At USC Gould School of Law, Clinical Professor of Law Heidi Rummel serves as the director of the Post-Conviction Justice Project and teaches a legislative policy practicum. Her work exemplifies the intersection of advocacy, education and systemic reform. Reflecting on her journey, Rummel shares, “I came to Gould because I’ve always loved teaching, and the clinical setting seemed perfect for me because I loved being a lawyer and practicing law.”
Rummel’s passion for criminal justice took root early in her career. After clerking for a federal district court in Washington, D.C., she joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office under Eric Holder. “I was very fortunate to be hired into Eric Holder’s U.S. Attorney’s Office in D.C., where I did state court prosecutions, misdemeanors, felonies, grand jury appellate work,” she recalls. Later, she transitioned to the Los Angeles office, focusing on cases involving violent crime, gang activity, and criminal civil rights violations, including human trafficking and hate crimes.
Her move to academia was a transformative shift. “That was my first time moving from, as they say, one side of the courtroom to the other side of the courtroom and representing clients in a post-conviction but criminal defense setting,” Rummel explains. At Gould, she has immersed herself in fighting for individuals who have been marginalized by the justice system, particularly through the California parole process.
One of her most significant endeavors has been advocating for juveniles sentenced to life without parole. “Shortly after I came to Gould, I started working on the issue of juveniles or people under 18 who were sentenced to life without any possibility of parole, sentenced to die in prison,” she says. Rummel and her students played a pivotal role in legislative efforts, co-sponsoring laws that created the youth offender parole process. These reforms have provided opportunities for release to tens of thousands of individuals in California.
For Rummel, the core of her work lies in fostering hope. “I believe that there is a fundamental human right to hope,” she emphasizes. “I hope that my law students, through their client relationships, through their advocacy, through their work, understand the humanity of the people we incarcerate.” Her mission is clear: to inspire future lawyers to champion justice and create pathways for rehabilitation and reintegration. “No life is not worthy of at least the opportunity to become a person who can be a contributing member of society.”
Watch the full interview with Professor Rummel to learn more about her work and the Post-Conviction Justice Project.
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