Robert John Bello

Robert Bello, General Counsel for Hughes Marino, is responsible for the legal affairs of the company as well as tenant representation. Prior to joining Hughes Marino, Rob gained extensive experience counseling and representing clients in all aspects of business law, including: real estate, contractual, and labor/employment issues. Combined with his MBA, this “big picture” perspective makes him an invaluable resource to the Hughes Marino team.

In particular, Rob handled complex real estate litigation involving multi-party investors/developers, contracts, and the sale or transfer of projects. He helped businesses defend claims of wrongful termination, discrimination, and harassment, while also working closely with management to prevent employment issues from escalating into litigation. Of note, Rob helped secure a precedent-setting opinion in California wrongful termination cases.  Rob has also practiced at one of San Diego’s leading plaintiff’s firms and one of California’s largest defense firms. He is admitted to practice in California, Illinois, and the United States District Court, Southern District of California.

Prior to joining Hughes Marino, Rob attended Northwestern University, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in both Economics and Political Science, while also playing on the school’s varsity baseball team. After graduating, he played professional baseball in Italy for two seasons.  Rob then moved to San Diego, California, to attend graduate school. He earned his J.D., magna cum laude, from Thomas Jefferson School of Law, graduating fifth in his class. While at Thomas Jefferson, Rob was a member of Law Review and was a judicial extern for Justice Judith Haller at the California Court of Appeal and for Judge Leo Papas (Ret.) at the Federal District Court. He also helped found Thomas Jefferson’s Dual Degree MBA Program with San Diego State University, and was the first graduate of that program.

Rob holds dual citizenship with the United States and Italy, and speaks Italian. In his free time, he enjoys playing competitive baseball, traveling, and spending time with his family, which includes his wife Erin, who is also an attorney, and their two children, Vincent and Gianna.