Finding Love in Law School

In honor of Valentine’s Day we asked USC Gould School of Law alums who fell in love while they were students to tell us their stories.  

Adam Wergeles (JD 1991) and Melissa Balaban (JD 1991)

Adam and Melissa met in their first-year library class. Initially, they were friendly with each other but quickly developed a mutual disdain. Melissa thought Adam was overly ambitious and Adam thought Melissa was stuck up. Then in their second year, they were invited to an event to welcome 1Ls at Dean Scott and Barbara Bice’s beautiful home. Their dislike for each other melted under the influence of the Bices and they agreed to grab a cup of coffee together shortly after. They just celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary.

Jane Tanimura (JD 2012) and Kevin Hannifan (JD 2012) 

Jane and Kevin met while on the Southern California Review of Law and Social Justice. They frequently crossed paths while studying in the journal room, where their conversations on legal scholarship turned into flirtations and eventually resulted in a first date. They got engaged in February 2020 and then the pandemic put a halt to their wedding plans. Almost exactly a year later, they celebrated their nuptials on Zoom and now, on their first wedding anniversary, they plan to commemorate their love at a wedding party at their new home in Los Angeles.

Jill (JD 1981) and Dean (JD 1982) Nagamine

Jill and Dean met when they worked at the USC Law Library. The ideal opportunity to get to know each other happened July 4, 1979, when they worked a quiet shift together.  Jill admits that she was relentless in her questioning of Dean, and even though he gave her short responses, she pressed on with questions about his major and areas of interest. They eventually became good friends and started dating a year later. They later moved to Hawaii where they married and had two sons.

Becky (JD 2010) and David (JD 2006) Newman 

David likes to tell people that he met Becky while rescuing her from an airplane crash, but actually, they met online after Becky noticed “USC Law” on David’s profile. They bonded over their shared love of traveling, hiking, wine tasting, and complaining about LA traffic. They married in May 2014 with many USC Gould friends present. Almost eight years into marriage, Becky loves David’s creativity, humor, and steadfast support through life’s highs and lows. David loves Becky’s compassion and sense of adventure. They live in Eagle Rock with a tenacious toddler, Jacob, whom they drag along on their continued travels.

Daniel Ross (JD 2021) and Alaina Pak (JD 2021)

Daniel and Alaina met in the USC Hotel elevator the evening before Law Day in May 2018. Their paths crossed again when they were assigned apartments across the hall from each other in student housing. The two began dating during their 1L year and married in the summer of 2020. They are now living happily ever after in Chicago.

Claudia Fendian (JD 2020) and Eunsuk Yang (JD 2020)

Claudia and Eunsuk became fast friends after meeting through extracurriculars as 1Ls. Both avid runners, they completed a half-marathon together that year. As 2Ls, they served as co-presidents of Phi Alpha Delta, planning events like the annual Mammoth ski trip. Their close friendship blossomed into a romantic relationship as they began their 3L year, and after graduating they moved to New York together to begin their legal careers. Shortly afterward, they became engaged and were married in September 2021. They both agree that married life is a blast. Speaking for both, Claudia remarks that “going to Gould changed us forever, and we couldn’t be happier or more grateful!”

Linda (Buddenberg) Reed (JD 1980) and Tom Reed (JD 1980) 

Linda and Tom began dating at the end of their first year of law school. Linda describes Tom’s attire as “extremely casual” which included torn shirts, raggedy shorts and bare feet. On the last day of school, Linda and their friends staged a “Tom Reed Dress-a-like Day,” where they dressed in cut-offs and torn shirts to mimic Tom’s notorious style. Tom surprised everyone by coming to school in a three-piece suit. Linda and Tom have been married for 41 years, have three children and three grandchildren, and are looking forward to retirement.

Cammy (JD 1994) and Robert (JD 1994) DuPont  

Cammy and Robert met in their first year of law school. Initially, only a handful of people knew they were a couple. After taking a trip together in the Spring semester, it was hard to keep the relationship on the “DL.” When a fellow classmate asked Cammy what she did for Spring break, she shared that she went to the Grand Canyon with Robert and the friend basically outed them as a couple. So, after thirty years together (married for 26) and three kids later, they’re still boyfriend and girlfriend, just with a few more titles.

Want to share your USC Gould love story? Tag or DM us at @USCGouldLaw.