in San Francisco. She served remotely for six years as Of Counsel at Selman Breitman in San Francisco and was a Senior Associate at Meyers Nave in Oakland. 

Emilie’s expertise and passion for legal writing extends to teaching at the San Luis Obispo College of Law, where she instructs first year law students the art of effective legal writing. In addition, she has years of experience aggressively working up cases for trial, including taking multi-day depositions, managing electronic discovery, negotiating in mediation, handling expert discovery, and participating in oral argument and trial. 

She earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Davis with a double major in History and Spanish and her law degree from the King Hall School of Law at UC Davis. While in law school, Emilie earned a Public Service Law Program Certificate, participated in the Family Law Clinic and Immigration Law Clinic, and completed externships for Justices of both the California Supreme Court and the First Appellate District. 

A San Luis Obispo native, Emilie is actively involved in the San Luis Obispo Women’s Lawyers Association, serving as a Board member since 2023. She is the current Board Secretary for the organization. Fluent in Spanish and conversational in French, in her spare time Emilie enjoys playing tennis, skiing, enjoying the outdoors, learning Italian and is a book club enthusiast.  

COMMUNITY AND PROFESSIONAL INVOLVEMENT 

• Women’s Lawyer Association of San Luis Obispo 

• Member (2019 to present) 

• Board Member/Membership Chair (2023) 

• Board Member/Secretary (2024) 

• San Luis Obispo Bar Association 

• Member (2019 to present) 

• IESA-Chilean ex-pat volunteer organization, La Serena, Chile 

• (2016 to present) 

• San Luis Obispo College of Law 

• Lecturer in Legal Writing (2024) 

BAR ADMISSIONS 

• California (2004–present) 

EDUCATION 

• University of California, Davis – King Hall School of Law (2004) 

• California University of California, Davis (B.A. in History & Spanish, 1998)