- 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.
Student Quick Links:
- 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.
Student Quick Links:
- 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.
- Alumni and Giving
- Admissions

Faculty Distinctions and Awards
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)
- PACIFIC CENTER FOR HEALTH POLICY AND ETHICS
- SAKS INSTITUTE FOR MENTAL HEALTH LAW, POLICY, AND ETHICS
- + WORKSHOPS AND CONFERENCES
Faculty of the USC Gould School of Law have been widely recognized for their achievements in scholarship and teaching and for their contributions to the profession and the public. They are frequently invited to testify before Congress and other bodies and to deliver distinguished lectures at universities, learned societies and national and international meetings. They have also received numerous prizes and been elected to membership in important academies and institutes, including:

American Law Institute (Elected Members)

Phi Kappa Phi (Faculty Inductees)
- Alexander Capron [Phi Kappa Phi Scholar, 2022-2024]
- Scott H. Bice
- Rebecca Brown
- Alexander M. Capron
- Marshall Cohen
- David Cruz
- Susan Estrich
- Edward Finegan
- Ronald Garet
- Martin L. Levine
- Thomas D. Lyon
- Elyn R. Saks

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
- Elyn R. Saks [MacArthur Fellow, "Genius Grant", 2009]

American Council of Learned Societies
- Ariela J. Gross [Collaborative Research Fellowship, 2017-18]
- Ariela J. Gross [Frederick J. Burkhardt Fellowship, 2003-04]
- Hilary Schor [Summer Research Fellowship, 1989]

Council for International Exchange of Scholars
- Hannah Garry [Fulbright Research Scholar, University of Oslo Law, Norway, 2021-22]

John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
- Ariela J. Gross [Guggenheim Fellow, 2003]
- Hilary Schor [Guggenheim Fellow, 2001]
- Marshall Cohen [Guggenheim Fellow, 1976]

National Endowment for the Humanities
- Ariela J. Gross [Long-Term Fellowship, 2003-04]
- Hilary Schor [Fellowship, 2023-24]

Center for Advanced Studies in the Behavioral Sciences
- Dan Simon [Fellow, 2018-19]
- Ariela Gross [Fellow, 2017-18]
The Justice Collaborative Institute
- Emily Ryo [Inaugural Fellow, 2020]

Elizabeth Hurlock Beckman Award Trust
- Elyn Saks [Beckman Award, 2018, for a teacher who has inspired former students to create an organization which has demonstrably conferred a benefit on the community at large]
- Clare Pastore [Beckman Award, 2013, for a teacher who has inspired former students to make a significant contribution to society]

Brain & Behavior Research Foundation
- Elyn Saks [Pardes Humanitarian Prize in Mental Health, 2021, for her pioneering work as a lawyer, therapist, and advocate for the mentally ill]

Mahoney Neuroscience Institute, Harvard Medical School
- Elyn Saks [David Mahoney Prize, 2021, for significantly increasing public awareness about brain science and disorders of the nervous system]
Society of American Historians
- Ariela Gross [Fellow]

Association of American Law Schools
- Elyn Saks [Law and Mental Disability Distinguished Service Award, 2020]
- Erin Miller [Future Promise Award from the AALS Section on Jurisprudence, 2023]
American Psychiatric Association
- Elyn Saks [Patient Advocacy Award, 2022]

California State Assembly
- David Cruz [Outstanding Contributions to the LGBT Community, 2010, Resolution No.1420]
- Clare Pastore [Outstanding Advocacy on Behalf of the Poor in California, 2004, Resolution No. 2638]
Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law
- Robin Craig [Clyde O. Martz Teaching Award, 2022]

Phi Kappa Phi Faculty Recognition Award
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USC Lifetime Achievement Award
- 2022: Scott Bice
- 2020: Ronald Garet
- 2014: Christopher D. Stone
- 2009: Marshall Cohen
- 2007: W. David Slawson
- 1995: Louis M. Brown
- 1988: Leonard G. Ratner
- 1987: Orrin B. Evans

USC Associates Awards for Creativity in Research and Scholarship
- 2009: Edward J. McCaffery
- 2004: Elyn R. Saks
- 1980: Christopher D. Stone

USC Associates Awards for Excellence in Teaching
- 2014: Thomas Griffith
- 1984: Stephen J. Morse
- 1977: Robert C. Ellickson
- 1974: Scott H. Bice
- 1970: Gary Bellow
- 1967: Leonard G. Ratner
- 1962: Victor S. Netterville
- 1961: G. Richard Wicks

Mellon Mentoring Award
- 2015: Hannah Garry (Faculty Mentoring Graduate Students)
- 2013: Martin L. Levine (Special Mentoring Award)
- 2012: Scott Altman (Faculty Mentoring Faculty)
- 2011: Ariela Gross (Faculty Mentoring Graduate Students)
- 2005: Thomas Lyon (Faculty Mentoring Undergraduate Students)
William A. Rutter Distinguished Teaching Award
- 2021: Emily Ryo
- 2020: Clare Pastore
- 2019: Scott Altman
- 2018: Robert K. Rasmussen
- 2017: Ariela Gross
- 2016: Michael Chasalow
- 2015: Donald Scotten
- 2014: Thomas Lyon
- 2013: Rebecca Brown
- 2012: Stephen M. Rich
- 2011: Christopher D. Stone
- 2010: Ronald Garet
- 2009: Thomas Griffith
- 2008: Charles Whitebread
- 2007: Scott Bice

Walter Wolf Award for Defense of Academic Freedom (USC Academic Senate)
- 2021: Jody Armour
- 2018: Ronald Garet
- 2016: Alexander M. Capron

Distinguished Faculty Service Award (USC Academic Senate)
- 2017: Jody Armour
- 2017: Rebecca Lonergan
- 2014: Martin Levine
- 2012: Alexander M. Capron
- 2008: Ronald Garet
Book and Article Awards
Ariela J. Gross, for BECOMING FREE, BECOMING BLACK: RACE, FREEDOM, AND LAW IN CUBA, VIRGINIA, AND LOUISIANA (with Alejandro de la Fuente)
- John Philip Reid Book Award, 2021, American Society for Legal History
- Annual Book Award (for a book published in 2020), Order of the Coif
Ariela J. Gross, for WHAT BLOOD WON'T TELL: A HISTORY OF RACE ON TRIAL IN AMERICA
- James Willard Hurst, Jr. Prize (best book in sociolegal history), 2009, Law and Society Association
- Prize for Best Book on Race, Ethnicity and Politics, 2009, American Political Science Association
- Lillian Smith Book Award, 2009, Southern Regional Council, University of Georgia Libraries and the DeKalb County Public Library/Georgia Center for the Book
- CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title of 2009
-
Elyn R. Saks, for THE CENTER CANNOT HOLD: MY JOURNEY THROUGH MADNESS
- Top Ten Non-Fiction Books of the Year, 2007, Time Magazine
- National Best Books 2008 Awards, Winner in the Health: Psychology/Mental Health Category, USA Book News Award
- Advocacy Award, 2007, Mental Health Advocacy Services
- Best Memoir in Inspirational Category, 2007, Books for a Better Life
- National Alliance on Mental Illness, Outstanding Media Awards: Literary Award
- 2008 Ken Book Award, NYC Metro's Kenneth Johnson Memorial Research Library, National Alliance on Mental Illness
- Jacques Brien Prize, Los Angeles Psychoanalytic Society and Institute
- Mardi Arquette Spirit Award, 2008, Southern California Counseling Center
- Distinguished Citizen Award, 2008, American College of Psychoanalysts
- Top Ten Non-Fiction Books of the Year, 2007, Time Magazine
-
Dan Simon, for IN DOUBT: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE PROCESS
- Book Award for Authored Book, 2015, American Psychology-Law Society
- Book Award for Authored Book, 2015, American Psychology-Law Society
-
Dorothy Lund (and co-author), for "The Corporate Governance Machine" (Columbia Law Review)
- 2022 Cleary Gottlieb Law Prize for best ECGI law paper, ECGI Working Paper Competition
- 2022 Cleary Gottlieb Law Prize for best ECGI law paper, ECGI Working Paper Competition
-
Mugambi Jouet, for "Revolutionary Criminal Punishments: Treason, Mercy, and the American Revolution" (American Journal of Legal History)
- 2022 Brophy Prize ("most significantly breaks new ground and adds new insights" to the study of U.S. legal history)
- 2022 Brophy Prize ("most significantly breaks new ground and adds new insights" to the study of U.S. legal history)
-
Lee Epstein (and co-authors), for "Untangling the Causal Effects of Sex on Judging"
- 2022 Lasting Contribution Award, American Political Science Association (APSA) Law and Courts Section
- 2022 Lasting Contribution Award, American Political Science Association (APSA) Law and Courts Section
-
Nomi Stolzenberg, for AMERICAN SHTETL: THE MAKING OF KIRYAS JOEL, A HASIDIC VILLAGE IN UPSTATE NEW YORK (with David Myers)
- Celebrate 350 Award (Best book of 2022 in American Jewish Studies), 72nd National Jewish Book Awards, Jewish Book Council
- Best Books of 2022 So Far, The New Yorker (Oct. 26, 2022)
- Celebrate 350 Award (Best book of 2022 in American Jewish Studies), 72nd National Jewish Book Awards, Jewish Book Council
- Christopher D. Stone, for WHERE THE LAW ENDS
- Best Book Award (Social Issues in Management Division), 1992, Academy of Management
- Robin Kundis Craig, for 4°C, 106 Minn. L. Rev. 191 (2021)
- One of five best articles for 2021-2022, Environmental Law & Policy Annual Review
- Daniel Klerman, for Was the Jury Ever Self-Informing?, 77 S. Cal. L. Rev 123 (2003)
- Sutherland Prize (best article in English legal history), 2004, American Society for Legal History
- Daniel Klerman, for Settlement and the Decline of Private Prosecution in Thirteenth-Century England , 19 L. & Hist. Rev. 1 (2001).
- David Yale Prize (distinguished contribution to the history of the laws and legal institutions of England and Wales), 2001, Selden Society
- Michael Simkovic, for Competition and Crisis in Mortgage Securitization, 88 Ind. L.J. 213 (2013)
- Best Professional Article, 2012, American College of Consumer Financial Services Lawyers
Professional Recognition
(Leadership in Scholarly Organizations, etc.)
- American Society of Law, Medicine and Ethics
- Alexander M. Capron [President, 1988-89]
- International Association of Bioethics
- Alexander M. Capron [President, 2005-07]
- Society for Empirical Legal Studies
- Daniel Klerman [Co-President, 2008-09]
FACULTY IN THE NEWS
Politi Fact
May 23, 2023
Re: David B. Cruz
Professor David Cruz was recently interviewed about a controversial bill that was passed in Connecticut. "Paying even modest attention to the bill’s definitions should make it clear beyond doubt that it will not be the source of protections based upon the age of people to whom one is attracted or with whom one has sex," Cruz said.
RECENT SCHOLARSHIP
Robin Craig
April, 2023
"Marine Biodiversity: Trends, Targets, and the BBNJ," Lewis and Clark School of Law 2023 Environmental Law Symposium: Protecting Biodiversity: Five Decades of Progress but an Uncertain Future, Portland, OR, April 7, 2023.
Jonathan Barnett
April, 2023
Comment Letter from Law Professors, Economists, and Business School Professors to the Federal Trade Commission on Proposed Non-Compete Clause Rule, Jonathan Barnett (co-lead author, with Adam Mossoff and Ted Sichelman), April 19, 2023.
Robin Craig
April, 2023
"Survival Equity and Climate Change Triage: How to Decide Who Lives and Who Dies," presentation as part of Adapting to a Warming World: Perspectives from the Environmental Law Collaborative, Hubbell Environmental Law Initiative, University of Iowa School of Law, Iowa City, IA, April 14, 2023.