Virginia Blumenthal
Whether in court, on the court, or in the game of life, well-known attorney
and Riverside community leader Virginia Blumenthal knows a thing or two
about what it takes to win. As an enthusiastic fan of UCR women's
basketball, she enjoys attending games both at home and on the road. Last
year, she and her husband Duane helped cheer the Lady Highlanders to a
Big West Championship. They later made a gift to provide keepsake championship
rings for the team.
Life So Far
As one of Riverside's most prominent criminal defense attorneys and
owner of a successful law firm, she appears in the "Best Lawyers
in America" directory and was recently named as one of the "Most
Influential Attorneys in California" by the Daily Journal. She is
the 2004 recipient of the ATHENA Award for outstanding community service,
and served as president of the Riverside Symphony. For more than 25 years,
she has worked to establish a nationally competitive "mocktrial"
program involving students from more than 35 high schools that is today
recognized as one of the best in the country. She is a mother of five,
including three UCR graduates: Zachary '95, Jon '04 and Heather '06.
A Favorite UCR
Experience "Serving as an Honorary Coach for the team has been great
fun, as has being a member of the Riverside ‘Wild Women'...a
group of exceptionally accomplished community and business leaders who
love our Highlanders. We wear our blue and gold, paint our faces, cheer
our women out on the court and sometimes meet with the team afterwards.
Once, after a particularly tough loss, we were there to encourage these
young players...to respect and honor them for their talent, dedication
and ambition in the face of extraordinary challenges..