Jack Goetz
USC Gould School of Law

Jack Goetz is a lecturer in law at USC Gould School of Law. Prior to moving to USC in 2015, he was the academic lead for a 100-hour mediation training certificate program that he created in 2009 and then taught for seven years at the California State University campuses in Northridge and Dominguez Hills. Goetz serves as president of the non-profit company Educational Solutions 4 Change, which among other things, offers low-cost mediation training to other non-profit and governmental groups. In that capacity, he was academic director for a mediation training program offered to the Los Angeles Police Department, Office of the Ombuds (2015) and additionally in that role for the Los Angeles County Bar Association (LACBA) and its mediation training program (2018-2020).

As a neutral, Goetz serves the public privately as well as serving on various public panels, including serving as an arbitrator and mediator and vice chair for the LACBA’s Attorney-Client Mediation and Arbitration Services, an arbitrator for the Financial Industry Regulatory Association (FINRA), and a mediator for the Ventura County Superior Court. He additionally served as a temporary judge for the Los Angeles Superior Court from 2012-2017. Goetz served four years as a member of the Board of Directors for the Southern California Mediation Association (SCMA) and was the SCMA president in 2018. The Los Angeles Superior Court Alternative Dispute Resolution Program honored him as the 2011 “Outstanding Volunteer” for his service.

Goetz’s business background is extensive, and he received international acclaim for creating the first nationally accredited internet law school, Concord Law School (1998), which is now part of the Purdue University Global system. He serves on the faculty for the business department at Moorpark College, teaching classes in Business Law and Introduction to Business. Goetz additionally serves the educational community as a commissioner for the Distance Education Accrediting Commission, overseeing the accreditation compliance of many educational institutions offering online classes domestically and internationally.

Goetz advocates for elevating the mediation field by integrating qualifications resembling other professions as well as strengthening public protection in mediation. He currently serves as president of MC3, a non-profit organization designed to promote greater education and training for mediators through certification and the social justice associated with greater widespread public access to qualified mediators. He also served as a member of the California State Bar Committee on Alternative Dispute Resolution from 2014-2017.

Goetz received his PhD in Education from Capella University (2006), his JD from Boston University (1979), his MBA from Pepperdine University (1990), and his BA in Economics from San Diego State University (1976).

FACULTY IN THE NEWS

Law 360
May 20, 2022
Re: Thomas Lenz

Thomas Lenz was quoted in a story about Apple Store union organizers hoping to be as successful in unionizing as Starbucks workers. He said employers need to be aware of how fast news travels between different store locations. "It is completely foreseeable that employees in vastly different locations will be in touch and tracking what's going on and perhaps trying to coordinate their efforts in the best way to get a win if they're seeking representation," Lenz said. Story is behind paywall.

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