Spirits were high on the evening of September 1 as administration, faculty, students, alumni and friends of Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law gathered to celebrate the law school’s new Dean and Donald P. Kennedy Chair in Law, Matt Parlow, with a welcome reception in the Kennedy Hall lobby.

Fowler School of Law Board of Advisors Chairman Wylie Aitken introduced the new dean to a standing room only audience.

“You have a person who has pragmatic experience as a practicing lawyer. You have a person who’s had administrative experience at Marquette University while maintaining major ties with Southern California in the nonprofit world, the sports world, and every other activity,” Aitken said.

Dean Parlow, whose tenure began in June, returned to the law school after serving as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Law at Marquette University Law School.  He previously taught at Chapman from 2005-2008.

“We’ve come far in 21 years,” Parlow said. “Part of what attracted me to this position was the ability to come back to a law school that has accomplished so much, and has so much yet to accomplish. It’s a real honor to be here.”

Dean Parlow is a nationally-recognized expert in land use, urban redevelopment, and sports law who also consults for professional sports leagues and teams. While at Marquette, he co-taught a sports law course with Major League Baseball Commissioner Emeritus Bud Selig. He holds a J.D. from Yale Law School and a Bachelor of Arts from Loyola Marymount University. The popular professor and dean previously won Professor of the Year awards at both Chapman and Marquette.

As he addressed the crowd during the reception, he thanked the Fowler School of Law community, including faculty, trustees, alumni, students, and staff, for their hard work in building the law school over the years.

“There is so much we can do to impact our community together and I’m looking forward to working with everyone to continue to advance the law school to even greater heights,” Parlow said.

Above:  Among those on hand to help celebrate Dean Parlow’s homecoming were Fowler School of Law Board of Advisors Chairman Wylie Aitken and Chapman University President Daniele Struppa.