Achievements of students, staff and faculty celebrated
The USC Law Awards Ceremony highlights the accomplishments of students, faculty and staff each year. On April 10, the law school community gathered in Crocker Plaza to honor 15 of its own, including students who have worked tirelessly inside and outside the classroom, and faculty and staff who have gone the extra mile for the student body.
Dean Robert K. Rasmussen presented awards to 11 graduating students and handed out the William A. Rutter Distinguished Teaching Award. Student Bar Association President Marc Berman ‘08 presented the SBA Outstanding Faculty and Staff Awards. Each of the award recipients was nominated by members of the USC Law community and selected by a committee of faculty, staff and students. Rutter Award nominees were considered by a separate selection committee.
-The SBA Outstanding Faculty and Staff Awards honor a faculty member, adjunct professor and staff member for their service to students.
Priya Sridharan (right)
The director of career services, Sridharan is able to provide advice that comes from a career spent in the public, private and nonprofit sectors. One student said Sridharan “changed my life. I went to her with no idea what I should do for a career, and she gave me great advice.”
John Heilman (below, with Whitebread & Zermeno)
Heilman, the mayor of West Hollywood and adjunct professor, is also a 1982 graduate of USC Law. He employs a jovial teaching style, provides detailed feedback on exams and is always available to help students. Berman said he took one of Heilman’s bar preparation courses, where Berman “took more notes during those three hours than I have in a long time.”
Niels Frenzen (left)
Director of the USC Immigration Clinic, Prof. Frenzen was described by a nominator as “a living, breathing example of a committed public interest lawyer” and praised for his dedication to mentoring both current students and recent graduates.
-The William A. Rutter Distinguished Teaching Award honors a faculty member who is dedicated to great classroom teaching.
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| Zermeno, Whitebread, Heilman |
Professor Whitebread teaches Criminal Procedure and Gifts, Wills and Trusts, and an undergraduate Law and Society course. An expert on the U.S. Supreme Court and criminal and juvenile law, Whitebread is one of the most colorful and popular professors at USC Law. Rasmussen said it’s possible Whitebread has taught more law students than any professor in the country and praised the professor for the quality of his teaching and the way he impacts students’ lives.
“I have talked to students whose lives have been changed by the care and dedication of this law professor,” Rasmussen said.
-The Edward and Eleanor Shattuck Award is given to students who have demonstrated the greatest potential for becoming outstanding members of the Bar and whose actions have improved the general quality of life at USC Law.
Marc Berman (left)
This year’s SBA president has been a student leader throughout his three years at the law school. He has served on countless committees and acted as a liaison between the student body and the administration. One nomination said he puts great time and effort into making USC Law “something more than a place where students go to attend class.”
Grace Hwa (right)
Hwa made a name for herself at USC Law through public interest work. She worked in the Immigration Clinic for two years and volunteered countless hours with the Public Interest Law Foundation (PILF). One nomination noted her “stellar work” with the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office.
Patty Eberwine (below, with Garvey)
Under Eberwine’s leadership, the Women’s Law Association significantly expanded student membership and began several new annual events, including a 5k run for charity. She was an active member of PILF all three years, is editor-in-chief of the Interdisciplinary Law Journal and has mentored 1Ls and 2Ls.
Christine Guillory (left)
Guillory has served USC Law as one of the founders of the Legal Aid Alternative Breaks program. She volunteered legal services to Gulf Coast hurricane victims during each spring break, recruited fellow students for the trips, and spoke at a Washington D.C. conference about the experience. She was also a leader of the Black Law Students Association and the Community Service Affairs Committee.
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| Garvey and Eberwine |
Nominators said Garvey “typifies” a Shattuck Award recipient: she was a legal writing fellow and leader of the Hale Moot Court Honors Program. Garvey served on the PILF board and helped launch the Pledge-A-Day program, which increased PILF funding and showed students they can balance both litigation and public interest.
Raul Zermeno (above, with Whitebread & Heilman)
Zermeno has been active in the local legal community since coming to USC Law. One nomination called him “an idealist at heart.” Zermeno has served on the La Raza Law Students Association board, worked with the Teen Court program, and is currently representing clients through the Immigration Clinic.
-The Miller-Johnson Equal Justice Prize recognizes the student who shows the greatest commitment to the causes of civil and social justice.
Jean Doherty (right)
One nominee said Doherty is the most altruistic person someone might have the pleasure of knowing. She has served as executive notes editor of the Southern California Law Review, PILF board member, Community Service Affairs Committee co-director, Legal Aid Foundation extern, and fellow at Cabrini Green Legal Aid Clinic in Chicago.
Lindsay Toczylowski (left)
Toczylowski represented clients in the Immigration Clinic and spent two summers working in Nicaragua, serving domestic violence victims in 2006 and working with USAID this past summer. As PILF president, she helped revive the Pledge-A-Day program. She also volunteered in the Gulf Coast with LAAB, with the L.A. County Bar Association Domestic Violence Clinic, and with the Office of Public Service, where she currently is helping students find challenging public service work abroad.
-The Mason C. Brown Award recognizes a student who demonstrates a commitment to public interest endeavors and a particular talent for trial work.
Doreen Anthony (right)
Anthony garnered a stunning number of nominations praising her public interest work and trial skills. As president of the Black Law Students Association, she facilitated mentoring programs with foster care kids, tutoring for disadvantaged students, and an AIDS walk. She also served in PILF, Street Law and LAAB. Anthony honed her trial skills with the Post-Conviction Justice Project and at the L.A. County Public Defender’s Office.
-The Graduate and International Programs Award recognizes students who have demonstrated outstanding dedication, involvement and significant contribution to the law school community.
Bader Balghonaim (right)
As social chair for the G&IP class, Balghonaim worked diligently throughout the year to unite his classmates of different backgrounds socially and academically. He helped start the first USC J.D./LL.M. peer mentors program. Balghonaim received his Bachelor of Laws degree from King Saudi University in Riyadh and joined the established Capital Market Authority in Saudi Arabia.
Samantha Dupuch (left)
Dupuch was also elected social chair for the G&IP 2007-08 class, and helped organize many social activities for her classmates. She received her Bachelor of Laws degree and a master’s degree in English and American business from the University of Paris – La Sorbonne. She has worked in the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and participated in the International Moot Arbitration organized by Science Po in Paris, France.
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| Bill Rutter, Dean Rasmussen, Laurie Brown, Justice Earl Johnson | 3L President Shiri Klima, SBA President Marc Berman, 3L Karim Aoun |
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| USC Law Award winners 2008: Berman, Anthony, Dupuch, Guillory, Balghonaim, Whitebread, Zermeno, Dean Rasmussen, Frenzen, Hwa, Heilman, Toczylowski, Doherty, Garvey, Sridharan, Eberwine |
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