LAW PORTAL
- About
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.
- Academics
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.
- 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.
- 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
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.
Mary T. House
- FACULTY DIRECTORY
- LECTURERS IN LAW DIRECTORY
- EXPERTS DIRECTORY
- FACULTY IN THE NEWS
- SCHOLARSHIP AND PUBLICATIONS
- DISTINCTIONS AND AWARDS
- + CENTERS AND INITIATIVES
- 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)
- IMMIGRANTS AND GLOBAL MIGRATION INITIATIVE (IGMI)
- 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
699 Exposition Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90089-0074 USA
Last Updated: September 21, 2017
Judge Mary Thornton House is one of eight judges in Los Angeles County that preside over trusts, wills, estates, guardianships and conservatorship matters. Appointed in January, 1996, by then Governor Pete Wilson, she has been a judge for 21 years. Prior to her appointment to the bench, she was an assistant city attorney for the city of Los Angeles for 17 years and started out as a prosecutor in the criminal division. During her last decade with that office, defended the city and its police and fire departments in civil law suits in both state and federal courts.
In March 2004, Los Angeles County honored her as one of its ‘Women of the Year’ for her efforts on behalf of women’s issues. In October 2004, she was recognized by the Pasadena Bar Association as their ‘Judge of the Year.’ In 2008, the California Judges Association awarded her the Bernard F. Jefferson’s Award for Excellence in Judicial Education. In February 2011, the San Fernando Valley Bar Association awarded her the ‘Excellence in Judicial Administration’ award. In March 2013, the San Fernando Valley Bar Association named her their ‘2013 Judge of the Year.’ Judge House was the 2011 and 2012 Dean of California B.E. Witkin Judicial College which provides for education of all judicial officers in California. Judge House is a past and present member of many California statewide committees. She has presided over criminal felony trials, general jurisdiction civil cases, and probate during her career. She chaired the workgroup that was instrumental in passing the new expedited jury trials legislation in 2011 and coordinated the recent efforts that successfully resulted in this new legislation supported by both defense and plaintiff bar groups.
FACULTY IN THE NEWS
Los Angeles Times
January 15, 2020
Re: Wayne Sandholtz
Wayne Sandholtz, a faculty member part of both USC Gould and USC Dornsife, wrote an op-ed discussing how Trump is “a few steps from becoming a new kind of autocrat –an elected one.” He analyzes how Trump’s strategies and actions mirror those of other elected autocrats, naming Viktor Orban, Vladimir Putin, and Rodrigo Duterte as examples.
RECENT SCHOLARSHIP
Ariela Gross
November, 2019
Ariela Gross has been elected as the new Chair of the Legal History Section of the American Association of Law Schools.
Daniel Klerman
November, 2019
“Legal Origin from Outer Space,” Conference on Empirical Legal Studies, Claremont-McKenna College, Claremont, CA.
Thomas D. Lyon
November, 2019
Thomas Lyon commented on Roseanna Sommers’, “Commonsense Consent,” at the 14th Annual Conference on Empirical Legal Studies, Claremont-McKenna College.
