Law students savor real world-experience in the Mediation Clinic, partnering with L.A. County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs to settle disputes.
Harmon Gill, who just completed his second year as a USC Gould law student, wants to become a zealous advocate as a litigator, fighting for his clients’ causes in a courtroom.
Thanks to his participation in the USC Gould School of Law’s award-winning Mediation Clinic, Gill also recognizes the value of being a peacemaker — as a “neutral” whose job is to get disputes settled so they don’t end up going before a judge.
“Meditation is the opposite of litigating,” Gill says, “and performing the job of peacemaker gave me well-rounded experience.”
Gill was one of 16 USC Gould students accepted into the clinic this past academic year. The goal of the clinic is to give JD students firsthand experience using conflict resolution techniques to mediate real cases.
Four of the clinic students partnered with the Los Angeles County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs, directly working with the agency in its downtown office to conduct “community mediations.”
Their work ran the gamut of settling disputes over anything from property issues between landlords and tenants to disagreements between neighbors to conflicts with family members.
In addition, the students worked in the courthouses conducting civil harassment mediations, as well as small claims mediations — disputes involving no more than $12,500 in damages sought by a party in which neither side is allowed to have a lawyer represent them before a judge.
Professor Lisa Klerman, director of the USC Gould Mediation Clinic, describes the program as a “triple win” that benefits the participants, the student mediators, and the community at large by providing opportunities for peaceful resolutions to disputes.
“Actually it is more of a quadruple win,” Klerman says, “because the judges are also very grateful that their docket is reduced, with fewer trials to conduct.”
‘The highest form of myself’
Before entering law school, Gill earned an undergraduate degree from USC in communication and minor in religion in 2021. During those four years, he started the college moot court program and coached high school mock trial.
“I’ve always been someone who wanted to uplift others and see them succeed,’’ Gill says. “When I think of what lawyers do, you’re someone’s therapist, adviser, advocate, friend, confidant — no other profession epitomizes that. So, for me, being a lawyer is the highest form of myself.”
He spent some 120 hours working for the Mediation Clinic and resolved the 20 or cases he worked on.
“So many people were counting on me to do a good job — the judge, the parties involved in the mediation, the Mediation Clinic,” he says. “I was thrown into the real world as an authority figure and wasn’t an attorney with training wheels. I was the person these people in conflict looked to. It took a lot of autonomy and authority to do it, and all 120 hours were completely worth it.
“I’m so glad I did it. I grew so much.”
Winning at ‘the game of life’
Jacob Row was one of four clinic students, along with Gill, who conducted mediations as part of the DCBA mediation team.
He says one of the reasons he chose to go to law school was because he wanted to learn about the complexities of the legal system.
“As an undergrad, I told my parents I felt like life was a game where no one really knows the rules,” Row says. “By going to law school, I hoped to learn these rules and help vulnerable people win at the game of life.”
Row mediated over 30 small claims, civil harassment, and unlawful detainer cases.
“Each case type required a different set of skills,” he says. “For example, in unlawful detainer mediations I had to work especially hard to build a relationship of trust with the tenants. However, because the landlords, who are commonly represented by leasing managers, just cared about their bottom line, I was able to talk solely about the numbers with them.”
On the other hand, in civil harassment mediations, Row says everyone’s feelings were at stake.
“As a mediator, I could only create mutual stay away agreements — not restraining orders,” he explains. “Thus, the petitioner would need to agree to give up on getting a restraining order and the respondent would need to agree to sign a document restricting their freedom of movement.
“Both parties had very strong feelings about these agreements and these feelings required me to practice patience and empathy with clinical precision. One misstep or incorrect statement could lead to tears, anger, or distrust of the entire mediation process.”
A ‘win-win’
The DCBA prizes its partnership with USC’s Mediation Clinic.
“Working with them is a win-win for Los Angeles County,” says Jessica Morales, dispute resolution program manager at the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs. “We value this partnership because it helps bring vital services to our communities while giving students real-world experience that prepares them for meaningful careers in law and public service.”
Since the Mediation Clinic was launched in 2007, USC Gould’s JD students have helped hundreds of litigants settle their cases and avoid the expense, unpredictability, and emotional drama of a courtroom trial.
“With rare exception, these litigants would never be able to afford the cost of private mediation services,” Klerman says.
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