Attorney Mark T. Harris

Attorney Mark T. Harris, ESQ. 

Professor Mark T. Harris, J.D., is an active licensed member of the State Bar of California. Additionally, he is the Director of Pre-Law Studies at the University of California, Merced and the Managing Attorney for the Northern California and Central Valley offices of Ben Crump Law, PLLC, a national civil rights law firm. Further, Professor Harris was an investment banker and served as the head of the national urban infrastructure finance group with Bear Stearns and UBS.

During 2023 Professor Harris was honored to be appointed by President Joseph Biden to the Export-Import Bank of the United States’ Council on Climate.

Professor Harris co-hosts the “Family Matters Forum”, a monthly radio broadcast and podcast of the same name. Additionally, Professor Harris served as a “Contributor” on law and economics matters on the Kelly Wright Show which was nationally broadcast on the Black News Channel.

Professor Harris attended the University of Southern California, where he later became a member of the adjunct faculty, prior to attending Loyola Marymount University, from which he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. Today, Professor Harris has become a major donor of Loyola Marymount and sits on the university’s African-American Alumni Board of Trustees. Professor Harris attended and graduated from the University of California’s School of Law in Berkeley California and while enrolled as a law student, he served on the City of Berkeley’s Police Review Commission. It was during this period in Professor Harris’ life that he witnessed the complexities of the relationship between law enforcement organizations and those whom they are entrusted to “protect and serve.”

Professor Harris has served in many local, state, and federal governmental positions. Presently, he serves on the United State’s Export-Import Bank’s Council on Climate. Previously, Professor Harris served as a Senior Executive for External Affairs with the State Bar of California; as Undersecretary for California’s Business, Transportation, and Housing Agency, and as Deputy Chief of Staff at the U.S. Department of Commerce in the administration of the Honorable William (“Bill”) Jefferson Clinton. Professor Harris continues to serve as an adviser to several current and former elected officials throughout the United States.

Today, in addition to his teaching responsibilities and myriad public service commitments, Professor Harris manages the law firm own a day-to-day basis. In addition to civil rights, his areas of practice emphasis are: public finance; land use; nonprofit management and education law.

Professor Harris has lectured on law and finance at venues throughout the world including Latin America and Asia. He has traveled to sixty countries throughout the world. He is married to Dr. Marianna Y. Harris, Ed.D., and proud parent of Eric M. Harris, J.D. and Martin T. Harris, Esq., both of whom are employed in civil rights advocacy in Sacramento and Washington, D.C. respectively.