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USC Gould is a top-ranked law school with a 120-year history and reputation for academic excellence. We are located on the beautiful 228-acre USC University Park Campus, just south of downtown Los Angeles.
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Legal rights… and respect
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Tuesday, July 9, 2019
USC Gould alumni have played a key role at Mental Health Advocacy Services for the past 40 years and will continue to lead it into the future.
By Julie Riggott
In 1977, at a time when it was not only uncommon but also unpopular to consider the legal rights of people with mental disabilities, Mental Health Advocacy Services was founded to protect and advance those rights. In 1979, a USC Gould student who had volunteered during those early years became executive director of the nonprofit immediately after earning his juris doctor. That alumnus was Jim Preis (JD 1979).
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Jim Preis (JD 1978) joined Mental Health Advocacy Services in 1979. He led the organization until his death in 2018. |
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“[Jim Preis] stood for some core fundamental values — for respecting everyone’s right, regardless of their mental ability, to make their own legal and health choices.” — Jenny Farrell ( JD 2011), executive director, Mental Health Advocacy Services, pictured above. |
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