Events include mock classes, faculty panels, student info sessions
-By Maria Iacobo and Lori Craig
They won’t officially begin their studies until August, but prospective members of USC Law’s Class of 2013 gathered on campus in April for a sneak peek at the courses, faculty and classmates who will shape their experiences here.
About 100 admitted students attended Law Day 2010, where they also learned about student life, how to get involved in public interest or obtain externships, and how to tap into the law school’s alumni network. The day began with breakfast and an address from Dean Robert K. Rasmussen and Assistant Dean and Dean of Admissions Chloe T. Reid.
“At USC Law, we promise to support you throughout your law school journey and well beyond,” said Reid (right). “We’ll promise to be current in our scholarship and teaching and we’ll promote scholarship that is relevant to your world. We’ll be skillful and artful in how we introduce the law to you. We’ll also do our best in making you masterful and skillful in the art of lawyering, whether it be honing your advocacy skills in the courtroom or through the art of persuasive and cogent writing of a writ of habeas corpus.”
The prospective students spent the morning meeting faculty members and attending panels on clinical programs and externships, international programs, IP programs and student life topics. Afternoon sessions included mock classes in Property Law, taught by Vice Dean and Virginia S. and Fred H. Bice Professor of Law Scott Altman, and Criminal Law, taught by Roy P. Crocker Professor of Law Jody Armour. These sessions were followed by panel discussions on academic honors programs and judicial clerkships, and careers and the Trojan network.
Elizabeth Garrett, the Frances R. and John J. Duggan Professor of Law, Political Science and Public Policy and University Vice President for Academic Planning and Budget, spoke at lunch and shared her reasons for accepting a position at USC Law.
“This would be the place where my scholarship would grow and have the most impact, this is the place that I would be allowed to begin and follow through with innovative projects in law and politics; and it is the place where I would have the most satisfying interactions with students.”
Garrett provided the prospective students with a host of reasons why she found USC to be the right choice for her and that these reasons would resonate with them as they examined their own choices for law school.
“Los Angeles and California are stimulating places to live and USC and the law school take full advantage of the vibrant and multi-cultural community – locally, across the state and the world,” said Garret (left).
Among the activities Garrett highlighted were public service projects that student organizations, such as Street Law and LAAB, were engaged in and exciting and diverse faculty projects . She also said that USC Law’s commitment to cutting edge scholarship for faculty provided students with a variety of workshops, conferences, research and internships that would enhance their own studies.
Beyond campus activities, Los Angeles itself – with its variety of outdoor activities, cultural opportunities and ethnic festivals – would provide so many outlets that they couldn’t possibly enjoy them all in their three years at USC Law, Garrett said.
“Students here are actively engaged in the study of law, and they’re also thoroughly nice people,” Garrett said. “All my students want to succeed and all of them work hard, but they all want to maintain the extraordinarily happy environment of USC. This is by far the happiest student body I’ve ever seen and that’s an important aspect of your life over the next three years.”
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