Prof. Lisa Klerman honored by the SCMA

USC Gould School of Law Professor Lisa Klerman received the L. Randolph Lowry Award for her dedication and passion to education by the Southern California Mediation Association (SCMA).

Prof. Lisa Klerman

A renowned expert in alternative dispute resolution, Klerman launched USC’s Mediation Clinic more than a decade ago, which she designed and developed. Klerman is also the founding director of USC Gould’s Judge Judith O. Hollinger Program in Alternative Dispute Resolution.

“I am humbled to be recognized for my teaching by the Southern California Mediation Association,” Klerman said. “Teaching the next generation of mediators is a true honor.”

Klerman’s groundbreaking work with the Mediation Clinic has already received national recognition when the Ninth Circuit Judicial Council honored USC Gould with its prestigious ADR Education Award.

“We are very proud of Professor Klerman,” said USC Gould Dean Andrew T. Guzman. “Her leadership inspires her students and enables them to become successful professionals.”

About 30 USC Gould law students attended the 2018 SCMA conference where Klerman was honored. Ricci Appling, LLM in ADR, said the conference was “a dynamic event that expanded my view on the practical use of mediation in practice. Hearing a variety of speakers in different fields of practice was an extraordinary and diverse experience. I left the conference with a notebook full of conflict resolution strategies for expanding mediation in multifaceted areas of law.”

Fight on!

To build upon the momentum that Klerman created, USC Gould expanded its degree offerings to include two new degrees in Alternative Dispute Resolution — a Master of Laws in Alternative Dispute Resolution (LLM in ADR) and a Master of Dispute Resolution (MDR) in Fall 2018. USC Gould also added new ADR and MDR certificates for both JDs and LLMs.

“As the only top 20 law school with LLM in ADR and MDR degree offerings, I am grateful to work with high-caliber students interested in ADR,” Klerman said. “We offer a comprehensive curriculum, with students learning to negotiate an array of out-of-court settlements.”