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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.
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Academics
Learn about our interdisciplinary curriculum, experiential learning opportunities and specialized areas.
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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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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
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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Who We Are
USC Gould School of Law
- SAKS INSTITUTE FOR MENTAL HEALTH LAW, POLICY, AND ETHICS
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Elyn Saks
Founder and Faculty Director

Her memoir, has garnered such honors as:
- The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Fellowship, the “Genius Grant”
- A New York Times “Extended Best Seller”
- The Time Magazine “Top Ten Nonfiction Books of the Year” Award
- An Honorary LLD from Pepperdine University
- A Hospital ward named after her at Pelham Woods Hospital in Dorking, England
Saks’ scholarship and practice include:
- Worked as a legal intern in the Mental Health Law Project at Yale Legal Services
- Represented Patients in Civil Commitment Hearings and Abuse/Neglect Cases
- Consulted as an Expert in Cases Involving Multiple Personality Disorder and the Law
- Teaches Civil and Criminal Mental Health Law
- Trained as Research Psychoanalyst at the New Center for Psychoanalysis
- Writes widely in the area of law and mental health
Christopher Schnieders
Director

Sonja Castaneda-Cudney
Program Specialist

RECENT NEWS

Trailblazer Elyn Saks sees ‘gender-inspired mental health activism happening all the time now’
June 6, 2023
USC Gould professor is founder, faculty director of Saks Institute for Mental Health Law, Policy and Ethics

USC Gould Law Library showcases ‘rejuvenating power of music’
June 2, 2023
Performances feature LA Philharmonic concertmaster, saxophone quartet

‘The Best Beloved Thing is Justice’
June 1, 2023
New book by Gould alum Lisa Kloppenberg celebrates life of Judge and former Dean Dorothy W. Nelson