New partnership proves its case

Imposter syndrome hits hard in law school, says Benjamin Donoho, a member of USC Gould School of Law JD Class of 2026.

Serving as a member of the advanced USC Mediation Clinic during his 3L year gave him significantly more confidence in his abilities as a soon-to-be corporate law professional, the recent grad recalls.

“Given that I will be heading into the transactional space,” Donoho says, “the collaborative and interpersonal skills I’ve developed as a part of the clinic have been incredibly helpful.”

Launched in 2007, the award-winning USC Mediation Clinic provides a strong professional pathway between education and real-world practice.

Law students like Donoho who are accepted into the clinic gain firsthand experience using conflict resolution techniques to mediate real cases in property, tort, landlord/tenant, business, estate, family and employment law, involving parties who, most of the time, cannot afford legal representation.

And this year, in a well-timed partnership for the USC Mediation Clinic, Donoho and 14 other JD students worked, for the first time, with the Mediation Center of Los Angeles (MCLA), a nonprofit leader in providing accessible, high-quality services throughout Los Angeles County.

“The communities most benefited by the clinic and MCLA are those in and around Los Angeles — the city I’ve called home for the better part of the past two decades,” Donoho notes. “The opportunity to help my neighbors — many of whom are down on their luck or frightened by the looming prospect of going to court — has been incredibly rewarding and confirmed that the law is the right path for me.”

A timely partnership

The timing of the federal government shutdown in the fall wiped the calendar clean of mediation cases involving the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), traditionally a source many of the cases clinic participants work on.

This created a challenge for Lisa Klerman, Clinical Professor of Law and Founding Director of the Mediation Clinic. Fortunately, a few months before the shutdown, Klerman and MCLA Program Director Devin Tucker had formed the partnership, and the MCLA ramped up cases for USC law students.

“This couldn’t have come at a better time for us,” Klerman says.

Clinic students work alongside an experienced MCLA mediator, evaluating case summaries, collaborating on mediation strategy and participating directly in sessions with guided mentorship.

For advanced participants like Donoho, opportunities include leading mediation sessions with MCLA oversight, evaluating third-party assigned briefs and conducting pre-session planning with an MCLA mediator.

‘Simply magical’

Tucker says working with the USC student mediators has been a monumental learning experience for her.

“I’ve truly gained so much inspiration from them in hearing their passions for wanting to help resolve conflict, says Tucker, who earned a bachelor’s degree in international relations, psychology, and law from USC.

“What Professor Klerman has created is simply magical,” she adds. “It’s not just the courses, the materials, or the seminars — it’s her genuine effort, compassion and willingness to truly embody what it means to be an advocate in conflict resolution.

“She leads with her heart first, then her mind. She is a brilliant woman with a heart of gold and does her best to create a valuable experience for USC mediators and all those who are part of the program.”

His future career

Donoho jokes that the choice to go into law was made for him in kindergarten.

“I was late on the day that all the other kids selected and colored in pictures of what they wanted to be when they grew up,” he recalls. “When I arrived, all the pictures of firefighters and police officers were taken, so I colored in one of a woman holding a briefcase that was labeled attorney.”

Following the California Bar Examination, Donoho will join the law firm he worked with last summer, Fenwick & West, LLP. He’s expected to work on a wide array of corporate transactional matters focusing predominantly on emerging tech companies and venture capital.

Donoho says working with the MCLA was key to preparing him for a career in corporate law.

“I couldn’t ask for a better group of peers and teachers to lean on and learn from both in the clinic and as I move into the professional world,” he says.