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Whether law professor, administrator or practitioner, Donald Scotten aims for excellence

Donald scotten receives teaching award and continues to show his passion for guiding his students..

Delegation from Indonesia visits USC Gould

Indonesian lawmakers spent a day at usc recently, to attend a lecture and tour the university..

Bernadette Atuahene wins Law and Society Best Article Award

Bernadette atuahene’s article, “a theory of stategraft,” receives the law and society association’s 2024 article award..

Change lives and gain hands-on experience representing clients through clinics, practicums and externships.

One of USC Gould’s hallmarks is our collaborative and supportive community. Benefit from Gould’s small class sizes, student support programs, robust career and academic services, and 40+ student groups.

The entertainment capital of the world — at your doorstep. Located at the University Park Campus, USC Gould is convenient to Downtown Los Angeles and Hollywood, home to some of the nation’s biggest legal markets. As the first law school in Los Angeles and Southern California, USC Gould has a longstanding legacy of innovation and impact.

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USC Gould School of Law 699 Exposition Boulevard Los Angeles, California 90089-0071 213-740-7331

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699 Exposition Boulevard

Los Angeles, California 90089-0071

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USC Gould is known for its collegial and supportive learning environment, drawing students from across the country and around the world. Photo credit courtesy of USC Gould.

• J uris Doctor (JD)

Juris Doctor-Dual Degrees

Master’s degree programs.

• C ertificates
• U ndergraduate Courses and Programs
• Courses of Instruction      

The USC Gould School of Law provides an interdisciplinary and innovative legal education, taught by nationally renowned professors and practitioners and energized by a collaborative, collegial student body. One of the most diverse among the nation’s top law schools, USC Gould comprises students from across the country and around the world whose ideas and experiences enrich the learning process and provide new perspectives on the law. Through practice-focused training, hands-on experiential offerings, and exceptional career services and support resources, Gould students acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to excel locally, nationally and globally.

USC Gould alumni are partners in the world’s largest law firms, chairs and top executives of industry-leading companies, and esteemed leaders in government and public service organizations. Since its founding in 1900, the school has produced scores of judges and elected officials at the city, state and federal levels, as well as abroad.

USC Gould School of Law (213) 740-7331 Email: [email protected] gould.usc.edu

Administration

Franita Tolson, JD, Interim Dean *

Thomas D. Lyon, JD, PhD,  Vice Dean*

Donald M. Scotten, JD, LLM, Vice Dean*

Elizabeth A. Carroll, JD, Vice Dean

Robin Apodaca, BA, Associate Dean

Deborah A. Call, MBA, Associate Dean and Chief Programs Officer

Ben Dimapindan, MA, EdD, Associate Dean

Raymond Flores, MBA, EdD, Associate Dean and Chief Information Officer

Diana C. Jaque, MA, MLIS, JD, Associate Dean and Director of the Law Library

David Kirschner, JD, Associate Dean

Robin H. Maness, MS, Associate Dean and Chief Development Officer

Misa Shimotsu-Kim, MEd, Associate Dean

Ian Wood, MBA, Associate Dean and Chief Financial Officer

Nickey Woods, MEd, EdD, Associate Dean

Margaret A. Kean, MFA, Assistant Dean

Akita Mungaray, JD, Assistant Dean

Interim Dean and George T. and Harriet E. Pfleger Chair in Law:  Franita Tolson, JD

Judge Edward J. and Ruey L. Guirado Chair in Law: Thomas D. Lyon, JD, PhD*

Carolyn Craig Franklin Chair in Law: D. Daniel Sokol, MSt, JD, LLM

Edward G. Lewis Chair in Law: Daniel M. Klerman, JD, PhD

J. Thomas McCarthy Trustee Chair in Law: Robert K. Rasmussen, JD

Robert C. Packard Trustee Chair in Law: Robin Kundis Craig, MA, JD, PhD

Robert C. Packard Trustee Chair in Law: Edward J. McCaffery, MA, JD*

The Rader Family Trustee Chair in Law: Rebecca L. Brown, JD*

Nathan and Lilly Shapell Chair in Law: Nomi M. Stolzenberg, JD

UPS Foundation Chair in Law: Martin L. Levine, JD, LLD*

University Professor and Charles L. and Ramona I. Hilliard Distinguished Professor of Law: Lee Epstein, MA, PhD

University Professor of Journalism, Communication and Law: Geoffrey Cowan, LLB (Journalism)

Provost Professor of Public Policy, Political Science and Law:  Jeffery A. Jenkins, MA, MS, AM, PhD  (Political Science)*

Orrin B. Evans Distinguished Professor of Law, Psychology, and Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences:  Elyn R. Saks, MLitt, JD, PhD, LLD (Hon.)*

Leon Benwell Professor of Law: Michael Simkovic, JD

Virginia S. and Fred H. Bice Professor of Law: Scott A. Altman, JD*

Roy P. Crocker Professor of Law: Jody David Armour, JD

Richard L. and Maria B. Crutcher Professor of Law: Dan Simon, LLB, MBA, LLM, SJD

William T. Dalessi Professor of Law: Gregory C. Keating, MA, JD, PhD

Sidney M. and Audrey M. Irmas Endowed Clinical Professor of Law: Niels W. Frenzen, JD

Maurice Jones, Jr. – Class of 1925 Professor of Law: Stephen M. Rich, MA, JD*

John B. Milliken Professor of Law and Taxation: Jordan M. Barry, JD

Dorothy W. Nelson Professor of Law: Camille Gear Rich, JD

Newton Professor of Constitutional Law: David B. Cruz, MS, JD*

John Stauffer Law Library Director:  Diana C. Jaque, MA, MLIS, JD

Torrey H. Webb Professor of Law: Jonathan M. Barnett, MA, MPhil, JD

Professors:  Bernadette Atuahene, MPA, JD; Jonathan Choi, JD; Jessica Clarke, JD; Aya Gruber, JD; Sofia Mary Gruskin, JD, MIA (Preventive Medicine) ; Bart A. Kosko, MA, JD, PhD (Electrical and Computer Engineering) ; Sharon A. Lloyd, PhD (Philosophy) ; Jessica Marglin, MA, PhD ( Religion ); John G. Matsusaka, MA, PhD (Business) ; Claudia Moatti, PhD, HDR (Classics) ; Kevin J. Murphy, MA, PhD (Business) ; Jonathan Quong, MA, PhD  (Philosophy) *; Alison Dundes Renteln, MA, JD, PhD (Political Science) ; Emily Ryo, JD, PhD*; Wayne Sandholtz, MA, PhD (International Relations) ; Hilary M. Schor, MA, PhD (English) ; Abby K. Wood, MALD, JD, PhD; Adam Zimmerman, JD

Associate Professors:  Erik Hovenkamp, JD, PhD; Felipe Jimenez, JD, LLM, JSD; Mugambi Jouet, MPA, JD, PhD; Nathan Perl-Rosenthal, MA, MPhil, PhD (History) ; Marcela Prieto Rudolphy, JD, LLM, JSD

Assistant Professors:  Erin Miller, JD, PhD; Jeessoo Nam, JD

Adjunct Professors:  Diana C. Jaque, MA, MLIS, JD; Richard Peterson, MDR, JD, LLM

Adjunct Assistant Professors:  Anitha Cadambi, LLB, LLM; Judy K. Davis, MLIS, JD; Diane Ellis, MLIS, JD; Sarah Gruzas, JD; Amber Kennedy Madole, MLIS, JD; Paul Moorman, MLIS, JD; Brian Peck, JD; Karen Skinner, MS, MLS, JD

Clinical Professors:  Michael Chasalow, MBA, JD*; Hannah R. Garry, MA, JD*; Lisa Klerman, JD; Jean Lantz Reisz, JD; Heidi L. Rummel, JD

Clinical Associate Professor: Michael Parente, JD, PhD

Clinical Assistant Professors:  Jef Pearlman, MEng, JD; Deepika Sharma, JD

Professors of Lawyering Skills:  Sara Berman, JD; Elizabeth A. Carroll, JD; Rebecca S. Lonergan, JD

Associate Professor of Lawyering Skills: Barrett L. Schreiner, MA, JD

Professors of the Practice of Law: Clare Pastore, JD; Donald M. Scotten, JD, LLM*

Emeriti Professors:  Scott H. Bice, JD ( Dean Emeritus, and Robert C. and Nanette T. Packard Professor Emeritus of Law ); Alexander M. Capron, LLB*, MA (Hon.) ( University Professor Emeritus and Scott H. Bice Chair Emeritus in Healthcare Law, Policy and Ethics ); Marshall Cohen, MA, MA (Oxon) ( University Professor Emeritus , Philosophy; Dean Emeritus ); Edward J. Finegan, MA, PhD (Linguistics) ; Ronald R. Garet, MA, MPhil, JD, PhD* (Carolyn Craig Franklin Chair Emeritus in Law and Religion) ; Thomas D. Griffith, MAT, JD ( John B. Milliken Professor Emeritus of Law and Taxation) ; George Lefcoe, LLB ( Ervin and Florine Yoder Chair Emeritus in Real Estate Law ); Michael H. Shapiro, MA, JD (Dorothy W. Nelson Professor Emeritus of Law) ; Larry G. Simon, LLB (Herbert W. Armstrong Professor Emeritus of Constitutional Law) ; W. David Slawson, MA, LLB* (Torrey H. Webb Professor Emeritus of Law)

Clinical Emeriti Professors: Michael J. Brennan, LLB; Lee W. Campbell, JD; Noel M. Ragsdale, JD*

Emeriti Professor of Lawyering Skills: Robert M. Saltzman, JD

Emeriti Law Librarians: Pauline M. Aranas, MLIS, JD ( John Stauffer Charitable Trust Chief Information Officer Emerita and Law Librarian Emerita ); Leonette M. Williams, MSLS ( Law Librarian Emerita )

*Recipient of university-wide or school teaching award.

USC Gould School of Law School is accredited by the American Bar Association . For information on ABA accreditation, please contact:

The American Bar Association 321 North Clark Street Chicago, IL 60654 (312) 988-5000

Juris Doctor

The Juris Doctor (JD) is the standard degree to practice law in the United States. To obtain the degree, full-time attendance for six semesters is required. During the first year, students are enrolled in a curriculum of basic courses that examine fundamental legal institutions and address legal problems relevant to today’s society and the modern practice of law. During the second and third years, students must complete Constitutional Law: Rights , a writing requirement, and at least 6 units of experiential courses. Beginning with the entering class of 2022, all students must also complete Race, Racism, and the Law. The remainder of the courses taken in years two and three are elective. All students must complete 37 numerically graded law units at USC beyond the first-year curriculum and at least 88 units overall.

Qualified second- and third-year JD students have an opportunity to study international law through an exchange program with leading partner institutions worldwide. For more information, please see the Gould School of Law website.

All applicants are required to take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) administered by the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC) or the Graduate Records Examinations (GRE) administered by Educational Testing Service (ETS). Based on current test administration calendars, applicants who take the LSAT must take the test no later than February of the year in which they seek to start law school. Applicants who take the GRE must take the test no later than March 1 (additional information or changes are available in the application instructions) of the year in which they plan to start law school. All students begin their first-year classes in August.

USC Gould School of Law admits a small number of highly qualified transfer students with LLM degrees from USC Gould. These students will have taken a large number of law courses in their LLM course of study and received strong grades in those courses. The LSAT is not required.  

USC Gould School of Law offers several dual degree programs with the graduate schools on campus. These programs enable qualified students to earn a law degree (JD) and a graduate degree in less time than it would take to earn both degrees independently. For more information, please see the  Gould School of Law website.

While students may be accepted for a dual degree program when they are accepted to the law school, most students do not apply until near the end of the first year. All programs require that students successfully complete the required first year of law school before beginning work toward the other degree. Credit for graduate work completed prior to the completion of the first year of law school may not be applied toward the law degree. Students are not eligible for either of their degrees until they complete the requirements for both degrees. 

In all cases, prospective students must seek and gain acceptance to both the law school and the other graduate program, and have the dual degree program approved by both schools. Decisions regarding admission to the law school and the graduate program are made independently. For more information, contact the Law School Admissions Office at  [email protected] .

Master of Laws in Alternative Dispute Resolution (LLM in ADR) 

The on-campus Master of Laws in Alternative Dispute Resolution (LLM in ADR) program is a two- to four-semester, full-time and part-time master’s degree program for law graduates and attorneys interested in building strength as advocates in ADR processes or gaining skills and a prestigious credential for pursuing career opportunities as mediators or arbitrators.

Students submitting an application must have earned a basic law degree, a Bachelor of Laws (LLB), a Juris Doctor (JD) or the foreign equivalent. Please visit the Gould School of Law website for more information.

Master of Laws in International Business and Economic Law (LLM in IBEL) 

The on-campus Master of Laws in International Business and Economic Law degree is a two- to four-semester, full-time and part-time master’s degree program for law graduates and attorneys interested in developing a global perspective and interdisciplinary skills that will enable them to understand and integrate relevant laws, policies and business best practices that shape international commerce and trade.

Master of Laws in International Trade Law and Economics (MITLE)

The on-campus Master of International Trade Law and Economics (MITLE) degree is offered by USC Gould School of Law jointly with USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Department of Economics. This degree provides students with an interdisciplinary, global perspective and the knowledge and skills relevant to the laws, policies, and business practices that shape international trade and economics.

The Master of International Trade Law and Economics is a one-year, 32-unit degree program offered on campus on a full-time basis. This degree is open to anyone with a bachelor’s degree in any field, however, students are recommended to have a strong foundation in economics and/or mathematics or another quantitative background. Please visit the Gould School of Law website for more information.

Master of Laws in Privacy Law and Cybersecurity (LLM in PLCS)

The on-campus Master of Laws in Privacy Law and Cybersecurity degree is a two- to four-semester, full-time and part-time master’s degree program for law graduates and attorneys who wish to develop skills that will enable them to understand and integrate relevant laws, policies and best practices that shape privacy law and cybersecurity.

Students submitting an application must have earned a basic law degree, a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree or the foreign equivalent. Please visit the  Gould School of Law website  for more information.

Master of Laws (LLM) (On-campus and Online)

The on-campus Master of Laws (LLM) program is a master’s degree program for foreign graduate students trained in law. This two- to four-semester, full-time and part-time program introduces foreign lawyers to American law and the U.S. legal system and prepares them for leadership roles in the global market. Students may enroll in an optional certificate track in Alternate Dispute Resolution, Business Law, Entertainment Law, Transnational Law and Business, or Technology and Entrepreneurship Law.

The online Master of Laws (LLM) program is a master’s degree program for foreign graduate students trained in law. This program is offered on a part-time basis in a completely online modality and introduces foreign lawyers to American law and the U.S. legal system and prepares them for leadership roles in the global market. Students may enroll in an optional certificate track in Business Law, Compliance, Entertainment Law and Industry, Financial Compliance, Health Care Compliance, Human Resources Compliance, Privacy Law and Cybersecurity or Social Work Administration.

Students submitting an application to either LLM program must have earned a basic law degree, a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree or the foreign equivalent. Please visit the Gould School of Law website  for more information.

Two-Year Extended Master of Laws (LLM)

The on-campus Two-Year Extended Master of Laws (LLM) program combines a one-year certificate program with a one-year master’s degree for foreign graduate students trained in law. During the first year, students complete mandatory law and English courses to prepare them for the master’s program and further their English fluency. After successful completion of the first year, students earn a Certificate in U.S. Legal Studies   . In the second year, students matriculate into our on-campus Master of Laws program.

Students submitting an application must have earned a basic law degree, a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree or the foreign equivalent. Please visit the Gould School of Law website for more information.

Master of Comparative Law (MCL) 

The on-campus Master of Comparative Law (MCL) program is a master’s degree program for foreign graduate students trained in law who have already earned an LLM degree. This two-semester, full-time program is focused on the study of comparative law.

Students submitting an application must have earned a basic law degree, a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree or the foreign equivalent and have previously earned an LLM degree. Please visit the Gould School of Law website for more information.

Master of Dispute Resolution (MDR) 

The on-campus Master of Dispute Resolution (MDR) program is a two- to four-semester, full-time and part-time master’s degree program for graduates from varying fields of study, who are interested in building strength as advocates in alternative dispute resolution processes.

Students submitting an application must have earned an undergraduate degree by the time they begin the MDR program. Please visit the Gould School of Law website for more information.

Master of Studies in Law (MSL) (On-campus and Online)

The on-campus Master of Studies in Law (MSL) is a full-time and part-time master’s degree program designed for new graduates and seasoned professionals from varying fields of studies and careers, who seek an understanding of how the U.S. legal system functions. Students may enroll in an optional certificate track in Business Law; Compliance; Human Resources Law and Compliance; Law, Social Justice and Diversity; and Media and Entertainment Law.

The online Master of Studies in Law (MSL) is designed for new graduates as well as seasoned professionals from varying fields of studies and careers. This program is offered on a part-time basis in a completely online modality for students who seek an understanding of how the U.S. legal system functions. Students may enroll in an optional certificate track in in Business Law, Compliance, Entertainment Law and Industry, Financial Compliance, Health Care Compliance, Human Resources Law and Compliance, Privacy Law and Cybersecurity, or Social Work Administration.

Students submitting an application must have earned an undergraduate degree by the time they begin the MSL degree. Please visit the Gould School of Law website for more information.

A progressive degree is an option for current USC undergraduate students. For more information, please visit the Gould School of Law website . You may also contact  USC Gould Undergraduate  for more details.)

Certificates

USC Gould School of Law offers a variety of certificates to which students may apply some of their existing course work. Certificate requirements for JD and Graduate students differ and are detailed at the USC Gould School of Law website . 

USC Gould also offers stand-alone certificates to those with a bachelor’s degree to gain further knowledge of a particular area of law. 

• Alternative Dispute Resolution Certificate    (On-campus)
• Business Law Certificate    (Online)  
• Compliance Certificate    (Online)
• Entertainment Law and Industry Certificate    (Online)
• Financial Compliance Certificate    (Online)                
• Health Care Compliance Certificate    (Online)            
• Human Resources Law and Compliance Certificate    (Online) 
• Law, Social Justice and Diversity Certificate    (On-campus)
• Privacy Law and Cybersecurity Certificate    (Online)
• Social Work Administration Graduate Certificate    (Online)

Registration

Registration for JD students is handled by the USC Gould School of Law Office of Student Affairs. First-year students are automatically registered in their fall and spring semester courses. 

Registration for master’s students is handled by the Graduate and International Programs Office. Master’s students will receive registration information with detailed instructions on how to register for fall, spring, and summer classes prior to the start of classes. 

Grading and Attendance Policies

The grading system uses both numbers and letters in a range from 1.9 to 4.3 with letter-grade equivalents ranging from F to A+. The grade equivalents are: A+ (4.1–4.3); A (3.8–4.0); A- (3.5–3.7); B+ (3.3–3.4); B (3.0–3.2); B- (2.7–2.9); C+ (2.5–2.6); C (2.4); C- (2.1–2.3); D (2.0); and F (1.9). JD students receiving a grade of 1.9 will not receive credit for the course toward graduation. A student who fails a first-year course must repeat the course, but both grades will be included in computing that student’s grade point average. Other courses may not be repeated except on petition to the associate dean. A student with a weighted cumulative average of less than 3.10 at the end of the year is subject to additional graduation requirements. A JD student with a weighted cumulative average of less than 2.9 at the end of any year is not permitted to continue.

An overall grade point average of at least 2.6 is required for graduation for students who are enrolled in the LLM, LLM in ADR, LLM in IBEL, LLM in PLCS, MCL, MDR, MITLE, MSL, or Alternative Dispute Resolution Certificate (on-campus), Business Law Certificate (online), Compliance Certificate (online), and Entertainment Law and Industry Certificate (online), Financial Compliance Certificate (online), Health Care Compliance Certificate (online), Human Resources Law and Compliance Certificate (online) and Privacy Law and Cybersecurity Certificate (online) programs.

In addition to courses regularly offered on a CR/D/F basis, after the first year, a Juris Doctor student may elect to take up to 8 units of courses, that are otherwise numerically graded, on a CR/D/F basis. No more than 4 such units may be taken in any semester. As stated above, to earn the JD, all students (including dual degree students) must complete 37 numerically graded law units at USC beyond the first-year curriculum.

Master’s students may take up to 5 units of CR/D/F grading during the length of their program. The student must elect to take a course CR/D/F during the first two weeks of the semester. Courses or seminars may, at the instructor’s option, be designated prior to registration as not available for CR/D/F grading. 

Withdrawals from Courses

A student may not withdraw from a course later than two weeks after the first day of classes of any semester without permission of both the associate dean and the instructor.

Class attendance is an important part of a student’s law school education. It assists both the individual and their fellow students in making the most of the educational opportunity offered. Students should, therefore, attend class regularly and participate in the discussion. Some professors may require attendance and may take attendance into account in evaluating student performance.

For tuition, fee, and financial aid information, please visit the Gould School of Law website .

Standard Unit Rule

The Standard Unit Rule (also called “credit hour”) is an amount of work that reasonably approximates:

(1)  not less than one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and two hours of out-of-class student work per week for 15 weeks, or the equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time; or

(2)  at least an equivalent amount of work as required in subparagraph (1) of this definition for other academic activities as established by the institution, including simulation, field placement, clinical, co-curricular, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours. (ABA Standard 310)

Depending on the course type, the law school awards credit for varying periods of time. In all cases, however, the course work entails no less than the minimum total amount of in-class and out-of-class time required by the ABA (per Interpretation 310-1):

• 50 minutes of in-class time and two 60-minute periods of out-of-class time for 15 weeks for each unit of credit (a 15-week period may include one week for a final examination)

In exceptional cases, at the discretion of the Vice Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs (upon the request of the faculty member), a specific course may carry 1 unit of credit greater than the time the course meets each week. Those cases are limited to courses in which the instructor certifies to the Vice Dean that the course requires substantial written work. If the written work is optional, students may enroll in these types of courses for different unit values. Students performing the written work will receive additional credit.  

Full policies and procedures for USC Gould School of Law students are published in the Student Handbook and are available on the Law Portal.

Undergraduate Courses and Programs

USC Gould School of Law, one of the nation’s premier law schools, offers undergraduate courses and programs in its curriculum, which are taught by its internationally distinguished faculty and lecturers. The mission is to provide a broad-based academic foundation in law to undergraduate students who have an interest in law and legal-related fields. Law affects everyone in our society and students will deepen their education by exploring the role law plays in the world, its impact on society, and the way in which it intersects and impacts almost every facet of life.

USC Gould courses meet a variety of graduation requirements. Some courses satisfy USC General Education (GE) requirements, and others are either required or are electives in several USC majors and minors. For more information about the Bachelor of Science in Legal Studies, the minor in Legal Studies, the minor in Law and Social Justice, the minor in Law and Migration Studies, the minor in Law and Technology, undergraduate course offerings, and those that satisfy USC General Education requirements, please visit the USC Gould School of Law website  or email: [email protected] .

Undergraduate Courses 

LAW 101w   ,  LAW 200w   , LAW 201   ,  LAW 202   , LAW 205   , LAW 206     LAW 207   ,  LAW 210p   , LAW 211   ,  LAW 212   ,  LAW 220   ,  LAW 225   ,  LAW 250w   , LAW 275p   ,  LAW 300   , LAW 305   ,  LAW 310w   ,  LAW 320p   , LAW 324   , LAW 352   , LAW 355   , LAW 401   ,  LAW 402   ,  LAW 403   ,  LAW 404   , LAW 406   ,  LAW 444   , LAW 492   ,  LAW 493   , LAW 497    and LAW 498   .

Bachelor’s Degree

Legal Studies (BS)

The Bachelor of Science in Legal Studies provides students with an in-depth understanding of the legal system including the infrastructure, the reasoning process and the substantive commitments that the legal system has made. As future leaders, students in this major will become critical thinkers able to apply and understand various legal concepts in their interaction with real-world issues locally, nationally and globally. Students in the major are required to complete a total of 48 units, consisting of 24 units of required core courses, 20 elective units, plus 2 units of internship and 2 units of a capstone project.

Minor Programs

Legal studies minor.

The Legal Studies Minor enables students to deepen their understanding of the U.S. legal system and provides them with the fundamentals of law. The Legal Studies Minor totals 22 units, consisting of 6 required units, and 16 elective units.

Law and Social Justice Minor

The Law and Social Justice Minor provides foundational knowledge of current legal systems of justice and encourages critical-analysis skills to recognize where and how change can be made. The Law and Social Justice Minor totals 20 units; 12 required units, and 8 elective units.

Law and Migration Studies Minor

The Law and Migration Studies Minor introduces students to the U.S. legal system as it relates to various aspects of immigration law, its impact on our communities, and consequences on our society nationally and globally. The Law and Migration Studies Minor totals 20 units; 12 required units, and 8 elective units.

Law and Technology Minor

The Law and Technology Minor studies the intersection of technological developments and the legal system through examining contemporary issues raised by developing technology, including internet privacy, patent law and cybercrime. The Law and Technology Minor totals 18 units; 4 required core units, 8 Law elective units, and 6 ITP elective units.

For more details on the major and minors, please visit USC Gould School of Law website . Undergraduate students wishing to declare one of the Law minors, should email: [email protected]  or submit an application form .  

Undergraduate Majors, that include LAW courses:

Law, History, and Culture (BA)    

Philosophy, Politics and Law (BA)    

Public Policy (BS)    

Undergraduate Minors, that include LAW courses:

Business Law Minor    

Forensics and Criminality Minor       

Justice, Voice, and Advocacy Minor        

Health Policy Minor       

Law and Public Policy Minor      

Law and Society Minor      

Philosophy of Law, Politics and Economics Minor     

Psychology and Law Minor       

Resistance to Genocide Interdisciplinary Minor       

Progressive Degree Programs

USC’s Progressive Degree program enables USC undergraduate students to begin work on a USC master’s degree while completing the requirements for their USC bachelor’s degree. Students complete their undergraduate degree and the Master of Studies in Law (MSL)    or the Master of International Trade Law and Economics (MITLE)    degree programs in no more than five years.

Undergraduate students may submit an application to the Master of Studies in Law (MSL) or the Master of International Trade Law and Economics (MITLE) degree programs as a junior for enrollment beginning in the fall or spring. Students must have completed at least 64 total units of undergraduate course work, excluding AP, IB or transfer units earned prior to graduation from high school. Students may apply in their junior (recommended) or senior year but no later than the semester prior to beginning graduate course work.

Students must have a minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 both at the time an application is submitted and at enrollment.

For more information, please visit the USC Gould School of Law website  or email  [email protected] (MSL) or [email protected] (MITLE).

Progressive Degree Program - Master of Studies in Law (MSL)

The  Master of Studies in Law (MSL)    teaches students fundamental U.S. law as well as various areas of legal specialization. This program is designed for individuals who want to gain an understanding of legal and compliance issues that will impact their future careers as entrepreneurs, business owners, administrators, scientists, engineers, educators, advocates, activists and more. USC Gould Progressive Degree Program Masters Studies in Law offers the option of earning a certificate in business law, compliance, human resources law and compliance, media and entertainment, and law, social justice, and diversity concurrent with the MSL.

Progressive Degree Program - Master of International Trade Law and Economics (MITLE)

The Master of International Trade Law and Economics degree provides an interdisciplinary, global perspective for students with an economic or other quantitative background who wish to develop knowledge and skills related to relevant laws, policies and business practices that shape international trade and economics.

The Master of International Trade Law and Economics students are required to complete 32 or 24* units of study. Students are required to enroll in 12 core units from Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and 12 core units from Gould School of Law, with an additional 8 units of electives chosen from a list of approved course offerings.

*Students with a GPA of 3.3 and above may qualify to have 8 elective units waived, thus completing 24 units of study.

Accelerated Bachelor/JD Program (3+3)

Undergraduate students at USC, who have completed their required bachelor’s major course work by the end of their junior year (or have minimal units of upper-division elective courses remaining), may apply to our accelerated JD program. Students will complete their undergraduate and law school studies in a total of six years.  

Students must have a minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.80 both at the time an application is submitted and at enrollment. Under current ABA guidelines, the LSAT is not required; however, this is subject to change. The program is open to all participating majors. Please visit the Gould School of Law website  for more information.

• •  Legal Studies (BS)
• •  Law and Migration Studies Minor
• •  Law and Social Justice Minor
• •  Law and Technology Minor
• •  Legal Studies Minor

Master’s Degree

• •  Alternative Dispute Resolution (LLM)
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• •  International Trade Law and Economics (MITLE)
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Dual Degree

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• •  Compliance Certificate
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• •  Law and Government Graduate Certificate
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• •  Privacy Law and Cybersecurity Certificate
• •  Public Interest Certificate
• •  Social Work Administration Graduate Certificate
• •  Technology and Entrepreneurship Law Certificate
• •  Transnational Law and Business Certificate

Doctoral Degree

• •  Law (JD)

Courses numbered 500 and above are open only to Gould students except by special permission from the Dean of Students.

• •  LAW 101w Law and the U.S. Constitution in Global History
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• •  LAW 560 Academic and Professional Skills for U.S. Law Studies I
• •  LAW 561a Fundamentals of Legal Writing Skills
• •  LAW 561b Fundamentals of Legal Writing Skills
• •  LAW 562 Introduction to U.S. Legal Culture and Practice
• •  LAW 563 Presentation Skills for International Lawyers
• •  LAW 564 Persuasive Advocacy
• •  LAW 565 U.S. Common Law Analysis and Skills
• •  LAW 566 Academic and Professional Skills for U.S. Law Studies II
• •  LAW 567 Introduction to Litigation in U.S. Courts
• •  LAW 571 Organizational Conflict
• •  LAW 572 Practical Mediation Skills Clinic
• •  LAW 574 Health Care Compliance
• •  LAW 579 Global Regulatory Compliance
• •  LAW 581 Externship for Graduate and International Program Students
• •  LAW 596 Internship for Curricular Practical Training
• •  LAW 598 Regulatory Compliance
• •  LAW 599 Special Topics
• •  LAW 600 Taxation
• •  LAW 601 Advanced Legal Writing
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• •  LAW 603 Business Organizations
• •  LAW 604 Real Estate Transactions Problems
• •  LAW 605 Real Estate Transactions and Finance
• •  LAW 607 Gifts, Wills, and Trusts
• •  LAW 608 Evidence
• •  LAW 609 Contemporary Issues in Human Resource Compliance
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U.S. education secretary pays a visit to Denmark Technical College

D ENMARK, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - As the U.S. education secretary visited Denmark Technical College on Thursday, South Carolinians shared their stories about having their student loan debts forgiven.

Some called it life-changing.

But how many more Americans will find themselves in a similar situation in the future is uncertain.

The visit by U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and Democratic South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn focused on highlighting the Biden administration’s student loan relief efforts.

They also planned to visit another nearby historically Black institution, Voorhees University.

“They paid off their loans a long, long time ago,” Clyburn said. “They’re being forgiven for this unfair, almost criminal — some may be criminal — debt on interest that they still owe.”

It comes as South Carolina is among the states trying to stop these efforts from continuing.

“The Biden administration is basically, basically reworking, rewording a federal law to try to pay off all of these debts,” South Carolina Attorney General Alan Willson said. “So on legal grounds, we believe it is incorrect, that it is unconstitutional, unlawful.”

South Carolina is one of the states fighting a Biden administration student-debt relief push called the “SAVE Plan” – which was just halted in federal court Thursday and expected to be taken up by the U.S. Supreme Court.

It’s not the first loan forgiveness effort from this White House to face a legal challenge.

Last year, the Supreme Court struck down an earlier relief policy, saying the Biden administration acted outside its authority.

“They are rewriting a federal law, like they did before,” Wilson said.

Cardona expects a different outcome this time around.

“The Higher Education Act does give me the authority. … Some of these folks that are fighting this have gotten debt relief themselves, under the PPP Program. Some of these folks are the same ones that support tax breaks for billionaires. I’ll be damned if I’m going to step down. I’ll be damned if I’m going to slow down my fight for the people I just spoke to,” he said.

Of course, the election is the other threat facing some loan-forgiveness programs.

Many Republicans are hoping a victory by former President Donald Trump could end them.

However, it’s worth noting some of these programs existed before Trump’s presidency – and are still in effect.

Lawyer for megachurch pastor blamed 12-year-old for initiating ‘inappropriate’ sexual conduct

In 1982, pastor Robert Morris was a 21-year-old husband and father who traveled the country telling young people about Jesus.

Cindy Clemishire was a 12-year-old girl who dressed in flowery pink pajamas and still liked to play with Barbie dolls.

On Christmas that year, Morris — who would go on to found Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, and become a leading figure in the American evangelical movement — began what he would later describe as “inappropriate sexual behavior” with Clemishire while he was staying at her parents’ home in Oklahoma. Clemishire said Morris told her to come see him in his room before bed, and she was the type of girl who listened to instructions from trusted adults.

But 25 years later, when Clemishire hired an attorney and threatened to sue Morris, accusing him of repeatedly molesting her as a child, a lawyer representing Morris responded by blaming Clemishire for what happened to her, according to 2007 correspondence obtained by NBC News.

“It was your client,” wrote lawyer J. Shelby Sharpe, referring to Clemishire at age 12, “who initiated inappropriate behavior by coming into my client’s bedroom and getting in bed with him, which my client should not have allowed to happen.”

The Feb. 6, 2007, letter was one in a series of exchanges that year between Sharpe and Gentner Drummond, a lawyer who represented Clemishire at the time. Clemishire said in an interview last week she had been seeking $50,000 in restitution from Morris to cover the cost of counseling. Morris, through his lawyer, instead offered to pay $25,000, but the talks fell apart, Clemishire said, because she was not willing to sign a nondisclosure agreement.

Drummond, who is now Oklahoma’s attorney general, confirmed Clemishire’s description of the 2007 negotiations and declined to comment further. 

Reached by phone Monday, Sharpe said that he had no recollection of the $25,000 settlement offer or NDA demand and that he no longer represents Morris. He denied knowing at the time that Clemishire had been a child when Morris began engaging in sexual behavior with her. However, the initial correspondence Drummond sent to him stated clearly that Clemishire was “twelve years old” when the abuse began.

“I don’t ever remember seeing that,” Sharpe said after a reporter read the document to him. After a reporter offered to share a copy of the messages, Sharpe said he did not have time to read them and declined to share an email address.

“I can tell you that the letters that you’ve seen, they speak for themselves,” said Sharpe, who has also served as a personal attorney to Paige Patterson , a Southern Baptist Convention leader accused of mishandling or concealing sexual assaults that date back to the late 1980s. “I will not amplify beyond those letters, because they speak for themselves.”

Morris did not respond to messages.

Clemishire went public with her accusations last month in a post published by the church watchdog site The Wartburg Watch . Morris responded with a statement admitting to “inappropriate sexual behavior” and saying he had long ago confessed and repented. Gateway Church leaders initially said Morris had been “open and forthright about a moral failure he had over 35 years ago” but later said they did not know Clemishire was a child at the time.

Within days, Morris resigned as senior pastor of the megachurch he started in 2000, and Gateway elders hired an outside law firm to investigate the matter.

Lawrence Swicegood, a Gateway spokesperson, said church leaders had not seen the 2007 letters between Drummond and Sharpe. Swicegood said that before Clemishire went public with her story last month, “the current Elders did not have all the facts.”

Gateway sex abuse scandal

• Pastor Robert Morris confesses to "inappropriate sexual behavior" after Cindy Clemishire accuses him of molesting her as a child in the 1980s.
• Morris resigns as senior pastor of Gateway Church.
• In secret recording , a Gateway elder says accepting Morris' resignation was "one of the most difficult decisions in my life.”
• Emails reveal Clemishire's attempts to seek restitution from Morris in 2005.
• Morris asked his accuser how much her silence would cost , a phone transcript shows.

While the internal review is underway, four Gateway officials have agreed to take leaves of absence from the board of elders, the church announced last month . One is pastor James Morris, Robert Morris’ son. The three others served on the board of elders during the critical period from 2005 to 2007 when Clemishire was seeking damages.

“Gateway Church is committed to protecting people — first and foremost children and the most vulnerable,” Swicegood said in an email. “Abuse simply cannot be tolerated.”

Clemishire, now 54, sees the 2007 letter from Sharpe as part of a pattern of Morris and his associates’ attempting to make her feel guilt and shame for what he did to her.

“They don’t look at a child as someone to protect,” Clemishire said.

Clemishire said she struggled for years with “profound confusion” over what Morris did, believing for nearly two decades that she was to blame. She said Morris molested her more than 100 times over 4½ years. After the first encounter on Christmas in 1982, Clemishire said, “it just progressed to a lot of kissing and touching and inserting fingers into my body.” She said Morris pressured her to have intercourse, but she refused. Morris has acknowledged “kissing and petting” and argued that the number of incidents was a fraction of what Clemishire alleges.

Clemishire said that in the mid-2000s, after years of counseling and after having watched a television interview about grooming and sex abuse, she realized what happened to her was a crime.

She began writing to Morris at his Gateway Church email address in 2005, asking that he compensate her for the trauma she says he inflicted. In 2007, she hired Drummond to make a formal demand, according to documents provided to NBC News by Boz Tchividjian, the lawyer she hired last month. 

On Jan. 30, 2007, Drummond wrote to Sharpe on behalf of Clemishire, using her legal name at the time, Cindy Clemishire McCaleb. Drummond detailed the sexual abuse Clemishire says she suffered from 1982 to 1987 and how Morris “led her to believe that they were having a special relationship that had to remain secret.”

“Morris convinced Ms. McCaleb that she was responsible for what he did to her,” Drummond wrote, “and he convinced her that she was the offender.”

Drummond attached a draft of a lawsuit he said Clemishire planned to file if Morris failed to respond within 15 days.

"Reverend Morris began sexually assaulting Ms. McCaleb, who was then twelve years old." Gentner Drummond, Jan. 30, 2007

Sharpe responded a week later, on Feb. 6, 2007, with his letter casting Clemishire as the one who initiated sexual contact with Morris.

"It was your client who initiated inappropriate behavior by coming into my client's bedroom and getting in bed with him, which my client should not have allowed to happen." J. Shelby Sharpe, Feb. 6, 2007

Sharpe also claimed in the letter that Clemishire “acted inappropriately with two other men who stayed in her home between 1982 and 1987,” when she was between the ages of 12 and 17. And Sharpe wrote that Clemishire had “confessed her conduct” to Glenda Faulkner, a woman who attended Shady Grove Church near Fort Worth, Texas, in the 1980s, when Morris was a pastor there. 

Faulkner, now Glenda Faulkner-Woodliff — a licensed counselor who later attended Gateway — did not respond to messages requesting comment.

In an interview, Clemishire disputed Sharpe’s characterizations. She said two other men touched her inappropriately at her home when she was a child, but she said she did not initiate those interactions. In one instance, Clemishire said, it was Morris who instructed her, when she was 13, to go into a bedroom at her childhood home where another traveling evangelist was staying. Once she was inside, she said, the man, whom she declined to name, began to kiss her but eventually pulled away and told her she was too young.

In another instance, in 1986, Clemishire said, another man who was staying with her family climbed on top of her while she was sleeping on a sofa bed next to his 3-year-old daughter. She believed he planned to rape her, but she said the man suddenly got off of her.

“I really think God intervened,” Clemishire said. “God made him feel like someone was walking by, and he just rolled off of me and left.”

It was that incident, Clemishire said, that eventually led her to confide in Faulkner-Woodliff, also a family friend. Faulkner-Woodliff asked whether anyone else had ever touched her that way, Clemishire said. Clemishire then reluctantly explained what Morris had done to her, she said. Afterward, Clemishire said, Faulkner-Woodliff insisted that she tell her parents.

That’s how, in March 1987, her father learned that Morris had been sexually abusing her, Clemishire said. She said her father was enraged and contacted Olen Griffing, the senior pastor at Shady Grove Church, to demand that Morris step out of ministry.

Clemishire remembers getting a call from Morris’ wife, Debbie, a few days later. 

Debbie told her, “I forgive you,” she said.

“I’ll never forget that,” Clemishire said. “They wanted me to believe that I — me, the child — was responsible for what happened. And they’ve never stopped trying to make me believe that.”

Griffing, now in his 80s, later served as a pastor and elder under Morris at Gateway Church. He did not respond to messages.

Clemishire’s older sister was living with her family in 1987 and corroborated Clemishire’s account of conversations that took place that year among her sister, her parents, Faulkner-Woodliff, Griffing and the Morris family.

In the years since then, Morris has repeatedly told a sanitized and, at times, distorted version of the story. He has spoken often from the pulpit of struggling with sexual immorality and having to step out of ministry in 1987. But in public tellings, he says sinful pride was the reason, omitting mention of his years of sexual contact with a child.

In a sermon at Gateway on June 10, 2017 , in a message titled “The Principle of Honesty,” Morris described going through a “restoration process” about seven years into his marriage — which would have been in 1987. Morris said God told him he needed to confess “everything that I’ve ever done” to two people: Griffing, the former Shady Grove senior pastor, and his wife, Debbie.

He said he told Debbie, “I need to tell you who you really married.”

The confession took several hours, Morris said in the 2017 sermon, but he did not mention specific sins from the pulpit.

“I’ll never forget what she said,” Morris said, setting up a line that drew laughter from the Gateway congregation. “She said, ‘Robert, I knew you were bad when I married you. I didn’t know you were that bad.’”

When he told that story again on Aug. 28, 2022 , in a sermon titled “Passing the Purity Test,” Morris presented his openness about his past failings as something congregants should emulate.

In that sermon, he recounted the Old Testament story of King David’s son Amnon, who is said to have raped his half-sister Tamar when she was a teenager. After he raped her, the Scripture says, Amnon’s love for Tamar turned to intense hatred, Morris said.

Morris presented the passage as a cautionary tale for “young ladies” in his congregation — a warning about what can happen when girls allow men to have sex with them before marriage.

“When love turns to lust and lust is fulfilled, then love can turn to hate, and here’s why,” Morris said. “One of the reasons, young ladies, that he loves you is he respects you. The very thing that the world tells you to give him so you can keep him could be the very thing that causes you to lose him.”

Because, he said, “you can’t love someone you don’t respect.”

As she has watched Morris grow in power, prominence and wealth over the years, Clemishire said, she has always believed none of it would have been possible had he not hidden the truth of what he did to her.

On Feb. 16, 2007, Sharpe, Morris’ lawyer, sent a follow-up letter to Drummond indicating a desire to keep her allegations out of court. He proposed settling the matter through “Christian arbitration consistent with 1 Corinthians 6:1-8,” referring to a Bible passage evangelicals often cite to argue it is immoral to sue other Christians.

Sharpe said he had one goal with the suggestion: “I was at the time trying to reach a good resolution for everybody.”

But Clemishire, who did not agree to the arbitration, believes the true goal had been to keep her quiet and protect Morris from the types of repercussions he has faced since she went public last month.

“I don’t think there was any true repentance or sorrow for what happened,” Clemishire said.

Otherwise, she said, “that would not have been the response.”

Mike Hixenbaugh is a senior investigative reporter for NBC News, based in Maryland, and author of "They Came for the Schools."

Antonia Hylton is a correspondent for NBC News.

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Why Britain Just Ended 14 Years of Conservative Rule

Last week, the center-left labour party won the british general election in a landslide..

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For more than a decade, Britain has been governed by the Conservative Party, which pushed its politics to the right, embracing smaller government and Brexit. Last week, that era officially came to an end.

Mark Landler, the London bureau chief for The Times, explains why British voters rejected the Conservatives and what their defeat means in a world where populism is on the rise.

On today’s episode

Mark Landler , the London bureau chief for The New York Times.

Background reading

Five takeaways from the British general election.

The Conservatives have run Britain for 14 years. How have things changed in that time?

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