University of La Verne Endows College of Law Dean

Thanks to a significant gift from attorney and alumnus Frank J. Lizarraga, Jr. ’80, the University of La Verne has endowed its first dean. Lizarraga’s gift supports the dean of the College of Law, a position currently held by Kevin S. Marshall, JD, MPA, PhD. Effective immediately, Marshall assumes the title of the Frank Lizarraga Endowed Dean of the College of Law.

Endowed deans are rare in law schools, and the Frank Lizarraga Endowed Dean of the College of Law is the first to be established at a school accredited exclusively by the State Bar of California. The University of La Verne offers a high-quality program of legal education that maintains the university’s longstanding commitment to educating regional lawyers who wish to serve their own communities.

“Not only do I believe deeply in the College of Law’s mission to provide equitable access to a quality legal education, I also unequivocally support the capable leadership of Kevin Marshall as dean,” Lizarraga said. “I am so proud of how well the college’s graduates are serving their local communities, and with this gift, I want to inspire my fellow established lawyers to support the college’s mission. My greatest hope is that the Frank Lizarraga Endowed Dean of the College of Law will kick off a long legacy of members of our legal community giving back to the College of Law and to the Inland Southern California community.”

A native of Ontario, California, Lizarraga holds a JD from Western State College of Law and a BS in Business Administration from the University of La Verne. An accomplished civil litigator with more than 30 years of experience, Lizarraga has his own practice in Ontario and serves as general counsel to some of the most influential organizations in the Inland Empire. He is a longtime supporter of the University of La Verne’s College of Law, which has its campus in Ontario, and is the chair of the college’s Board of Advisors.

“Frank has been an incredible friend and supporter of the University of La Verne for many years,” said President Devorah Lieberman. “This gift, which shows his passionate commitment to the field of law and the education of lawyers, uplifts our College of Law and reaffirms the university’s cherished core values of ethical reasoning, diversity and inclusivity, lifelong learning, and civic and community engagement.”

Few professions have the capability to produce change for individuals, municipalities, and entire regions so decisively as the legal profession, and with that in mind, the College of Law strives to provide transformative opportunities for its students, who are primarily drawn from the Southern California. College of Law faculty are committed to creating an innovative, collaborative learning environment designed to develop the knowledge and real-world legal skills relevant to working in private practice, public service, business, government, and on the bench. The college is consistently ranked highly for student diversity and minority representation.

“It is my great honor to serve as the inaugural Frank Lizarraga Endowed Dean of the College of Law,” Marshall said. “With this major vote of confidence, plus record-high enrollment for the fall semester, there is nothing that the College of Law can’t achieve in the coming years. I look forward to fulfilling Frank’s vision of educating future generations of lawyers who are committed to achieving professional excellence in the service of others.”