Students never forget a great professor — and at USC Gould, we are grateful to have so many excellent faculty who serve as mentors and supporters. To show our gratitude, we invited alums to thank their favorite professors by sharing memories from their time in school.
Do you have an anecdote about your favorite USC Gould professor? Thank them by sharing your story! For inspiration, check out selected submissions we received.
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| Gahram Kang (JD 2001) – Daniel Klerman |
Gahram Kang (JD 2001):
Dan Klerman, Civil Procedure
Edward G. Lewis Chair in Law and History, and Director, Center of Law & Social Science (CLASS)
Professor Klerman was kind and knowledgeable, but most of all, humble. It was his first year as a professor at USC, and it was my 1L year. He always did research on questions that he couldn’t answer and followed up with us the next day. He provided opportunities for us to meet with practicing attorneys, practice our negotiation skills and just operated the class in such a way that I have pleasant memories of Civ Pro that most of my peers at other schools cannot relate to! That’s why I chose to take another class with him during my 3L year (Intro to IP).
Melody Shekari (JD 2014):
Scott Bice, Torts
Dean Emeritus of Law and Robert C. and Nanette T. Packard Professor Emeritus of Law
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| Melody Shekari (JD 2014) and classmates – Scott Bice (center) |
Our section enjoyed Professor Bice’s Torts class even though it was definitely one of the tougher classes our 1L year. For Halloween, our section decided to show our admiration by dressing up as Professor Bice, including the signature bowtie. He was surprised when he realized that we all dressed a little more like him that day. I think he appreciated our effort, and we appreciated his wisdom, availability, and mentorship.
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| Sofia Rinvil (MSL 2019) – Anitha Cadambi |
Sofia Rinvil (MSL 2019):
Anitha Cadambi, Introduction to the U.S. Legal System
Associate Director of Graduate Curriculum & Instruction and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Law
My favorite professor at Gould Law is Anitha Cadambi. My reasons are that she is a clever, caring, and wonderful instructor who not only ensures that you understand the information but also encourages you to push yourself as a student while learning about the law, which is something I did not expect when I enrolled in her course. You can see she cares about you as a person and wants to assist you in any way she can with your legal reasoning. Not only that, but as an alumnus, you can contact Professor Cadambi and, despite her busy schedule, she will set up a meeting with you. Despite the fact that I graduated from law school three years ago, Professor Cadambi recognized me and remembered the type of student I was in her class, and she was eager to help me expand my legal thinking by answering any questions.
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| Jesse Wang (JD 2022) – Dorna Moini |
Jesse Wang (JD 2022):
Dorna Moini, Legal Innovations Lab
Lecturer in Law
In Professor Dorna Moini’s Legal Innovations Lab course, we were tasked with ideating, developing, and pitching a legal tech startup idea to a panel of attorneys as part of the Global Legal Hackathon. The competition was literally days before the pandemic hit back in March 2020, so meeting up with the professor at the office of her startup, Documate, was the last in-person event I attended for basically over a year. My team’s idea was titled “MentalBrief” which was an app designed to evaluate and rank law firms’ employee mental wellness / quality of work life balance, based on anonymous survey responses. Representing USC at the competition, we ended up getting third place (second runner-up). While we didn’t move onto the next round it was a great experience and contributed to the currently ongoing topic of mental health among young professionals and those in the legal field in particular.
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| Faye Tinsley (MSL 2022) – Roger Pao |
Faye Tinsley (MSL 2022):
Roger Pao, Business Organizations
Lecturer in Law
Simply stated: He taught me how to be learned while still learning. He created a safe space for me intellectually that held me accountable for choosing to stay stagnant or push towards greatness. He was inclusive when discussing the roles of business and law, it was never a hierarchy where he viewed himself as a king and the students as paupers. He was encouraging but never condescending and because of this I know the equity of what I bring in any space.
Want to share a memory of your favorite professor? Submit your story.
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