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University of Southern California University of Southern California
Magazine
Los Angeles, California 90089-0071
2006
FALL/WINTER
2006
Magazine
CALENDAR
Thursday, Oct. 12 Monday through Wednesday, Jan. 22-24
Conversations with the Dean: 2007 Tax Institute
“Corporate Ethics in the Enron Era” Millennium Biltmore Hotel, Los Angeles
USC Law (Continuing Legal Education program)
Friday, Jan. 5
Alumni Regional Reception
Marriott Wardman Park Hotel,
Sunday, May 13
Commencement
USC Alumni Park
Corporate ethics:
Washington, D.C.
Saturday, June 9
Lessons learned the hard way
Reunion 2007
University Park Campus
Cover.cgla 11/17/06 3:27 PM Page 2
Magazine
Editor
Rizza Barnes
Writers
Gilien Silsby
Lori Stuenkel
Contributors
Kristen Natividad
2L Lindsay Toczylowski
Communications Coordinator
Jennalyn Magtoto
ON THE COVER
14
14 10
Lessons learned the hard way
FEATURES
18 Supporting excellence
Cover
A trio of distinguished USC Law
Ken Orvidas
alumni champion students and faculty
Principal Photography
by creating endowments
Tonya McCahon
David Roberts
DEPARTMENTS
2 Dean’s Message
5 PROFILES
32 Closer
Second-year student Lindsay
Toczylowski recalls her summer
internship in Nicaragua
USCLaw_MagFallWnt06.cgla.r1 11/15/06 10:16 PM Page 2
A people place
Dear friends,
One of the wonderful things about serving as dean of the USC Gould School
of Law has been learning more about the many people who are truly committed to
making this law school great. There are ample stories to share — alumni who give of
their time and resources; staff who work long hours to do their jobs well; students who
go the extra mile to help each other, serve the school, or serve the community.
One story particularly stands out for me. This fall, because a couple of faculty
members were ill, we had to scramble at the last moment to find professors who
could teach certain major first-year courses. It was a challenge; most professors
were already teaching full loads, and the courses that needed coverage had 70
or more students in each. But it didn’t surprise any of us that our much beloved
colleague and friend, Ron Garet, stepped up to teach a second section of our
signature course, Law, Language and Ethics. He never asked for a penny, though
I gave him several pennies, just because it was the right thing to do. Ron is now
teaching 150 first-year students, and he is teaching them beautifully, as he always
does. One feature of Ron’s first-year classes is his “contract” with the students —
any student who takes a sample exam and reviews a sample answer can meet with
Ron, one on one, to go over the experience. Understandably, this generous offer
meets with high acceptance. So Ron has been busy conducting 150 one-on-one
sessions with nervous first-year students.
Amidst all this, Ron’s beloved daughter Winnie is now a fresh-person at
Dean Edward J. McCaffery
Harvard, staying in the same dormitory that Ron stayed in when he was a student,
a decade or two back. Ron very much wanted to attend Parents’ Weekend this fall,
a once-in-a-lifetime moment for a proud father. But Ron did not travel, because
of the teaching demands he had willingly, quietly and graciously assumed.
Other faculty stepped up as well. Alex Capron, fresh off the plane from his
stint at the World Health Organization in Geneva (read more about that on Page
10) and Greg Keating each agreed to cover sections of Torts. Ariela Gross is teach-
ing two sections of Contracts and Tom Griffith is teaching two sections of Tax
to help cover shortages in those areas. Nomi Stolzenberg has quickly rearranged
her schedule for spring semester to teach Property, and David Cruz has offered
to take on a spring section of Federal Courts if needed. I consider being a law
professor a great honor, and I think the generosity of these dedicated people clearly
demonstrates that I’m not the only USC Law professor who feels this way.
This edition of USC Law Magazine includes more stories of the wonderful
people who make this school special, including generous donors whose deeply
personal gifts honor family and teachers (see Page 18) and graduates who have
found their own professorial paths (see Pages 28-31). I hope you read this maga-
zine and feel, as I do, lucky to be a part of this remarkable community.
Edward J. McCaffery
Dean and Carl Mason Franklin Chair in Law,
Economics, and Political Science
USCLaw_MagFallWnt06.cgla 11/14/06 7:17 AM Page 3
Breaking
the silence
T
homas Lyon, USC professor of law and psychology,
has been awarded a $1.7 million grant by the National
Institutes of Health to study why maltreated children
are reluctant to disclose their abuse. The goal of the
research, Lyon says, is to find ways to encourage chil- Thomas Lyon
dren to reveal truthful information without increasing the risks
of suggestibility or influence. The third and fourth phases will examine whether maltreated
“Most research on child witnesses in the past 15 years has children’s true and false narratives can be discriminated by fine-
emphasized the risks of false allegations caused by suggestive grained analysis of the children’s verbal and nonverbal behavior,
questioning,” says Lyon, the study’s principal investigator. “It has including their facial expressions and body language, and whether
not addressed problems that come up when truly abused children lay people or professionals can differentiate children who are
are reluctant to disclose their abuse. The reasons include fear, disclosing truthfully from children who are either concealing
embarrassment or immaturity.” information or providing false information.
Research has found that most adults who disclose childhood In all phases, the performance of abused children will be
abuse never mentioned the incidents to anyone as a child. Abused compared to non-maltreated children in order to determine
children, who later testify, often are discredited in court because if the maltreated children’s life experiences lead them to think
of inconsistencies and reticence in talking about the abuse. or behave differently.
Lyon and his team of researchers — Jodi Quas, an associate The interdisciplinary research program integrates develop-
professor of psychology at the University of California, Irvine, and mental psychology and the law in order to make recommendations
Kang Lee, professor of psychology at the University of Toronto — for practice. Lyon is actively engaged in training social workers,
will examine honesty in maltreated children in several phases. attorneys and other professionals on how to interview children
The first phase will examine maltreated children’s understanding using research-based methods proven to both increase the amount
of truth and lies, and factors that may influence disclosure. In part, of information children can provide and minimize suggestibility.
this research will contribute to legal methods for determining chil- “The results of this research, in addition to contributing to our
dren’s competency to testify. understanding of child development and the effects of maltreat-
The second phase will examine maltreated children’s ment, will have enormous practical value in helping professionals
truth-telling under various conditions in order to determine what develop the most sensitive means for questioning children about
influences children to disclose information. For example, the team topics that are usually kept secret, but are of essential value to
of professors will follow up on research they previously conducted the law,” Lyon says. “Children are too often silenced by abuse.
in which maltreated children were more likely to reveal secrets Our goal is to find the safest means for them to speak.”
when they promised to tell the truth and were reassured that
telling would not get them into trouble. — Gilien Silsby
USCLaw_MagFallWnt06.cgla.r1 11/15/06 10:22 PM Page 4
Nancy Conroy
W
hen Nancy Conroy ’97 takes the Gringo Gazette flawed titles, he notes, while most buyers in Mexico rely entirely
North to press, she knows her target audience on an imperfectly administered government land registration system.
needs information. Americans living in Baja “U.S. buyers who appreciate the risks may throw up their
California, where Conroy lives and publishes hands and decide not to buy at all,” Lefcoe adds. “Others may
the biweekly English language newspaper, decide to contract for title insurance with a U.S.- based company.”
often “leave their brains at the border,” she says, particularly Conroy herself learned to examine the pitfalls and risks of real
when they see beachfront property for sale. estate transactions as a USC Law student in Lefcoe’s real estate
“I take a very aggressive stance in exposing fraud and risky situa- transactions class. Other courses prepared her to write cogently
tions for Americans interested in real estate in Mexico,” Conroy says. and to scrutinize business transactions and how they fall into
In 2004, she wrote a series of articles about La Jolla del Mar, an international framework — skills she employs frequently.
a Rosarito condominium project whose developers were involved “I would not be qualified to do what I do today were it not
in legal disputes that she argued could affect the title, unbeknownst for my legal education,” Conroy says. “It helps me every day.”
to potential buyers. According to the Los Angeles Times, a spokesman Conroy says she has faced other attacks since publishing the
for the development group acknowledged the existence of the La Jolla del Mar articles, including a death threat received via
competing title claim but said the partners believed it had no e-mail, the theft of 8,000 copies of the paper (15,000 free copies
merit and that Conroy’s articles damaged their reputations. are distributed every two weeks in Ensenada and Rosarito),
Now Conroy is facing criminal defamation and calumny and an immigration investigation reportedly launched by the
charges, as well as two lawsuits seeking $22 million — all brought developers of La Jolla del Mar.
by the developers. Her case has attracted the attention of the Committee to
“I know exactly what the laws are,” Conroy says. “Everything Protect Journalists (CPJ), a nonprofit organization dedicated to
I published was thoroughly researched, and this is simply an defending press freedom worldwide. Northern Mexico, particularly
attempt by the developers to strong-arm me.” the border, has become in the last two years one of the most dan-
Her case has highlighted the struggle for freedom of the gerous places for journalists to work, attributable to the threat of
press in Mexico, as well as the nation’s real estate tangles. retaliation from private citizens upset by published information,
“It would be very unusual for somebody to conclude the says Carlos Lauria, Americas program coordinator with CPJ.
purchase of property in the United States and not to have learned For her part, Conroy says she will continue to publish stories
before closing about a serious title dispute raging in the courts over about real estate issues in Mexico.
who owns it,” says George Lefcoe, the Ervin and Florine Yoder “We have to respect her courage,” Lefcoe says. “This is a very
Chair in Real Estate Law at USC. Title insurers, real estate brokers brave thing she’s doing.”
and escrow agents protect most U.S. property buyers from acquiring
— Lori Stuenkel
USCLaw_MagFallWnt06.cgla 11/14/06 7:19 AM Page 5
A civics lesson
A
lex Barney is studying international law this year in
a way no other law student will: He is helping train
members of the new Liberian army, as part of a U.S.
peacekeeping project to rebuild the African country’s
ministry of defense.
Barney is spending the year in Monrovia, Liberia’s capital,
teaching civics, law and human rights to recruits who will form the Alex Barney (left) and Andrew Michels
new army under the first truly democratic government following
more than a decade of civil war. “It’s very unusual for a young woman or man in school to be
“Considering the history of violence in Liberia, the challenge offered an opportunity to go to another country, especially one
is creating a group of men and women soldiers who will also be that is emerging from over a decade and a half of violent conflict,
civic-minded citizens,” Barney says. “The idea is to mold them and be able to participate at the most fundamental level in the
into a group that supports the constitution and supports the idea reconstruction of that society,” Michels says.
of a true democracy in Liberia.” This was not the first time Michels looked to the USC
In classic USC Law fashion, Barney owes the opportunity to network for hires, and he says he hopes to extend more unique
two other members of the Trojan Family — both USC graduates, opportunities to the law school community.
one of whom taught Barney last year. Adjunct Professor Debbie “It’s hard for these motivated, smart kids to find paying work
Shon, who received her B.A. from USC, told Barney and her in any international forum, so I do make a special effort — as
international trade policy class about the project. Her husband, does my wife — to ensure that when a suitable offer comes along,
Andrew Michels ’92, directs peacekeeping operations for we take it back to where we graduated from and provide USC
DynCorp International, the U.S. State Department contractor students with opportunities they might not otherwise receive,”
in charge of building Liberia’s new defense ministry. Michels said.
“I approached her immediately and said I was interested Barney will stay abroad through June 2007 and return for
in doing that kind of work, if an opportunity ever came up,” his third year at USC Law next fall. After graduation, Barney
Barney recalls. says he plans to work in international development and hopes
The opportunity arose this summer, when Michels this experience will guide his career plans.
began searching for a civics instructor to teach Liberian army “Being here means I have the opportunity to specialize
recruits. It was solely on the recommendation from Shon that a little more in some of the areas of law I’m interested in,”
Michels — who doesn’t normally hire law students for this he says. “I basically have a year to study them.”
caliber of work — interviewed Barney.
— Lori Stuenkel
USCLaw_MagFallWnt06.cgla 11/14/06 7:20 AM Page 6
On the
record
Matthew Belloni and Norah Weinstein
W
hen Norah (Gottfried) Weinstein ’02 and
Matthew Belloni ’02 graduated from USC When it debuted, The Wall Street Journal Law
Law, few could have predicted the plot twists Blog ran an entry headlined “Starstruck Law
to come in their legal careers. Blog Hearts The Hollywood Reporter ESQ.” and
Both headed to jobs with firms they loved cheered the publication’s coverage and “nifty” software.
— Weinstein to Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom in New The publication tackles entertainment law in a broad way,
York and Belloni to Alschuler, Grossman, Stein & Kahan in Santa covering legal news in everything from sports and fashion to
Monica, Calif. — and enjoyed the work they did. But when movies, music and the Internet. Content is divided into seven
Weinstein transferred back to Skadden’s L.A. office, she was primary categories: talent and studios, litigation, corporate, IP-
struck by something: Despite the growing prominence of enter- tech, labor, government and celebrity. Weekly features include
tainment law in the legal landscape, no publication existed to a bylined opinion piece from an attorney or industry executive
keep entertainment lawyers apprised of the news that mattered and a Q&A with an industry leader.
most to them. “We brought a lawyer’s mindset to this,” says Weinstein, THR
Having written for the Daily Californian during her undergrad- ESQ.’s publisher. “We always try to include where a lawyer went
uate days at the University of California, Berkeley, Weinstein to school, for instance, and their first job. Lawyers care about pedi-
saw an opportunity. Working with the publisher of The Hollywood gree. And we want this to be by, for and about this community.”
Reporter and with financial backing from THR’s parent company, As the entertainment industry converges with technology and
Vnu, she put together a plan for The Hollywood Reporter, ESQ., media, the potential for THR ESQ.’s growth seems equally expo-
an online publication dedicated to entertainment law in all its nential. The publication’s dedicated staff is small — six people
variations. Then she called Belloni, who had edited her work including Belloni and Weinstein — but one writer is based in New
at the Daily Californian and had remained a friend ever since, York, and they all work closely with The Hollywood Reporter’s staff
and convinced him to come on board as editor. to ensure global coverage of the entertainment industry.
“It was a unique opportunity to start something new, utilize “Partnering with The Hollywood Reporter changes the nature of
our legal and our journalism backgrounds, and juggle issues we are what we’re doing from a local start-up to an immediately credible
interested in,” says Belloni, who practiced entertainment litigation service with international resources,” says Weinstein. “We still
under Larry Stein ’69. “It’s a risk, but we’re young. And it’s fun.” work law firm hours, but being here and caring so much about
And successful. The publication launched in June with a high- everything we do — it’s all worthwhile.”
tech web site that includes a weekly interactive digital magazine,
daily news and three searchable databases with details on case — Melinda M. Vaughn
USCLaw_MagFallWnt06.cgla 11/14/06 7:21 AM Page 7
Missions
Possible
Additional speakers included David Agnew, executive vice
president of Buena Vista Music Group; Larry Stein ’69, head of
Alschuler, Grossman, Stein & Kahan’s entertainment and media
department; and Alan Rosenberg, president of the Screen Actors
Guild. Honored at the event was Melvin Sattler ’47 for his long
years of service to the Institute’s planning committee.
The lunchtime keynote address by Guber and Bart attracted
the largest crowd and laughs. After being introduced by USC Law
Dean Edward J. McCaffery and Board of Councilors member
Clockwise from top: Peter Guber, Peter Bart and Bruce Ramer
Bruce Ramer, who also chairs the Institute, the two speakers
discussed changes and challenges in the entertainment industry.
Although movie sales overseas have hit record numbers, Bart
S
ome of the biggest names in the entertainment industry
said that obsessing about the global market could “undermine
— including Peter Bart, editor in chief of Variety, and
the economics of the business.” Guber disagreed, saying that
Peter Guber, chairman of Mandalay Entertainment
companies are forced to aggressively market to overseas consumers
Group — participated in the 2006 Institute on
because of the high cost of making a film in the United States.
Entertainment Law and Business at USC in September.
“When I started at Columbia, the entire market cap of Warner
Sponsored by USC Law and the Beverly Hills Bar Association,
Bros. was $400 million,” said Guber. “That’s less than the cost
the all-day conference, “Missions Possible: Gaming, Animation,
of the investment in ‘Superman’ — one film. We’re seeing a sea
Music and Beyond,” took an in-depth look at the hottest trends
change; these companies have to make global pictures. … They
and issues facing the industry.
are part and parcel in trying to get a major summer audience, a
The event drew more than 400 guests — prominent lawyers,
major global audience and a major Christmas audience. Without
accountants, agents, producers and the like — who participated
them, you’re not going to generate the kinds of box office revenues
in discussions of the newest ideas in television, film and music,
and the kinds of results that can compete in the international
and emerging opportunities in gaming and animation.
marketplace.”
Anthony N. Cabot of Lewis & Roca and Benjamin R. Mulcahy
The Institute on Entertainment Law and Business is one of six
of Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton kicked off the conference
conferences presented each year by USC Law’s Continuing Legal
by leading a session that examined the regulations surrounding
Education program. For more information on any of these events,
lotteries, game shows and online gaming. Other sessions covered
visit www.law.usc.edu/cle.
advances in the music business; the ethical fallout of technology;
and critical issues in children’s programming and advertising.
— Gilien Silsby
USCLaw_MagFallWnt06.cgla 11/14/06 7:21 AM Page 8
D O L L A R S F O R S E RV I C E
USC Law again has increased the Former LRAP participant Christopher Knauf ‘96 says pursuing
maximum salary requirement for a public interest law position right after law school would have
its Loan Repayment Assistance been impossible without the assistance he received from USC Law.
Program (LRAP). “I decided I wanted to go into public interest law by the end
To be eligible for LRAP, gradu- of my first year at USC, and LRAP allowed me to take that path,”
ates living in such high-cost areas said Knauf, who first worked at Bet Tzedek Legal Services for two
as Los Angeles, Chicago and New years before joining the Western Law Center for Disability Rights
York must earn $55,000 or less as a staff attorney. Six years after graduating from law school,
(an increase of $10,000 from he reached the 100 percent forgiveness phase — meaning he no
the previous maximum). A salary cap of $45,000 applies to those longer had to pay back the portion of his student loans defrayed
working in other cities. by USC Law.
Created in 1987, the program helps graduates working as “My student loan payments were almost as much as my public
attorneys in public interest, public service or government, as well interest salary after taxes,” adds Knauf, who started his own prac-
as alumni in judicial clerkship positions. Those who qualify are tice earlier this year and continues to focus on disability as well as
expected to apply a portion of their earnings to their annual education law. “I absolutely needed LRAP and was very grateful
obligations for education loan repayments; USC Law then makes for it. It’s great to know that the recent salary cap increase will
a loan for the remainder of those obligations. help more graduates pursue public interest careers.”
If a graduate works in qualifying employment for a specified For more information on LRAP, contact Mary Bingham, director
period and continues to receive a salary below the maximum of financial aid, at (213) 740-2523 or mbingham@law.usc.edu.
amount, his or her LRAP loan will be forgiven in whole or in
part, depending on the length of participation in the program.
LONDON BRIDGE
COMMUNITY BUILDING
USC Law’s dual degree program with
the London School of Economics (LSE)
launched this fall, with four USC About 70 USC Law students began
students studying abroad for the their fall semester with paintbrushes
2006-07 academic year while three in hand at Community Service Day
LSE students complete their 2006. The volunteers spent a half-day
degrees in Los Angeles. painting an exterior fence to beautify
For USC students, the program the Challengers Boys & Girls Club,
consists of two years of study at USC which serves 3,500 youth living in
South Los Angeles.
Law followed by one year at LSE.
George Hill, director of operations
If needed, students will spend a final,
for L.A. Works, which co-sponsored
seventh semester at USC. Upon suc- the event with USC Law’s Office of
cessful completion of the program, Public Service, said the fresh coats
participants will receive a J.D. from of paint will help the building appear
USC and an LL.M. from the as highly regarded on the outside as it
University of London. is to the neighborhood on the inside.
Meanwhile, LSE bachelor of law candidates spend their third and fourth “The kids were very excited when
years of study at USC Law, eventually earning an LL.B./J.D. degree. the USC Law students showed up, and
LSE is one of the largest and best-known schools of the University of they wanted to help,” Hill said. “This
London. More than half of its 6,000 students and many of the faculty come is a good builder of community all the
way around.”
from outside the United Kingdom.
USCLaw_MagFallWnt06.cgla.r1 11/15/06 10:24 PM Page 9
V E R BAT I M
BEST NEIGHBOR
“It has changed the landscape of prosecution and the ability of
a defendant, who’s wrongly accused, to defend himself. I think
there’s a comfort level with this sort of technology that doesn’t
have an agenda. Technology doesn’t want the defendant to be
convicted or the prosecutor to win. It simply exists.”
The University of Southern — Jean Rosenbluth ’93, USC Law director of legal writing and
advocacy and adjunct professor of law, on “NBC Today,” dis-
California was ranked No. 1 cussing the growing use of technological evidence in court
cases, including time-stamped receipts from cash machines,
cell phone logs and even a toll pass for the bridge.
in a list of the top 25 colleges
in the nation that have made the greatest contribution to
their communities.
The “Saviors of Our Cities” list — compiled by New England N E W FAC E S
Board of Higher Education President and CEO Evan Dobelle —
features institutions that spearhead community revitalization and
cultural renewal by serving as economic drivers of the local economy
and as advocates of community service. Judgment criteria included
faculty and student involvement in the community, relationships
with city officials and partnerships with local schools, and the
sustainability of neighborhood initiatives.
Several programs at USC Law contribute to the university’s
overall commitment to the educational, economic and civic well-
being of its surrounding environment. Through clinics offered by
the school, faculty and students provide local residents with pro
bono legal assistance for immigration, adoption, employment law,
post-conviction and intellectual property issues.
In addition, the Office of Public Service (OPS) was created
by the law school earlier this year to further expand student oppor-
First-year students Derek Lazzaro and Michael Thompson
tunities for pro bono legal work, internships and service-learning
programs. OPS also has established a Student Advisory Council
to assist all student organizations that have a service component USC Law this fall welcomed more than 300 new first-year,
or a desire to become involved in service to the community. transfer, and LL.M. students, including 217 J.D. candidates.
During the 2005-2006 academic year alone, USC Law stu- Several are entrepreneurs and a number have been
dents reported more than 2,500 hours of volunteer work with educators, including one student who taught philosophy
more than 23 different legal services organizations ranging from to fifth graders. A handful worked in law firms; several
have founded web sites; one was a special assistant to Gov.
the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles to the HIV & AIDS
Arnold Schwarzenegger; and another was a Thai classical
Legal Services Alliance. Most of these volunteer opportunities
dancer. As undergrads, students competed on athletic
were offered through 30 pro bono clinics sponsored by the teams including soccer, baseball, crew and Ultimate Frisbee.
student-run Public Interest Law Foundation (PILF), one Joining the J.D. class were transfer students and
of the most active groups of its kind in the country. several exchange students from the London School of
Starting this fall, the law school is launching a “100 hours of Economics. Also entering USC Law are 97 Master of Laws
public service” campaign, encouraging student organizations to cre- (LL.M.), Visiting International Program for Lawyers (VIP)
ate a project or adopt a PILF pro bono clinic for the academic year. and Master of Comparative Law (MCL) students hailing
Third-year law students Sven Kaludzinksi and Meredith from 20 countries, including China, Japan, Taiwan, Hong
Edelman, last year’s PILF pro bono co-chairs, agree that their Kong, El Salvador, France, Germany and Denmark.
fellow students’ commitment to public interest is clear. During orientation, Susan Estrich, the Robert
Kingsley Professor of Law and Political Science, told stu-
“USC Law has continued to build upon a tradition of public
dents to expect to find a special atmosphere at USC Law.
service that places us at the forefront of progressive, engaged
“Going to law school here is a positive experience,”
institutions,” adds Edelman. “We’re thrilled that our efforts she said. “Students help each other. The attitude here is:
at the law school reflect the great spirit of community fostered We’re all in this together.”
by the university.”
USCLaw_MagFallWnt06.cgla 11/14/06 7:23 AM Page 10
and the United Kingdom, where the average life expectancy is couple of years to improve WHO as an institution, I worked with
between 75 and 80 years of age, to countries like Equatorial Guinea members of my department on a huge range of assignments. For
and Niger, where life expectancy is closer to 42 years. Yet while example, within any week, I might meet with colleagues from
member nations’ cultural traditions and social, economic and health the World Trade Organization or the World Intellectual Property
conditions vary dramatically, they face many of the same ethical Organization on the policies that allow patients in poor countries to
dilemmas. Indeed, we may have a lesson or two to learn from gain access to expensive, patented medications; with representatives
smaller, less wealthy nations that have struggled with problems of nongovernmental organizations concerned about human trafficking
that are becoming increasingly urgent here in the United States. for organ transplantation; with WHO staff trying to find ways to
Alexander Capron, University Professor, Scott H. Bice Chair reduce cigarette smoking or overcome chronic health conditions;
in Healthcare Law, Policy and Ethics, and Professor of Law and with colleagues from UNAIDS regarding ethical guidance for
Many countries responded by adopting statutes that embodied any industrial product. This yields a product with a price tag on it,
those principles, though others either don’t have such statutes which sets up a tension with the principle of voluntary donation and
or don’t enforce them. non-commercialization.
Since 1991 several things have happened. We’ve seen huge What’s interesting to me is the way in which many of these
growth in transplantation around the globe, and a change in atti- issues have been on the agenda in the United States for some time
tudes. The number of paid donors has burgeoned and, in some and are now very relevant all around the world, so we may also be
places like the Philippines and Pakistan, and probably China, there able to benefit from their experience.
is a booming business in organ sales. This certainly seems to involve
exploitation of the necessitous circumstances of very poor people, WERE THERE ANY ISSUES THAT YOU TACKLED AT THE WHO
though some theorists believe there’s nothing wrong in allowing THAT ARE NOT BEING ADDRESSED IN THE UNITED STATES?
people to make the choice to become an organ “vendor.” There’s Concerns about access to life-saving medicines are acute right now
also been huge growth in the use of processed tissues, bones, skin for many developing countries facing the onslaught of HIV/AIDS
and so forth. Those materials resemble commodities — they’re ster- and other lethal diseases. We tend to think of this as a problem just
ilized, processed, stored, sorted and distributed in the same way as for poor countries, but it will be of critical importance for us if we have
an influenza pandemic, for instance, because it’s doubtful that we will
have an adequate supply of vaccines or of antiviral drugs. Indeed, the
general issue of rationing health services is only going to get worse
here. That’s reflected in part in rising numbers of uninsured people
as businesses find it harder to pay for workers’ health care, and even
within health insurance plans when some medical interventions produce
such a small marginal benefit that insurers argue that these interven-
tions shouldn’t be part of what the system provides. We’re starting
to wake up to the reality that many countries face routinely of having
to make some wrenching choices about how to use our resources.
Lessons learned
the hard way
By Gilien Silsby
excellence
They come from different walks of life, grew up in different generations, and pursued different
career paths. Yet one connection runs deep: their devotion to USC Law.
This year, to help the law school continue to attract stellar students and faculty, a trio of distin-
guished graduates — Ruth J. Lavine ’43, William A. Rutter ’55 and Stephen P. Rader ’81 — each
have pledged major gifts designed to support the law school in perpetuity.
“USC Law graduates are extraordinary people who share a deep love for the school, a passion
for excellence and a desire to help,” says Dean Edward J. McCaffery. “We are especially fortunate
to count Ruth, Bill and Steve among our most loyal and supportive alumni.”
One gift will support scholarships. Another will establish a teaching prize. A third will endow
a chair. All will create a lasting legacy.
USCLaw_MagFallWnt06.cgla 11/14/06 7:27 AM Page 19
its longstanding commitment by pledging to endow the Richard time with fellow USC Law graduates Robert Thompson ’42, the
and Ruth Lavine Scholarship Fund. late Laughlin Waters ’46 and the late Conrad Moss ’49. She then
According to daughter Catherine Unger, the gift is a fitting practiced with her husband and Harry Fain ’46 until Mr. Lavine
tribute to her parents. She remembers her dad as a dedicated was appointed a Los Angeles Superior Court judge in 1980. She
scholar, someone who was truly interested in learning, and she is retired as a solo practitioner, specializing in probate and estate
proud of her mom, who is one of the relatively few women in her planning, in 1990.
generation to attend law school. Today she still attends continuing legal education courses and
“My grandparents believed strongly in education and in all of its pays her bar dues. She also remains involved with USC Law.
benefits,” Unger says. “They encouraged my mom and her sister to “My parents both had a great law school experience at USC,”
pursue their scholastic goals. It didn’t matter that they were girls.” Unger says. “Their love for the law school is just one of the many
The Jacobson sisters began their scholarly pursuits in England, common interests they shared, including travel and serving the
after their family left Germany on April 1, 1933, two months after community. Each of them was always president of some organiza-
Hitler’s appointment as chancellor. When they immigrated to Los tion — that’s the kind of atmosphere I grew up in. They taught
Angeles in 1938, both Mrs. Lavine and the late Leonore Jacobson me the importance of giving back and, whenever possible, trying
Kunz ’44 attended USC as undergraduates and as law students. to make the world a better place.”
After passing the bar exam, Mrs. Lavine practiced part time
while raising a family. Fifteen years later, she began working full
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When former USC Law Dean and Professor Orrin Evans Years later, after founding The Rutter Group, one of the
took ill for a brief time in the late 1950s, William Rutter ’55, leading legal publishing companies in the country, Rutter
then a private practitioner, stepped in as an adjunct professor designed an award to honor the hardest-working people he
to help teach a few of Evans’ classes. knew: He established a teaching prize program at four University
“That’s when I realized that teaching ain’t all that easy,” of California law schools, where promotions and raises were tied
Rutter recalls with a smile. “You think you know a subject fairly primarily to research and publications, and less credit was given
well until you try to teach it to somebody else. I was amazed at to classroom performance.
the amount of time it took me to prepare for class. Although this is not the case at USC, Rutter — a longtime
“To inspire students in some way, to get their minds working Legion Lex and Board of Councilors member — says he had always
and keep them alert and interested — that requires a great deal dreamed of establishing a similar program at his alma mater. This
of foresight, preparation and ideas. Great teachers have these year, with his $1.2 million pledge to USC Law, the William A.
abilities and are remembered for it.” Rutter Distinguished Teaching Award program was set in motion.
Stephen Rader’s USC roots are deep and strong. Like his
father, Stanley Rader ’63, Stephen received his bachelor’s degree
in accounting and went on to the USC Gould School of Law for
his J.D. And like his father, Stephen graduated at the top of his
law school class.
His sister, Janis Rader ’77, also earned a law degree from USC. His
wife, Anne, and her two brothers and two sisters earned USC degrees
as well; their father was a surgeon at LAC+USC Medical Center.
And today, his younger daughter, Haley, is a sophomore at
USC, studying communications. (Daughter Katelyn graduated
magna cum laude from New York University in 2006.)
“My family’s ties to the university are very strong,” says Rader.
“When I decided to go to law school, I only applied to USC
because I wanted to carry on the family tradition. Since my father
passed away in 2002, one of my goals was to honor him, the family
and our USC heritage. Creating an endowed chair seemed very
fitting, especially because my father taught as an adjunct
professor. I think he would have been excited about a gift that
helps the law school attract the very best faculty.”
This year, Rader pledged $3 million to establish an endow-
ment to fund the Rader Family Trustees Chair in Law. In addition
Stephen Rader
to commemorating his father, the gift is designed to help USC equity fund. Today he is a co-founder and managing general partner
Law continue its rise in national prominence. of Clarity Partners, a private equity firm that invests in communi-
“I believe professionals feel an extra affinity for their profes- cations, media and related technology companies.
sional schools,” Rader says. “It’s up to the alumni of those schools, Aside from his involvement on the USC Law Board of
if they have the means, to make sure their school has the Councilors, Rader — whose daughter Haley was diagnosed
resources it needs. I would like to see USC become one of the with type 1 diabetes at age 5 — also is active with the Juvenile
top 10 law schools in the country, and I know that takes money Diabetes Research Foundation, serving as a board member in
and resources.” the Los Angeles chapter and chairing several fundraising events.
While a student at USC Law, Rader served as a 1L section Rader is an avid photographer as well; he has exhibited interna-
president and as executive notes editor of the Southern California tionally and has won several awards.
Law Review. He also clerked for Judge J. Clifford Wallace of the “I could not have accomplished what I did in my business
U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. career without my legal background,” Rader says. “My training at
After graduating in 1981, Rader practiced as a corporate USC Law and my professors taught me how to think, how to solve
securities attorney and a certified public accountant. He then problems, and how to articulate my thoughts and ideas. They
served as a managing director for Bear, Stearns & Co., prior to taught me how to focus on important issues and to ask the right
joining Chartwell Partners in 1989. In 1997, he co-founded Rader questions. My three years at USC Law allowed me to flourish
Reinfrank & Co., LLC, a $100-million Los Angeles-based private in my business and my career.”
USCLaw_MagFallWnt06.cgla 11/14/06 7:29 AM Page 22
Kareem Crayton, assistant professor of law and “The Role of Lawyers in the Promotion of the Rule of Law in
political science, is a legal/political consultant on (Emerging) Market Democracies,” at the 13th Annual Clifford
the USC interdisciplinary project Re-Imagining Symposium on The Rule of Law at DePaul Law School.
California, an initiative to use digital games/simu-
lations to encourage greater civic participation. He Ehud Kamar, professor of law, presented his
introduced a proposal for states to consider adopting measures to article “Beyond Competition for Incorporations
protect minority voting rights, based on the experience of California’s Law” at the Law and Economics Seminar at the
adoption of a voting rights act, at the Duke University Symposium University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall
on Voting Rights. He also presented “Importing Democracy from School of Law. The article is forthcoming in the
Abroad – South Africa’s Lessons on Election Administration” at Georgetown Law Journal. He presented “Going-Private Decisions
the Law & Society Summer Workshop in South Africa. and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002: A Cross-Country Analysis”
(co-authored with Pinar Karaca-Mandic and Eric Talley) at the
Ariela Gross, professor of law and history, partici- Law and Economics Workshop at New York University School
pated in a Roundtable on New Legal Histories of of Law and at the Blue Sky Lunch at Columbia University
Race and Nation at the Organization of American School of Law. He also presented “Does Shareholder Voting
Historians’ annual meeting in Washington, D.C. on Acquisitions Matter” at the Law and Economics Workshop at
She presented a commentary titled “Slaves, Tel Aviv University Faculty of Law; at the Law and Economics
Race, and Color in 18th and 19th Century Latin America: Some Workshop at Hebrew University Faculty of Law; and at the
Comparative Observations” at the “Colloquium: Statutes, Science Annual Meeting of the American Law and Economics Association.
and the Seas: Slavery and Freedom in the Atlantic World” confer-
ence, held at the University of Michigan. She presented a paper Gregory Keating, William T. Dalessi Professor
titled “ ‘The Caucasian Cloak’: Mexican Americans and the of Law and Philosophy, was named associate dean
Politics of Whiteness in the 20th Century Southwest” at the for academic affairs at USC Law effective Jan. 1,
University of Pennsylvania Legal History Workshop. She spoke 2007. He presented a paper, “Strict Liability
on “Native Identity, Citizenship and Land Allotment in the Early and the Mitigation of Moral Luck,” to the USC
20th Century U.S.” at the ARENA Conference on Nations and Center for Law and Philosophy Conference on “The Morality
Nationalism in Seville, Spain. of Fortune.” His article “Abusing ‘Duty’ ” (Southern California Law
Review, 2006), co-written with Dilan Esper, was cited in an Aug. 28
Gillian Hadfield, Richard L. and Antoinette California Supreme Court dissent for Priebe v. Nelson, written by
S. Kirtland Professor of Law and Professor of Associate Justice Joyce L. Kennard ’74. He was elected to the
Economics, discussed “The Quality of Law in American Law Institute in May.
Civil Code and Common Law Regimes: Judicial
Incentives, Legal Human Capital and the Dan Klerman, professor of law and history, was
Evolution of Law” at several law schools and academic confer- awarded the 2006 Gabriel and Matilda Barnett
ences including Yale Law School, the University of Toronto, Summer Professorship at the USC law and busi-
the University of British Columbia, New York University, and ness schools for support of research in law and
the American Law and Economics Association Annual Meeting. economics. He delivered his paper, “Jurisdictional
She participated in a conference on the Law and Economics of Competition and the Evolution of the Common Law” at the
Contracting at Columbia Law School and presented a paper on Annual Meeting of the American Law and Economics Association
USCLaw_MagFallWnt06.cgla 11/14/06 7:31 AM Page 23
– Gilien Silsby
USCLaw_MagFallWnt06.cgla.r1 11/15/06 10:27 PM Page 24
Stellar scholar
Daria Roithmayr
D T
Daria Roithmayr, a nationally recognized critical race theo- “I came to USC because the faculty here is top-notch and
rist, has joined the USC Gould School of Law as a professor. because the unique mix of people here — people who do law
Roithmayr, who was recruited from the University of Illinois, and economics working together with people who do more law
specializes in critical race theory, an academic discipline that and social science — fits perfectly with my intellectual interests,”
examines the intersections of race, justice and society. Her schol- she said. “The diversity of the law school student population
arship focuses on discrimination, immigration, evidence law, civil and the vibrant activism of Los Angeles also were very important
litigation, and trade and globalization. factors to me.”
For the past decade, she has examined similarities between Before joining the faculty at the University of Illinois in
race discrimination and market monopolies. She has developed 1996, Roithmayr twice served as special counsel for Sen. Edward
a theoretical model based on market monopolies that explains Kennedy on the Senate Judiciary Committee, advising him on the
why racial disparities in jobs, housing and education might persist nominations of Justice David Souter and Justice Clarence Thomas.
even if people no longer intentionally discriminate. Roithmayr “Working for Senator Kennedy during the Clarence Thomas
will publish her findings in her book, Locked in Inequality: A Market and David Souter nominations was incredibly exciting, particularly
Lock-In Model of Racial Discrimination, in 2007. during the Thomas nominations,” she said. “During the Anita
“We are thrilled to have Daria here at USC Law,” says Hill hearings, I began to understand how law, politics, race and
Edward J. McCaffery, Dean and Carl M. Franklin Chair in Law, gender interact in a way that reproduces power, even when the
Economics, and Political Science. “Daria is an innovative scholar, form of power changes.”
an engaging teacher and a wonderful, spirited colleague. Our Roithmayr also has worked in private practice in Washington,
faculty and students alike look forward to working with and D.C., and Phoenix, and served as special counsel to the
learning from her.” Mississippi Attorney General, litigating the state’s lawsuit against
Roithmayr received a B.S. in psychobiology from UCLA tobacco companies.
and her J.D. magna cum laude from Georgetown University Law In the spring, Roithmayr will participate in a fellowship at the
Center, where she was a member of Order of the Coif and served Center for Comparative Study of Race and Ethnicity at Stanford
as senior notes editor for the Georgetown Law Journal. After gradu- University, where she will finish her book and conduct research
ation she clerked for Judge Marvin J. Garbis, on the U.S. District on racial cartels and the lock-in process.
Court for the District of Maryland.
USC Law’s interdisciplinary scholarship and high-caliber faculty — Gilien Silsby
attracted Roithmayr to the school.
USCLaw_MagFallWnt06.cgla.r1 11/15/06 10:29 PM Page 25
Rising
stars
Jonathan Barnett and Shmuel Leshem
T
The USC Gould School of Law has recruited two new assis- “I was attracted to USC by its sterling reputation for combin-
tant professors, further enhancing the school’s prominence ing legal analysis with the best of social science scholarship and
in business and intellectual property law. its faculty’s strong commitment to cultivating young scholars,”
Shmuel Leshem specializes in law and economics, focusing says Barnett.
on game theory, and Jonathan Barnett is an expert on intellectual Leshem is a recent J.S.D. graduate of New York University
property, corporations and business organizations. School of Law. He received a joint degree, magna cum laude, in
“USC Law has a history of hiring excellent young scholars law and economics from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem in
who quickly become national leaders in their fields, and I think 1997. In addition, he has an M.B.A. in finance from the Hebrew
we’ve found two stars in Shmuel and Jon,” says Edward J. University and an LL.M. degree from NYU. Leshem’s current
McCaffery, Dean and Carl M. Franklin Chair in Law, Economics, research focuses on a signaling theory of termination fees in
and Political Science. mergers. His recent works include “Settlement Authority,
Barnett comes to USC Law from Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Signaling and Contingent Fees” and “Cross Ownership: Control
Hamilton in New York, where he was an associate attorney and Competition in the Israeli Media” (with Yaron Ezrahi and
handling private equity investments, private and public mergers Zohar Goshen; The Israel Democracy Institute, 2003).
and acquisitions, and a variety of financing transactions. He also Leshem says he was drawn to USC Law because of its strong
taught antitrust and contracts and led an advanced antitrust analy- interdisciplinary programs and reputation. He is particularly
sis seminar at Fordham University School of Law in New York. impressed by the close familiarity of faculty members from various
A magna cum laude graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, disciplines with law and economics, as well as by the supportive
Barnett received his M.Phil. from Cambridge University and his and collegial atmosphere at the law school.
J.D. from Yale Law School. His publications include “Shopping
for Gucci on Canal Street: Status Consumption, Intellectual — Gilien Silsby
Property and the Incentive Thesis” (Virginia Law Review, 2005);
“Private Protection of Patentable Goods” (Cardozo Law Review,
2004); and “The Rational Underenforcement of Vice Laws”
(Rutgers Law Review, 2002).
USCLaw_MagFallWnt06.cgla 11/14/06 7:32 AM Page 26
Professor wins
distinguished
fellowship
U
USC Law Professor Mary Dudziak has won a prestigious
fellowship from the American Council of Learned Societies
for 2006, which will support her book project, Exporting
American Dreams: Thurgood Marshall’s African Journey.
Dudziak was one of 60 scholars and the only law professor this
year to receive a fellowship from ACLS. The organization made
awards totaling just under $2.3 million to scholars for postdoctoral
research in the humanities and humanities-related social sciences.
The recipients were selected from 878 applicants.
Dudziak, the Judge Edward J. and Ruey L. Guirado Professor
of Law, History and Political Science at USC, is working on
a book about the role of law in the transition to independence
in Africa and in the struggle for civil rights in America. At the
heart of both stories was Thurgood Marshall.
A leading figure in American law and the first African-American
to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court, Marshall aided African national-
ists in negotiations on an independence constitution for Kenya
when he was a civil rights lawyer in 1960.
Mary Dudziak
T
Matthew Spitzer, Andrei Marmor and Gillian Hadfield
This fall, three USC Law professors were named to endowed longtime supporter of USC Law and co-founder of Legion Lex.
professorships in a ceremony that commemorated their He specialized in insurance and malpractice defense at the law
scholarship and the school’s benefactors. firm of Kirtland & Packard, of which he was a founding partner.
“We spend a lot of time talking to donors and philanthropists, Mrs. Kirtland, a gifted anesthesiologist, has served as a talented
and they are lovely people who have done good things and are and respected member of the local medical community. She
doing good things by giving back,” says Edward J. McCaffery, established the professorship in honor of her late husband and his
USC Law Dean and Carl Mason Franklin Chair in Law, lifetime of dedicated service to the legal profession.
Economics, and Political Science. “It is really their heartfelt giv- Andrei Marmor was named the Maurice Jones Jr. – Class of
ing that enables so much of what we do here. One of the things 1925 Professor of Law. A prolific author on issues concerning the
they get most excited about is creating chairs. They believe in relationships among law, morality and politics, he is the director
what we do as scholars.” of the USC Center for Law & Philosophy and the editor-in-chief
Matthew L. Spitzer ’77 was named the Robert C. Packard of the Journal of Ethics & Social Philosophy, an online peer-reviewed
Trustee Chair in Law. An expert in law and economics, broadcast journal in moral, political and legal philosophy.
regulation, and communications and mass media law, he is the Marmor’s professorship is named for the late Maurice Jones ’25,
former dean of USC Law and is a visiting associate in the Division a senior partner with the law firm of Jones, Bell & Simpson, who
of Humanities and Social Sciences at the California Institute of was deeply committed to education and civic affairs. The profes-
Technology. He also holds a joint appointment with USC’s sorship was endowed through the energy and generosity of Jones
Department of Political Science. and his USC Law classmates.
Spitzer’s position is named for the late Robert C. Packard ’47,
one of the nation’s leading airline defense attorneys and a model — Kristen Natividad
of professionalism over the course of his nearly 50-year career with
the law firm of Kirtland & Packard. As a generous supporter of the
University of Southern California, his contributions total more In 16th century England, a chair, complete with arms, legs and back,
than $16 million. was a rare — and therefore prized — article of furniture. Common
Gillian Hadfield was appointed the Richard L. and Antoinette people sat on three-legged stools or wooden benches; the gentry
S. Kirtland Professor of Law. She studies the design of legal and used cushions on the floor; monarchs and high clergy sat on impres-
dispute resolution systems in advanced and developing market sive chairs and thrones.
economies; the markets for law, lawyers and dispute resolution; When a worthy teacher was accorded the rank of professor,
contract law and theory; economic analysis of law; and gender he or she also received an actual chair, with arms, back and legs,
in economics and law. She is the executive director of the USC as a symbol of his or her status in the world of learning. The early
Center for Law, Economics and Organization, and is a 2006-07 fel- academic chair was established by a king or bishop, whose generosity
low of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences. was recognized in the title of the professorship.
Hadfield’s professorship is named for the late Richard Kirtland ’32 Today’s holders of academic chairs and named professorships
and his wife, Antoinette Schamoi Kirtland. Mr. Kirtland was a are therefore part of a centuries old international community
of eminent scholars.
USCLaw_MagFallWnt06.cgla 11/14/06 7:33 AM Page 28
Extreme
dean
Heidi M. Hurd ’88 embraces
academic life with joy and moxie
the most diverse in the state of Illinois and among Big Ten
Conference schools.
Today she remains an active scholar, publishing five articles
on such topics as political theory and jurisprudence in 2005-2006
alone. She also regularly teaches criminal law and torts.
“I’m always miserable if I don’t have a writing project,” Hurd
Backpacking along the Continental Divide. Whitewater rafting admits. “I also love students, I love the classroom, and I’m not
through Dinosaur National Monument. Skydiving out of a Super willing to give up that fix. Through teaching, I feel connected
King Air plane at 14,000 feet. with student concerns and interests.”
Just another summer in the life of Heidi Hurd ’88: dean of the Sometimes, that connection transcends classroom walls — and
College of Law at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, travels up the earth’s atmosphere. Such was the case on Sept. 23,
scholar of law and philosophy, and outdoor enthusiast. when Hurd joined 16 of her first-year criminal law students in her
In some ways, Hurd says she approaches her job like she does second skydiving expedition. According to Hurd: “My students
her hobbies — with a spirit of adventure. found out what I did over the summer, so they put the squeeze on.”
“The ultimate goal of an administrator is to build a vibrant After graduating from USC Law, Hurd spent most of her
community that faculty members find fruitful and engaging, and career as a professor at University of Pennsylvania Law School,
where students catch the intellectual bug and get jazzed about where she also served as associate dean for academic affairs and
ideas,” says Hurd, also the David C. Baum Professor of Law and co-founded and directed the Institute of Law and Philosophy. She
Professor of Philosophy and co-director of the Program in Law was named the Herzog Research Professor of Law at the
and Philosophy at Illinois. University of San Diego Law School prior to joining Illinois.
“As dean, I’m always looking for new initiatives that will gal- A native of Laramie, Wyo., Hurd was raised in Canada where
vanize the intellectual energy of our law school. I’m big on experi- she graduated with honors from Queen’s University in Kingston,
ments, so in that sense, I am a risktaker. If I think there’s a very Ontario, and received a master’s in philosophy from Dalhousie
worthy goal, and I’ve got to gamble big to achieve it, then I’m University. But she credits USC for shaping her career path.
ready to roll the dice.” “USC made me who I am today,” says Hurd, who received both
Hurd’s strategy has paid off for Illinois. Since she was named her law degree and doctorate in philosophy from the University of
dean in July 2002, the College of Law has added 13 members to Southern California. “My experiences at the law school, especially,
its faculty, including 11 high-profile lateral hires, and faculty pro- forged me as an intellectual and as an ambitious legal academic.
ductivity has moved from the mid-30s to ninth in the nation, as People have asked me through the years: What constitutes the
measured by the number of articles posted on the Social Science model for my administration at Illinois? I tell them USC Law is a
Research Network. In the past three years, incoming students’ terrific model. I find it one of the most ambitious, intellectually
LSAT averages also have jumped from the 86th percentile to the engaging, fiercely tough-minded law schools in America. I’m a loyal
95th, and in 2006, the school — based on the 75th percentile alumna because USC molded my academic values.”
LSAT scores of its most recent incoming class — ranked No. 1 in
the nation for making the biggest improvement in its student — Rizza Barnes
body. Hurd also has sustained the College of Law’s standing as
USCLaw_MagFallWnt06.cgla.r1 11/15/06 10:30 PM Page 29
A call to
academia
Victor Romero ’92 pursues passion
for teaching and scholarship
Obvious evolution
Barry Currier ’71 shepherds first
U.S. online law school
The dean of Concord Law School, Barry Currier ’71 knows the
merits of the nation’s first online law school, and he wants to
ensure others know them, too.
“We’re not trying to undermine the culture of traditional law
schools,” Currier says. “We’re demonstrating that quality legal edu-
cation can be done online, as well as in the traditional residential
environment; you can do it well both ways. Distance learning can
be a high-quality, rigorous, deeply challenging learning experience.”
Currier began his career in academia at more traditional insti-
“The commitment of students in the distance learning world,
tutions three years after graduating from USC Law. Following a
particularly at Concord, exceeds anything I’ve seen in the rest of
judicial clerkship in Washington, D.C., practice at Latham &
higher education,” Currier says.
Watkins, and one year as a research assistant to USC Law Professor
His own commitment is apparent to the entire Concord
George Lefcoe, he briefly taught at the University of Kentucky
community, says fellow USC Law graduate Niki Mirtorabi ’03,
and Duke University schools of law. Currier then joined the
who teaches constitutional law and California community property
University of Florida College of Law, where he taught for nearly
for the school.
20 years and was named associate dean. He served as dean of the
“Barry is a very dynamic leader who’s concerned about the
Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in Alabama for
students and wants them to get a great education,” Mirtorabi says.
four years and then in 2000 began a four-year stint as deputy con-
“At the same time he does whatever he can to facilitate the needs
sultant on legal education for the American Bar Association. Then
of the professors and the administration, so he really seems to be
he was introduced to Concord.
the glue that binds us all together.”
“I was fascinated by the idea of an online law school,” Currier
Currently, graduates of Concord, a division of Kaplan, Inc., can
says. “You see the way young people use technology and how
only sit for the California bar. Increasing acceptance of Concord
they learn. Then you factor in how you are using technology in
by the ABA or state bar admission processes depends on relaying
your own work. From there, Concord seems an obvious evolution
Concord’s message to the legal education community and the
for legal education.”
legal profession, notes Currier.
Although Currier has always considered being a teacher and
“What we can do is educate people about what we’re doing,
administrator to be in his make-up, he credits his USC Law expe-
get feedback and make changes, and hope to accelerate the
rience with inspiring him to pursue a career in legal academia.
approval process,” he says. “Distance learning will be a fact
“The time that I spent at the law school was so rewarding and
of life in legal education and, done well, adds choice and value
stimulating that it just seemed natural to me to want to go into
for students who will be great lawyers.”
teaching,” he says.
After two years as Concord dean, Currier speaks of the school’s
— Lori Stuenkel
1,700 students with pride, noting that 40 percent have graduate
degrees and nearly all are balancing some combination of work
and family or other time-consuming obligations.
USCLaw_MagFallWnt06.cgla.r1 11/15/06 10:34 PM Page 31
Seasoned
educator
Brietta Clark ’99 credits mentors
with lighting her path to success
Two years after graduating from USC Law, Brietta Clark ’99 Tom Griffith, Ron Garet, and a number of other faculty at USC
went back to school and remains there, teaching future Law who mentored me, who guided me, who gave me the chance
generations of lawyers. to write.”
Now in her sixth year at Loyola Law School, Clark recently She says she chose Loyola in part because its faculty members
received tenure and is enjoying the newfound flexibility and cre- were clearly dedicated to guiding junior faculty members to be
ativity that accompany her latest job title. Teaching has become successful and productive.
more fun in this career phase, now that the stresses of being “They brought me here because they wanted me to succeed,
a new instructor are gone, Clark says. and they helped me succeed,” Clark says, by providing mentoring
“Once you get tenure, you really have this amazing power and support in teaching, scholarship and even finding opportuni-
because of the security, visibility and resources at your disposal,” ties for community service.
she says. “For me, the challenge is to figure out how I can use Clark always planned to teach in some capacity, and her expe-
this power to facilitate meaningful social change and greater riences at USC Law showed her that law students were her ideal
health care access for our most vulnerable populations.” pupils — intelligent, inquisitive and full of passion. She taught
Clark teaches a variety of health law courses, as well as a legal writing as a student and later tutored first-year USC Law
business associations course, and recently has published articles students while working as a first-year associate with Sidley Austin.
examining gender equality in reproductive health and the divert- The next year Clark received a summer fellowship with USC
ing of hospital resources from urban to suburban and affluent Law, where she developed her paper with input from a number
communities. She also is a commentator for “Bioethics Forum,” of faculty members, including Garet, her former professor.
a service of the Hastings Center Report, and this fall examined “As a student, she was totally engaged with the issues we were
the shortcomings of the prison health care system in California discussing in class, talking about them with seriousness; she was
and nationwide. also probably the best listener in the class,” Garet says. “She really
A member of Loyola’s appointments committee, Clark says wanted to hear what her classmates had to say and understand it.
she is grateful for having been groomed for success in academia That level of respect for other students’ opinions must make her a
by mentors at both USC Law and Loyola. wonderful teacher. Students can tell when a teacher wants to hear
“I now see how little mentoring many candidates get, even at what they have to say.”
the top schools,” Clark says. “It really surprised me — the more
I know, the more I see of this process, the more thankful I am for — Lori Stuenkel
USCLaw_MagFallWnt06.cgla 11/14/06 7:36 AM Page 32
Changing
the world
By 2L Lindsay Toczylowski
From left to right: Lindsay Toczylowski with a Nicaraguan flag in front of Volcano Concepcion; with her co-workers at Centro
de Mujeres Ixchen in Masaya; and atop an abandoned tank from the Contra war in the mountains of Northern Nicaragua.
I
walked from my host family’s home to my internship at Centro lost so much as a direct result of choices made by our government
de Mujeres Ixchen in Masaya, Nicaragua, on a hot, humid — that most people in the United States do not even know where
morning in June. The streets were filled with the sounds Nicaragua is located.
and smells of a Nicaraguan summer — platanitos frying, taxis After that encounter, and many others like it, I began to realize
whizzing by, children playing tag in blue school uniforms, old our country’s power to influence people’s lives around the world.
women yelling out, “torrrrtillas!” As I approached the building, Months later, I was sad to leave a place where I had met such
painted bright pink, I felt both nervous and excited. The sign out incredible friends and colleagues, but I returned to USC with
front read, “Mujeres de Masaya, Ixchen está con vos.” Women of renewed focus and energy. I feel as if I’m looking through a wider
Masaya, Ixchen is with you. lens; my world is spinning on a new axis.
Ixchen is a non-governmental organization whose mission is to As president of the Public Interest Law Foundation, I have
provide free and low-cost legal, medical and psychological services spent many hours encouraging my fellow students to make a com-
to women. Given the lack of free legal services in Nicaragua, mitment to pro bono service. Given my experiences this summer,
Ixchen serves as a vital mechanism, giving women access to justice. that mission seems all the more urgent. Here at USC Law, I know
Over the next 10 weeks I got to know the women of Masaya well. I study among many future leaders of our society. This summer
Nicaragua is a poor country, and there is no way to sugarcoat inspired me to do all in my power to ensure that these future
that fact. The abject poverty my clients face cannot be divorced leaders are aware of the global consequences of our decisions and
from their stories. Although Ixchen specializes in cases of domestic of the obligation we hold as educated members of such a powerful
violence, we handled cases in a variety of practice areas including nation to change the world for the better.
divorce, statutory rape, child support and guardianship.
One client who made an indelible impression on me came to
Ixchen seeking assistance in obtaining child support for her children.
She was accompanied by her 9-year-old-son who had to help get Lindsay Toczylowski’s internship in Nicaragua was made
her in and out of the office because she was a double amputee and possible by the law firm Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal
walked with great effort on a pair of precarious-looking prosthetics. LLP. Through the Sonnenschein Scholars program, the firm
According to the lawyer, the client lost her legs in an accident — in commemoration of its 100th anniversary — awards
involving a landmine that had been left over from the war between $4,000 stipends to 50 law students across the country to
the Sandinistas and the U.S.-financed and supported Contra rebels. help underwrite their work at a public interest agency of
While I was interviewing this same client, she asked me where their choice. The program, which will continue over the
I was from. When I answered, she immediately said, “What do next four years, also enabled 2L Raúl Zermeno to spend the
people in the states think of Nicaragua?” I looked at her and summer working at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Criminal
realized I did not have the heart to tell this woman — who had Division, in Santa Ana, Calif.
Cover.cgla 11/17/06 3:27 PM Page 2
Magazine
Editor
Rizza Barnes
Writers
Gilien Silsby
Lori Stuenkel
Contributors
Kristen Natividad
2L Lindsay Toczylowski
Communications Coordinator
Jennalyn Magtoto
ON THE COVER
14
14 10
Lessons learned the hard way
FEATURES
18 Supporting excellence
Cover
A trio of distinguished USC Law
Ken Orvidas
alumni champion students and faculty
Principal Photography
by creating endowments
Tonya McCahon
David Roberts
FA L L / W I N T E R
U.S. Postage Paid
University of Southern California University of Southern California
Magazine
Los Angeles, California 90089-0071
2006
FALL/WINTER
2006
Magazine
CALENDAR
Thursday, Oct. 12 Monday through Wednesday, Jan. 22-24
Conversations with the Dean: 2007 Tax Institute
“Corporate Ethics in the Enron Era” Millennium Biltmore Hotel, Los Angeles
USC Law (Continuing Legal Education program)
Friday, Jan. 5
Alumni Regional Reception
Marriott Wardman Park Hotel,
Sunday, May 13
Commencement
USC Alumni Park
Corporate ethics:
Washington, D.C.
Saturday, June 9
Lessons learned the hard way
Reunion 2007
University Park Campus