Dario J. Frommer, Class of ’92

Dario J. Frommer ’92 is the former majority leader of the California State Assembly. He also chaired the Assembly’s Health Committee and the California Transportation Commission, which oversees billions of dollars in funding for transit projects. Previously, he had been Appointments Secretary to Governor Gray Davis.

As a Partner at Mayer Brown in Los Angeles, Frommer currently represents and provides strategic legal and political advice to Fortune 500 companies, tech start-ups, and government agencies. He was a Partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP for more than ten years.

Frommer served on the UC Davis Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing national advisory board from 2015 to 2021. He was Mayor Eric Garcetti’s appointee to the oversight board for the dissolution of the Los Angeles Redevelopment Agency. He has also served on the boards of directors for the Children's Law Center, the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation, and the Coalition for Clean Air.

What drew you to public service? And then why did you move to private practice?

Growing up, my parents were really active in the community and always stressed that it was important to give back. From an early age I developed a weird interest in politics. I remember I got into a fist fight in the fourth grade with somebody. I was for McGovern and they were for Nixon. It was always something I was interested in. After college, I had great opportunities to work with some really, really terrific leaders including Senator Art Torres (a King Hall Alum) and Governor Gray Davis. Those experiences fostered my own interest in running for office myself and serving in the legislature.

While I loved serving in the legislature, I believe in a citizen government. You do your time and then go home. When I finished my tenure in Sacramento I didn’t quite know what to do. I started my legal career as a litigator. But I didn’t want to go back to that. So I invented my own practice combining my legal and political experience and interests and I was fortunate to find a couple of kindred spirits who understood and supported my model. And, it’s been great. For me, private practice has been an extension of my time in government, because I work on finding solutions to complex issues related to government policies, regulations, and legislation. I’ve been fortunate to work with some really interesting clients on fascinating issues and to use the insights and the experience that I gained as a public servant to help them navigate pressing problems. It’s always changing. And never boring. 

Has your career taken any unexpected turns?

There have been several twists and turns. At law school, I wanted to be an environmental litigator. I never expected that I would serve as the Governor’s Appointments Secretary or as a legislator. But I did. And, when I was done with government service, my career took a turn in that I started in a new practice area and focused on a variety of issues like energy, health care, climate, and tribal gaming. Also, I never thought I would end up working in AMLAW 100 firms. But that’s where my practice took me and I have enjoyed working with some of the sharpest minds in the profession. 

What are you proudest of?

That’s a tough question. It’s hard to pick one thing. I’m really proud of some of the things I worked on in the legislature, including helping constituents navigate government, improving access to health care, creating California’s first Urban Parks Program and a crackdown on illegal tax shelters that netted the state $3 billion in unpaid taxes. But I am equally proud of work I’ve been able to do for clients that actually made a difference like helping secure regulatory approval for a specialty pharmacy for cancer patients, or negotiating an innovative settlement to a CEQA lawsuit that stopped construction of a toll road in a sensitive area, or a settlement that allowed a city to use proceeds from the sale of surplus state property to create new affordable housing units.

Why did you choose to attend King Hall?

A gentleman by the name of Luis Céspedes, who is now the Governor's Judicial Appointments Secretary, was a King Hall alumnus and reached out to me. We had a long talk. I think we went to coffee in Sacramento. He really pitched me on King Hall as a small school, a place where you can get to know your professors, where you’re going to get a solid legal education. But the vibe was a little different. At that time, I had already been out of undergrad for four or five years and I had worked. I was not the average student just going straight through. I had thought for a while about what I would want to do with my life, in terms of a graduate career, and I had decided I wanted to go to law school. He said King Hall was a great environment for that. I also liked the campus, the setting, the small school. That was how I made my decision to go to King Hall and to spend three years in beautiful Davis.

What is your favorite King Hall memory?

Honestly, I have many. It really was a great place to go to school. I made a lot of wonderful friends there and we remain close. I had great professors. In addition to being terrific teachers, they were good people. I'd say maybe one of my favorite things was working in the Immigration Law Clinic, where they actually sent us—prepared us, but sent us—to argue cases before the immigration court in San Francisco. That was really exciting, being a student at the time and developing those cases. We also did a lot of work preparing for a groundbreaking case against a Guatemalan general who had committed a lot of atrocities. We represented immigrants in the United States who had been the victims. It’s hard to say just one thing, but when people ask me about King Hall, I tell them it's a terrific school. You won't regret going there.

How have you stayed involved with King Hall and with UC Davis?

When I was in the legislature, I was delighted when then Dean Wolk came to me and asked for my help to get money to expand the Law School. With his wife Lois Wolk as my colleague in the legislature, we were able to secure a substantial amount of funding for the renovation and expansion of King Hall. It was a great experience to be able to advocate for our school and to share with others in the legislature the importance of keeping the school at the top of the tier in terms of its facilities and its technology and its ability to serve students. That was a great moment. And I've gone to some of the reunions, and I stay in touch with a lot of my friends. So I hear all the things that are going on still—although I think most of my favorite professors are retired, including most recently Kevin Johnson retired as dean. He wasn’t the dean when I was there, but he was a professor who was well-loved.

Do you have any advice for current law students?

My advice is to go out and get experience while you're in law school and try things. Whether it's doing Moot Court or Law Review or the Immigration Clinic. It's really important to test your skills and to stretch yourself and to learn as much as you can in that process. And also to maintain your relationships with people, your friendships, because over the years you'll see folks that you know move into different positions in our legal system. Some of them are going to be judges. Some of them are going to be general counsels. Some are going to be working at state agencies. Some will be elected officials. And those relationships can be really important to your practice as a professional. I think those are probably the most important lessons I can share.