Clare Pastore has been honored with the William A. Rutter Distinguished Teaching Award for 2020. The award was created by the Rutter family to celebrate and acknowledge the efforts of law faculty who devote their careers to the education of Gould students.
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| Prof. Clare Pastore |
Pastore, Professor of the Practice of Law, has a reputation as an exceptional teacher and mentor. She oversees the Access to Justice Practicum, where our students gain hands-on experience working with low-income clients on civil rights, foster care and poverty law issues. She teaches a number of courses that are popular with students including Civil Rights and Poverty Law. She is rated highly even for courses that are not student favorites, including Civil Procedure and Ethical Issues for Public Interest, which are considerably more challenging.
Professor Pastore’s reputation as an outstanding teacher and mentor is well deserved. She is committed to ensuring that students are exposed to the nonprofit and government sectors; in 2016, she oversaw the development of the public interest certificate at the law school. Students evaluate her clinic and courses as exemplary, commenting on how much they enjoy her instruction and the opportunity to give back to impoverished communities.
The evaluation committee applauded Pastore’s approach to teaching as a model of introducing new students to the practice of law. Because of her commitment to her students and her teaching, the awards selection committee agreed Professor Pastore embodies the core of what the William A. Rutter award is designed to honor: exceptional teaching that can help lead each and every student at USC Gould to a meaningful and rewarding career in law.
The first semester of law school can be especially daunting for 1L students, and USC Gould is extremely lucky that Professor Pastore is one of the first professors whom they encounter on this journey.
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