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.
Sheniece Smith
- 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
Email: ssmith@law.usc.edu699 Exposition Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90089-0074 USA
Last Updated: August 28, 2019
Sheniece Smith joined Children’s Hospital Orange County (CHOC) in 2008 as a paralegal and advanced her career as she simultaneously worked her way through law school. Smith graduated, cum laude, from the University of La Verne College of Law in 2012.
Immediately after passing the bar in 2012, she assumed the role of associate counsel at CHOC. In 2014, Smith was promoted to associate general counsel. In this role, she was responsible for the daily operations of the legal department, including general corporate matters, labor matters, regulatory compliance and litigation. She also hired, trained and supervised the legal staff. Smith provided legal counsel to the organization’s leaders through direct advice and oversight of outside counsel on strategic initiatives and various risk issues. In December 2017, Smith was promoted to chief of staff and senior counsel to the CEO. In this role, she continues to provide legal advice to the organization's leaders while acting as a member of the business team and advancing the priorities of the CEO’s office.
In 2013, Smith founded H.O.P.E. Through Affordable Legal Services as a community benefit project to bridge the gap between pro bono services and full attorney fees, by increasing access to quality legal services for low-income individuals. In one year, the law firm assisted nearly 100 underserved individuals.
In 2014, she launched Family Legal Assistance at CHOC Children’s, a medical-legal partnership, to provide free guardianship and conservatorship services to CHOC families who otherwise would not be able to afford the services. This program continues to serve approximately 75 patient families each year.
Smith also developed a law clerk program at CHOC to allow students to enhance their legal skills through assisting on projects in the legal department and direct contact with the families receiving services through Family Legal Assistance at CHOC Children’s. Each semester, she develops a curriculum designed to maximize the learning opportunities for these students. Smith has mentored many students over the years, appeared as a guest speaker in various classrooms and presented MCLE programs.
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.
