Spencer Fane attorney John Mowbray, in his role as Co-Trustee of the Charles and Phyllis M. Frias Charitable Trust, announced the 2026 Frias Legacy Scholarship recipients on April 15 in Las Vegas, honoring an enduring tradition of community stewardship for two of his past clients.
Over the decades, John has represented some of southern Nevada’s finest leaders in business, industry and entertainment who helped shape Las Vegas into the entertainment and sports capital of the world.
Charles and Phyllis M. Frias were longtime pillars of the southern Nevada community and built one small cab business into the largest transportation company in Nevada, fueling the lifeblood of the Las Vegas tourism economy for decades by providing safe and efficient transportation. Hand in hand with their business success, the couple actively engaged in philanthropy by donating millions of dollars to support children, education, and disadvantaged members of the community. This legacy of giving did not end with their passing.
The Charles and Phyllis M. Frias Charitable Trust was established to give back to the community that supported them and has made distributions valued at $30 million since 2019 to worthy recipients in southern Nevada. In 2022, the Frias Legacy $100,000 College Scholarship program was established under this Trust to support the Frias’ staunch belief that all children, regardless of background, should be afforded the opportunity for quality education. Now in its 4th year, the Frias Legacy Scholarship program has enabled 78 southern Nevada students to select and attend the college/university of their choice.
On April 15, the spirit of the Frias legacy of giving continued when John announced that 19 southern Nevada high school seniors who previously had little hope of ever attending college would each receive a 2026 $100,000 Frias Legacy scholarship.
During the presentation, John said: “Our jobs as trustees of the foundation are to make sure that everyone recognizes it was through their generosity, their foresight, their planning, their hard work, and their grit [that they were] able to make sure that these programs go toward the benefit of others.”
At Spencer Fane, John is the founder of and former managing partner of the firm’s Las Vegas office. A Notre Dame undergraduate and law graduate (“Double Domer”), John is a distinguished member of Nevada’s legal community, having served as president of the State Bar of Nevada and the Clark County Bar Association. He concentrates his practice on commercial litigation as well as real estate and ethics and professional responsibility. In addition, his illustrious career has been marked by robust charitable involvement holding leadership positions in several community organizations, such as president of the Las Vegas Area Council, Boy Scouts of America as well as president of Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada during a critical foundational reorganization which was recognized by His Holiness Pope (now Saint) John Paul, II with the presentation of the Pro Ecclesia Et Pontifice in 1999.
Learn more about this year’s Scholarship event here and about the Frias’ enduring legacy here.