John Rivers, Jr.

John Rivers, Jr., who graduated in 1996 as the Smale recipient with a BA in Economics and Sociology, is senior counsel at Wells Fargo in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas.  After graduation from Chico State, John enrolled in the Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley.  

John received his law degree in 1999 and worked for several years as a commercial lending attorney, representing lenders and borrowers at the law firms Orrick, Herrington, and Sutcliffe LLP and Downey Brand LLP.  He moved to an in-house legal counsel position at Comerica Bank in 2005 and continued working in the Dallar-Fort Worth Area.  After 14 years with Comerica John accepted his current position with Wells Fargo.

“My economics major has helped in my legal career by teaching me analytical skills and the ability to look at all sides of an issue,” john stated in a recent email. “It has also helped me understand the business realities faced by his clients, in both good and challenging economic environments."  (Last Updated 5/6/20)