Professor Richard Peterson Named 2021 L. Randolph Lowry Award Recipient
USC Gould School of Law

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Thursday, November 11, 2021

Each year the Southern California Mediation Association (SCMA) presents the L. Randolph Lowry Award to a member of the dispute resolution community who has honored and inspired others through a passion and dedication to education in this important field. This year’s recipient is USC Gould School of Law Professor and Center for Dispute Resolution Director Richard Peterson.

The award is named in honor of L. Randolph Lowry, one of the founders of SCMA and an educational leader of the mediation movement in Southern California.

Peterson will be honored at the annual SCMA fall conference, with the award to be presented by its namesake, L. Randolph Lowry.

A Dedicated Practitioner and Teacher
Throughout his decades-long career, Peterson has been committed to service through education and student advocacy.

Before beginning his teaching career in 2002, Peterson worked as a consultant to school districts and schools across the nation, teaching dispute resolution and anger management curriculum to K-12 teachers, administrators and probation officers, as part of gang violence prevention programs. He began practicing law in 1979 and has served as a private mediator and arbitrator for more than 35 years. Peterson has an AV rating with Martindale Hubbell.

In addition, Peterson has served as chair of the Disability Law Section and the Law and Mental Disability Section of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) as well as a member of the Board of Directors of numerous non-profit organizations including the Regional Center of Orange County, Down Syndrome Association of Orange County and as a member of the Professional Advisory Board of the Epilepsy Alliance of Orange County. His scholarly publications include articles on the topic of therapeutic jurisprudence.

Klerman is the founding director of the ADR Certificate Program and the Center for Dispute Resolution at USC Gould. Klerman also established the USC Law School Mediation Clinic, which she has directed for over 10 years.

In Good Company at Gould
Peterson joins his USC Gould colleague, Professor Lisa Klerman, among the list of L. Randolph Lowry Award honorees. Klerman received the award from SCMA in 2018.

“On behalf of the Center for Dispute Resolution, we are incredibly proud of Richard’s accomplishment and the well-earned recognition of his outstanding thought leadership in – and strong passion for – ADR education and practice,” Klerman said.

To learn more, reach out to adr@law.usc.edu or visit gould.law/goADR.