- 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.
- Alumni and Giving
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Michael Roster
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

Lecturer in Law
Email: mroster@law.usc.edu699 Exposition Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90089-0074 USA
Last Updated: March 17, 2023
Michael Roster formerly was managing partner of Morrison & Foerster’s Los Angeles office; co-chair of the firm’s Financial Institutions Practice Group worldwide, resident in both Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.; and a member of the firm’s policy committee.
In 1993, Roster was appointed general counsel of Stanford University, Stanford Medical Center and Stanford Management Company. He subsequently was executive vice president and general counsel of Golden West Financial Corporation. Roster also has served as chair of the Stanford Alumni Association, chair of the Association of Corporate Counsel worldwide, and chair of two start-up companies, Insert Therapeutics and Encirq. He also is a former director of the California Bankers Association, the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco and Pasadena Heritage.
In 2008, Roster co-founded and for 10 years was co-chair of the Association of Corporate Counsel's Value Challenge, a project that is focused on better ways by which law firms and in-house counsel can serve their clients.
A graduate of Stanford University, Roster received his JD from Stanford Law School. He currently is a director of MDRC, a nonprofit corporation based in New York that evaluates the effectiveness of government and other programs affecting lower income families and individuals, and he previously chaired a project funded by two foundations to eliminate abuses in consumer credit cards in the U.S. He teaches Contract Drafting and Analysis at the USC Gould School of Law.
FACULTY IN THE NEWS
LLM Guide
June 5, 2023
Re: USC Gould School of Law
Law schools have been adapting to the increase in technological advancements, especially with the increased need for attorneys with the creation of AI. “Attorneys work on the front end, conducting threat assessments to ensure that their clients’ systems and data are protected, and on the back end, to navigate any legal issues that may arise as a result of the attacks," Gruzas said.
RECENT SCHOLARSHIP
Robin Craig
April, 2023
"Fish, Whales, and a Blue Ethics for the Anthropocene: How Do We Think About the Last Wild Food in the Twenty-First Century?," 95:6 Southern California Law Review 1307-1343 (April 2023).
Robin Craig
April, 2023
"California Exceptionalism in the Colorado River: A Brief History and Implications for the Future."
Robin Craig
April, 2023
"Toward a Global Sustainable Development Agenda Built on Resilience" (with Murray W. Scown, Craig R. Allen, Lance Gunderson, David G. Angeler, Jorge H. Garcia, & Ahjond Garmestani), Global Sustainability (online publication April 2023).