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- About
About USC Gould
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.
- Academics
Academics
Learn about our interdisciplinary curriculum, experiential learning opportunities and specialized areas.
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- Admissions
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.
- Students
Students
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
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.
- Faculty
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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Donald M. Scotten
USC Gould School of Law
- FACULTY DIRECTORY
- LECTURERS IN LAW DIRECTORY
- EXPERTS DIRECTORY
- FACULTY IN THE NEWS
- SCHOLARSHIP AND PUBLICATIONS
- DISTINCTIONS AND AWARDS
- + CENTERS AND INITIATIVES
- CENTER FOR DISPUTE RESOLUTION
- CENTER FOR LAW AND PHILOSOPHY (CLP)
- CENTER FOR LAW AND SOCIAL SCIENCE (CLASS)
- CENTER FOR LAW, HISTORY AND CULTURE (CLHC)
- CENTER FOR TRANSNATIONAL LAW AND BUSINESS (CTLB)
- INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM INSTITUTE (IRI)
- SAKS INSTITUTE FOR MENTAL HEALTH LAW, POLICY, AND ETHICS
- + WORKSHOPS AND CONFERENCES
Vice Dean for Administration, and Professor of the Practice of Law
Email: dscotten@law.usc.eduTelephone: (213) 740-6473
699 Exposition Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90089-0074 USA Room: 300
Last Updated: August 9, 2019
Donald Scotten is vice dean for administration and professor of the practice of law. Scotten specializes in business organizational law and business entity governance, and teaches Business Organizations, Mergers & Acquisitions, and Introduction to the U.S. Legal System.
Scotten currently serves as of counsel for Akerman LLP. Previously, Scotten was first vice president and senior counsel for Countrywide Home Loans, Inc., and was a senior associate at Howrey LLP.
Scotten received a BA, cum laude, in Economics and Communications from the University of Pennsylvania; a JD, Order of the Coif, from the College of William & Mary Law School; and an Executive LLM in Taxation from New York University.
- Chapters on Mergers & Acquisitions, ABA Directors Fieldbook, American Bar Association (with Mark Easton, O’Melveny & Meyers) (2017)
- Business Organizations: A Transactional Perspective (Second Edition, Cognella Academic Publishing) (2017)
- The Transactional Document Guide (Cognella Academic Publishing) (2017)
- Chapter on Valid Issuance & Admissions, Report on Third-Party Closing Opinions: LLCs and Partnerships, State Bar of California (2016)
- Business Organizations: A Transactional Planning Perspective, Cognella Academic Publishing (2014).
- California Paralegal Manual: Corporations, The Rutter Group, a division of West Publishing, (2013) (with Judge Elizabeth Allen White) .
- "Chapter 6: Mergers and Conversions of Limited Partnerships," Guide to Forming and Operating a Limited Partnership in California, State Bar of California (2012).
- "Employment Issues in Mergers and Acquisitions," California Business Law Practitioner, Continuing Education of the Bar (Fall 2014).
- "A Review of Drafting Delaware LLC Agreements: Forms and Practice Manual," Business Law Today, American Bar Association (August 2010).
- "A Primer on Mergers Involving Unincorporated Entities," Business Law News, State Bar of California, Issue 1 (2010).
- "Best Practices for Keeping the 'Limited' in Limited Liability Companies," Business Law News, State Bar of California, Issue 3 (2008).
- "A First Look At What May Be California's New Limited Liability Company Act," Business Law News, State Bar of California, Issue 1 (2009) (with Phil Jelsma).
- "Series LLCs: An Organizational Form That Should Be Used Cautiously (For Now)," Business Law News, State Bar of California, Issue 2 (2009).
- "Practicing in Organizational Form: A Simple Way to Minimize Liability," Big News for Smaller Firms, State Bar of California, Solo and Small Firm Section, Annual Meeting Issue (2009).
- "A Historical Perspective of The Commission Versus The Oath: A Dilemma for Officers," The Journal of the Adjutant General’s Corps, Regimental Association, Volume 6, Number 1 (1993).
- "How to Turn a Term Sheet into a Final Agreement," UCLA Lowell Milken Institute for Business Law & Policy, February 10, 2016.
- "How to Translate a Term Sheet," California State Bar, Busines Law Section Webinar, January 20, 2015.
- "Beyond a Form: Operating Agreements for the Brave New World of RULLCA," California State Bar Annual Meeting, September 11, 2014.
- "Then Find a Way To Do It: Ethics Issues Faced by In-House Counsel," California Bankers Association 122nd Annual Convention and 46th Annual Bank Counsel Seminar, May 3, 2013.
- "California's New LLC Law," Los Angeles County Bar Association 2013 Delaware & California Law Update Symposium, April 19, 2013.
- "The Revised Uniform Limited Liability Company Act: How It Changes California Law," California State Bar Annual Meeting, September 15, 2011.
- "Should California Adopt the New Revised Uniform Limited Liability Company Act?" California State Bar Annual Meeting, September 11, 2009.
FACULTY IN THE NEWS
Annenberg Media
September 19, 2023
Re: Thomas Lenz
Thomas Lenz was quoted by Annenberg Media about the United Automobile Workers union ready to go on strike. "Strikes affect the livelihoods of those who choose to stop working. To the extent those persons aren’t earning money to spend that means stores, restaurants, and other businesses might not be as busy. If a strike lasts a long time bills might not get paid as easily, if at all," Lenz wrote.
RECENT SCHOLARSHIP
Mugambi Jouet
August, 2023
“Guns, Mass Incarceration, and Bipartisan Reform: Beyond Vicious Circle and Social Polarization,” 55 Arizona State Law Journal 239 (2023).
Edward McCaffery
August, 2023
"The Curiouser and Curiouser Case of Carried Interest" (with Darryll K. Jones), Arizona Law Review (Spring 2024).
Scott Altman
August, 2023
"Are Parents Fiduciaries," 42 Law and Philosophy 431 (2023).
