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About USC Gould
USC Gould is a top-ranked law school with a 115-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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Academics
Learn about our rigorous and interdisciplinary curriculum, our invaluable experiential learning opportunities, and the breadth and depth of our specialized areas of concentration and certificate offerings.
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Admissions
USC Gould helps prepare you for a stellar legal career. You can pursue a JD degree, one of our numerous graduate and international offerings, or an online degree or certificate.
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Student Life
Participate in an unparalleled learning experience with diversity of people and thought. Get involved in the law school community and participate in activities that enhance your studies.
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Careers
We work closely with students, graduates and employers to support successful career goals and outcomes. Our overall placement rate is consistently strong, with 94 percent of our JD class employed within 10 months after graduation.
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Faculty
Our faculty is distinguished for its scholarship, as well as for its commitment to teaching. Our 12:1 student-to-faculty ratio creates an intimate and collegial learning environment.
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Alumni and Giving
The global Trojan network of more than 10,000 law alumni and donors include recognized leaders in numerous fields who are deeply committed to supporting student and law school success.

Faculty
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Thomas D. Lyon
Judge Edward J. and Ruey L. Guirado Chair in Law and Psychology
Last Updated: Wednesday, June 21, 2017
Email: tlyon@law.usc.eduTelephone: (213) 740-0142
Fax: (213) 740-5502
699 Exposition Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90089-0074 USA Room: 408
Personal Website: Link
SSRN Author Page: Link
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Thomas D. Lyon’s research interests include child witnesses, child maltreatment and domestic violence. He teaches courses in Evidence, Law and Psychology, and Child Interviewing. Professor Lyon oversees the USC Child Interviewing Lab and Mobile Center which focuses on the maltreatment of children and identifies ways of encouraging children to provide truthful information about abuse, with higher accuracy and reduced trauma to the child. The Lab conducts cutting-edge research on child witness testimony and is one of the only labs in the country to conduct research and forensic interviews in this field of study.
Professor Lyon is past-president of the American Psychological Association’s Section on Child Maltreatment (Division 37) and a former member of the Board of Directors of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children. He has published more than 60 papers in law reviews, psychology journals and books; has authored or co-authored more than 90 research presentations at psychology and law conferences; and has conducted more than 200 trainings with judges, attorneys, law professors, social workers, psychologists and reporters. His work has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the United States Department of Justice, the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, the California Endowment, and the Haynes Foundation.
A magna cum laude graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School, Professor Lyon received his Ph.D. in developmental psychology from Stanford University. He was an attorney for the Children’s Services Division of the Los Angeles County Counsel and a research associate at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center prior to joining USC Law in 1995.
A. Publications in Peer-reviewed Journals
B. Publications in Law Reviews
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8. Lyon, T. D., & Dente J. A. (2012). "Child Witnesses and the Confrontation Clause." Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology, 102, 1181-1232.
C. Publications in Books
D. Contribution to Amicus Briefs
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2. Lyon, T. D. (2007). "National Association of Counsel for Children in Support of Respondents. Adrian Martell Davis v. Washington, Hershel Hammon v. Indiana."
E. Practitioner Guides
F. Short Pieces
G. Book Reviews
FACULTY IN THE NEWS
The Undefeated
April 19, 2018
Re: USC Gould School of Law
Thomas Lenz was quoted on how the NFL's refusal to hire quarterback Colin Kaepernick, as well as safety Eric Reid may bolster Kaepernick's case against the NFL for conspiring to keep him out of the league because of his political views. “To the extent that someone else has some parallel activity, some similar involvement, it certainly cast suspicion [on what’s occurring in the NFL]," said Lenz. “It’s the sort of thing that, as the facts bear out, you have to wonder if there’s some sort of pattern going on. … It definitely warrants some inquiry.”
RECENT SCHOLARSHIP
Robert K. Rasmussen
January, 2018
"Puerto Rico and the Netherworld of Sovereign Debt Restructuring," Workshop, Duke Law School, Durham, NC.
Edward Kleinbard
January, 2018
"The Right Tax at the Right Time," Florida Tax Review 21 (2017): 208.
Edward Kleinbard
January, 2018
“The Perversion of the Tax Policy Process,” Keynote Address at the USC Tax Institute, Los Angeles, CA.