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G. Marcus Cole

G. Marcus Cole

Joseph A. Matson Dean and Professor of Law

Office: 2103 Eck Hall of Law
Phone: 574-631-6789
Email: gcole2@nd.edu
Staff Assistant: Julie Shook

G. Marcus Cole is the Joseph A. Matson Dean and Professor of Law at Notre Dame Law School, where he has led the transformation of the school to among the nation’s most elite law schools. Dean Cole was appointed the 11th Dean of Notre Dame Law School in 2019 by Notre Dame President Rev. John Jenkins, C.S.C. Prior to his appointment, he held two endowed chairs and served as associate dean for academic affairs at Stanford Law School, having served as a member of the faculty there for twenty-two years. As a scholar of the empirical law and economics of commerce and finance, he has been inducted into the American College of Bankruptcy, as well as the American Academy of Sciences and Letters.

As Dean of Notre Dame Law School, he has overseen the steady and uninterrupted increase in the academic credentials of each incoming class, with each class setting new records for test scores and grades, while preserving a commitment to service. He has also directed the increase in experiential learning opportunities for Notre Dame Law students, growing the number of legal aid clinics from three to eleven, and the number of clinical seats from 24 to over 140.

Dean Cole’s Global Lawyering Initiative, consistent with the University’s strategic framework, has expanded the international presence and influence of Notre Dame scholars and students, particularly in the Global South. His emphasis on post-graduate judicial clerkships has established Notre Dame Law School as among the four leading law schools in the United States in the placement of graduates in these highly influential and coveted positions.

In 2019, Dean Cole founded the Notre Dame Religious Liberty Initiative with its Lindsay and Matt Moroun Religious Liberty Clinic. Today, Notre Dame Law School has become one of the leaders in the fight for religious freedom for all people around the world. Deseret News listed Dean Cole as one of 20 faith leaders reforming the way the world views religious communities by elevating moral convictions above political divides.

In recognition of his transformational leadership, the Indiana Business Journal named Dean Cole to the “Indiana 250” as among the 250 most influential leaders in the State of Indiana for four consecutive years.

In 2024, in recognition of his impactful leadership, Lord Nicholas Windsor of the British Royal Family presented Dean Cole with the Christian Heritage Center’s St. Thomas More Medal in the House of Lords of the United Kingdom. That same year, the University of St. Thomas conferred its highest honor, the Dignitatis Humanae Award, upon Dean Cole. The award is presented annually to a distinguished jurist or legal scholar for outstanding contributions to the legal profession and dedication to advancing a shared Catholic mission.

In 2026, Dean Cole was named a recipient of the Barry Prize for Distinguished Intellectual Achievement from the American Academy of Sciences and Letters. The Barry Prize is the Academy’s premier recognition of excellence in scholarship and honors scholars across disciplines for outstanding intellectual achievements that contribute to the “knowledge, appreciation, and cultivation of the good, the true, and the beautiful.”

Also in 2026, Pepperdine University conferred the degree of Doctor of Laws honoris causa on Dean Cole in May for his transformational leadership at Notre Dame, within the legal academy and the justice system, and in the fight for religious liberty.

G. Marcus Cole earned his bachelor’s degree in applied economics from Cornell University, and his Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from Northwestern University. After law school, he clerked for Judge Morris Sheppard Arnold of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.

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