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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.
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Academics
Learn about our interdisciplinary curriculum, experiential learning opportunities and specialized areas.
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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.
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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
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.
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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.
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Steve Bodmer
USC Gould School of Law
- FACULTY DIRECTORY
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- + CENTERS AND INITIATIVES
- CENTER FOR DISPUTE RESOLUTION
- CENTER FOR LAW AND PHILOSOPHY (CLP)
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- 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
699 Exposition Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90089-0074 USA
Last Updated: January 11, 2023
Steve M. Bodmer is an enrolled member of the Edisto Natchez-Kusso Tribe of South Carolina and veteran of the U.S. Navy. He received his JD from Arizona State University College of Law, where he also earned the Indian Legal Program Certificate for extensive study in the area of Federal Indian law.
Bodmer practiced Indian law in the private practice setting for several years in Phoenix, Arizona, until leaving to serve as general counsel for tribe in Central California. Bodmer has also previously worked in Washington, D.C., for Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota on the senator’s Indian Affairs team and also worked for the Department of Justice, Office of Tribal Justice.
Bodmer serves as general counsel for the Pechanga Band of Indians in Temecula, California. In this role Bodmer provides legal counsel to the Tribal Council, the Pechanga Development Corporation, and oversight for the legal affairs of the Pechanga Resort and Casino and other economic diversification projects of the tribe. Among other areas of practice, Bodmer specializes in federal Indian law, gaming law, tribal governance and tribal economic development. He is also an adjunct professor with Arizona State University Law, teaching Contemporary Issues in Tribal Economic Development. Bodmer is a member of the International Masters of Gaming Law and has presented at conferences throughout the U.S. and internationally for over a decade on topics such as the future of tribal sovereignty, gaming law and sports betting.
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
May, 2023
"Did Sackett Bring Clarity to 'Waters of the United States'?," 54:6 Trends (forthcoming July/August 2023) (accepted May 31, 2023).
Robin Craig
May, 2023
"Tribal Water Rights and Tribal Health: the Klamath Tribes and the Navajo Nation During the Covid-19 Pandemic," 16 Saint Louis University Journal of Health Law & Policy 35 (published 2023), was summarized and promoted on the Race, Racism, and the Law website run by Professor Vernellia Randall, University of Dayton School of Law.
Robin Craig
May, 2023
"Governing Shifting Species and Changing Ecosystems: What role Might Ecological Grief Play?," keynote address at the Species on the Move 2023 International Conference, Bonito Springs, Florida, on May 19, 2023.