Joanne Epps and Serena Murillo: Lawyers Scholars and Advocates for Equity

JoAnne A. Epps is a Senior Advisor to the President at Temple University ,and a Professor of Law . A member of the Temple law school faculty since 1985, JoAnne Epps served as Dean of Temple’s Beasley School of Law from 2008-2016.  From 2016-2021, she has served as Executive Vice President and Provost of Temple University.  Author and co-author of several books and articles on Evidence and Trial Advocacy, Epps has won numerous awards recognizing her commitment to diversity and advancing women within the legal profession and community. Epps is a former Deputy City Attorney for the City of Los Angeles and Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. 

Serena Murillo is a Judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court. She has presided over the court’s Criminal, Civil, and Appellate Divisions, and served as Justice pro tem on the California Court of Appeal.  She is a co-chair of the Los Angeles Superior Court’s Latino Judicial Officers Association and a professor at the University of California Irvine School of Law.  She serves as faculty for the California Judicial Council’s Center for Judicial Education and Research and speaks on issues pertaining to bias and gender-based incivility in the legal profession.  She is a recipient of the California Chief Justice’s Award for Exemplary Service and Leadership to the Judicial Branch.

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