For the past several years, Philip Crabbe JD 2001 has been a regular at the Gould alumni holiday party. He enjoyed the event so much, he wondered how to encourage his friends and fellow alumni to participate. About five years ago, he was invited to join the USC Gould Alumni Association Board, and last year was appointed chair of the L.A. Regional Committee. Now he's spreading the word about numerous local alumni opportunities.
"I know a lot of people who would love these events if they knew about them," said Crabbe, who is community relations manager for the South Coast Air Quality Management District's Legislative, Public Affairs and Media Department. "People are passionate about their school and their great education. I want to help more to get reconnected."
With active alumni regional committees across the nation - in Los Angeles, Orange County, the Bay Area, Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C. - that's easy to do. "Reach out to the Gould Alumni Association, and we'll put you in touch with your regional committee," he said. "There are fun and exciting networking opportunities going on throughout the country."
The L.A. Regional Committee is ramping up for several high-octane events this fall. Gould partnered with the Beverly Hills Bar Association for an after-work networking mixer on Aug. 3. Gould and the USC Club of Los Angeles will head to the Hollywood Bowl on Sept. 3 for a night of John Williams' movie music (Star Wars, anyone?). Later in the fall, expect a new "Breakfast with the Faculty" event on campus and a collaborative event with UCLA during rivalry week in November. During last year's rivalry week, over 100 people attended an event in Mid City L.A. that brought together USC Gould, Marshall and Viterbi with the UCLA law, business and engineering schools.
"Folks from other universities and organizations often reach out to us to partner on events," Crabbe said. "In addition to that, we find it fun and fruitful professionally and personally to partner with the other USC schools. This is all in addition to a healthy dose of networking within the Gould family, including alumni, students, faculty and the administration."
The Los Angeles Committee is considering several programming opportunities and welcomes alumni input.
"We're working hard to reach out via email and social media, to engage alumni and plan events that will interest alumni across the whole spectrum," Crabbe said. "We're open to your ideas."
When Crabbe speaks with students and recent graduates, he advises them to get as much real-world experience as they can, including pre-trial and trial advocacy classes, clinics and moot court. "I think USC does a great job in providing a well-rounded education and many opportunities to prepare for the real world," said Crabbe, a moot court quarterfinalist, best respondent brief winner and member of the moot court national team. Crabbe also participated in multiple clinics focusing on employment law, business legal advice and consumer law.
During his 1L summer, Crabbe clerked for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and then the firm he worked with as a summer associate offered him a job. He spent six years in litigation, focused on business and employment law, while also venturing into entertainment and real estate.
But his current position brought him back to his true interests: policy and politics. "I spend my days working on state and federal legislation and policy, which is what I love and really wanted to do," said Crabbe, who often travels to Sacramento and Washington, D.C., to advocate for clean air policy and funding. "My legal training has only enhanced my legislative skills as I regularly analyze and sometimes draft legislative language, taking into account its legal impacts on efforts to reduce air pollution and promote clean technology. I love the varied experience I have gained in the legal and political worlds and how my interests play off each other."
His passion for policy and politics was kindled in an internship during his last year as an undergraduate at UCLA, where he majored in sociocultural anthropology. "I did an academic internship in then L.A. County Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke's Office. As part of my experience, I was inspired by a staff attorney who showed me how the law and politics go hand in hand in the real world." After college, Crabbe was selected to participate in the competitive Executive Fellowship Program, and as a fellow went to Sacramento to work for what was previously called the Commission on Improving Life through Service, which coordinates the state's AmeriCorps programs. Next, he did campaign work in transition to moving to the State Assembly. There, he worked for then Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa as a legislative aide and later became a policy consultant for the Assembly Transportation Committee. After this real-world experience, he was ready to apply to USC Gould.
The Oakland native valued his time at Gould and his experience living in Los Angeles. Following graduation, Crabbe decided to stay in Los Angeles for work and became involved with alumni activities at Gould to pay forward some of what he had gained to the USC Gould community. Through these experiences he has learned that the more he gives, the more he receives.
To become involved with alumni events in your region, please contact [email protected].
USC Gould School of Law
699 Exposition Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90089-0071
Copyright © 2024 USC Gould. All Rights Reserved.