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THE LAW SCHOOL
U N I V ER S I TY O F S OU TH E R N CA LI F O RN I A
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fall 2001
In This Issue
Studying Law and Politics
A Philanthropic Dream
Alumni in Academia
USC LAW
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Adoption Day: PILF in Action
“
To us there has come
a time,
in the midst of swift happenings,
to pause for a moment and take stock
— to recall what our place in history
USC LAW
Publication Director Associate Dean Karen A. Lash
Editor Melinda Myers Vaughn
has been, and
to rediscover
what we are and what we
Design & Creative Direction Warren Group
Editorial Interns Elina Agnoli, Ryan Ito
USC Law is published twice a year by the USC Law School.
For publication information or to submit letters to the editor,
contact Melinda M. Vaughn, The Law School, University of
Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089-0071.
E-Mail: magazine@law.usc.edu; fax: (213) 740-5476.
©2001 The Law School, University of Southern California
USC Law School: www.law.usc.edu
Admissions: www.law.usc.edu/stuserv
Alumni Records: www.law.usc.edu/alumni
—
may be.
”
President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Inaugural Address, January 1941
USC LAW
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>
F E AT U R E S
fall 2001
Letters to the Editor 2
Message from the Dean 3
The Stuff of Dreams
A Contagious Habit
How philanthropy and alumni support has fed USC’s excellence
4
PILF plants the seeds of a lifetime commitment to public interest work
Surfing the Body Politic
N EWS
CONTENTS
Interdisciplinary studies in law and politics hit the Web
8
12
Briefs Commencement 2001; Street Law revived; PILF auction 2001; and more 16
Student News Shattuck Awards honor the cream of the crop 22
Faculty News Ventures in Europe; workshops; faculty experts in the news 26
Centers CLEO brings economics stars to USC; CCLP peeks into the ‘real’ West Wing 40
Clinics Immigration Clinic posts first wins; another challenging case for PCJP 42
CLE Napster’s chief at Internet law institute; corporate counselors tackle a new economy 44
Discovery Professor Eric Talley examines the future of stock-option litigation 45
Closer Professor Erwin Chemerinsky returns to high school 80
G R A D U AT E S
Reunions The Classes of ’51, ’56, ’66, ’71 and ’96 celebrate years gone by 46
Alumni News The Irmas Golf Tournament at 20; alumni welcome a new dean 49
Class Notes Columns by class reporters; alumni profiles; alumni books 50
Focus on Philanthropy by Gerry Yaroslow ’76 59
In Memoriam 76
Back to School A crop of USC law grads join the ranks of academia 78
COVER PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHELE A.H. SMITH
Letters
Immigration Clinic Kudos
Another Armenian Connection
As 1996 and 1997 graduates of the Law
School, we wanted to let you know how
proud we are that USC has developed two
new clinical programs in family violence and
immigration (“The Real World,” USC Law,
spring 2001, Page 8). We are particularly
excited about the Law School’s commitment
to the Immigration Clinic. We have firsthand
experience with the plight of immigrants in
California, having had a family friend bilked
for thousands of dollars by a notario promising expedited legal status. We also are aware
of the plight of thousands of political refugees
in California whose cases are not appropriately considered because they lack legal
counsel. The Law School deserves special
recognition for taking a stance to represent
immigrants at a time when the political winds
disfavor their access to justice, as demonstrated by the ban on immigration work
for an agency receiving Legal Services Corp.
funding.
On behalf of the Session and Congregation of California’s oldest Armenian Church, I wish
to express my heartfelt appreciation for Associate Dean John G. Tomlinson’s retrospective article
“Four Odysseys, One Law School” (USC Law, spring 2001, Page 4).
The distinguished counsel Arakelian M. Astor ’16 embodied the essence of the Armenian
immigrant experience in the Golden State. J. George Ohannesian ’09 and Aram Ohannesian
’10 were the children of Giragos and Elizabeth Ohannesian, charter members of our congregation. George Ohannesian was the son-in-law of our second pastor, Rev. George H. Filian.
The Ohannesian brothers were among the very first members of the Fresno Armenian community to earn graduate degrees, and they faithfully served their congregation and ethnic
community in the decades following their graduation from the USC Law School. Fellow
Fresnans Aram Saroyan, the author’s uncle, and Alex Pilibos received their legal education at
USC during the deanship of Judge Gavin Craig and went on to distinguished careers at the bar
and in California commerce.
Please extend our sincere thanks to Dean Tomlinson for his fascinating look at the immigrant students whose lives and careers so deeply enriched the USC Law School, the California
legal profession and our society as a whole.
Joanna Joyce Weiss ’97
Jason A. Weiss ’96
Costa Mesa, Calif.
Philip Tavlian, Esq.
First Armenian Presbyterian Church
Centennial Committee
Fresno, Calif.
USC Law welcomes letters about its contents. Write to: Editor, USC Law magazine, USC Law School,
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0071; e-mail: magazine@law.usc.edu; fax: (213) 740-5476.
Letters may be edited for length and clarity.
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USC LAW fall 2001
DEAN ’ S M E S S AG E
Changing lives — with more than a little help from our friends
by Dean Matthew L. Spitzer ’77
When we think of life-changing experiences, our thoughts cling to major events — graduation,
marriage, births, deaths — “big days” that measure our growth, open doors to new opportunities and mark the passage of time. Obtaining a J.D. is certainly one of those life-changing
experiences: Graduating from law school affirms your talent, knowledge and ability to overcome challenges. It also opens doors to opportunities for growth and success.
But we often forget how smaller, less obvious events also change our lives. I thought of
this recently while watching a film called “Sliding Doors,” which illustrates how life is a series
of turning points, crucial junctures where seemingly small decisions or events shift a life’s
path entirely. In “Sliding Doors,” the turning point was a random event — a change in a child’s
path up a stairway — but intentional, helpful acts also alter the course of a life.
At the USC Law School, we change lives intentionally. Our mission is to provide a topquality educational experience that will change students’ lives and the lives of those with whom
they work. The act of teaching is, itself, a conscious effort to change somebody’s life, to inspire
a student to do more and be better. Our professors don’t just teach: They listen, guide and
encourage. Some have inspired students to follow in their academic footsteps; on Page 78, you’ll
read about USC law graduates who are teaching at law schools around the country, passing
to another generation of lawyers lessons and ideas gleaned from USC mentors.
Supporting programs that serve others is also a central mission of the Law School. Our clinical programs, for example, provide free, high-quality legal services to at-risk children, poor
victims of family violence, nonprofit organizations in USC’s neighborhood, immigrants seeking
a better life, and people who’ve been swept up in the criminal justice system. Were it not for the
students and professors in our five clinics, many people would not get the legal help they so
desperately need. On Page 42, you will read about some of the people whose lives were changed
thanks to our students and clinical professors.
Our Public Interest Law Foundation is also changing lives. PILF summer grants enabled 25
law students to work full time this summer in public interest agencies around the country. These
grants help agencies better serve their communities and give students a sense of how fulfilling
public interest work can be. As you will see on Page 8, PILF is changing how students view
the law by showing them that pro bono and public interest work can be an integral part of their
careers, no matter where they work.
And behind the scenes are the people who make these efforts possible, thousands of people
who, through their support of USC, change lives in small and big ways every day. Some names
stand out — the people and organizations who give hundreds of thousands of dollars to the
Law School are often profiled within this magazine. But those who give $500 or $100 — or
even $30, which the overwhelming majority of our students contribute to PILF each year —
also provide vital resources for important programs. To you, such a gift might be a random act,
a last-minute thought near the end of a tax year. To the student who is able to attend USC
because of a scholarship, or to the victim of domestic violence who gets help from our Family
Violence Clinic, or to the child whose adoption is finalized by a PILF grant recipient, that
gift is life-changing.
On behalf of USC and the people we help, I thank you for your continued support.
USC LAW fall 2001
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F E AT U R E S
N EWS
G R A D UAT E S
A century of giving has instilled a culture of philanthropy at USC
— and fulfilled an early dean’s lofty dreams
by Associate Dean John G. Tomlinson
The Stuff of
In 1911, USC Law School Dean Frank
Monroe Porter dreamed of legal education
with his eyes wide open. He fancied a law
school of permanent faculty, talented students
and an on-campus law building; but especially
he dreamed of an endowment. And he
dreamed aloud. Law students who edited the
1911 Stare Decisis yearbook playfully
cartooned the dean in his pajamas, dreaming
“The Dean’s Dream”: a multi-storied law
building and a $250,000 estate gift that challenged other “public-spirited citizens” to help
create a half-million-dollar endowment.
There was nothing furtive or shy about his
vision: His eyes were on the endowment prize.
But a dean’s dream and a student’s declaration were neither reality nor accomplishment
in 1911. Despite a very successful 23-year
deanship — which included hiring a permanent faculty, improving the quality of the
student body and constructing a new building
— Dean Porter never achieved the dream of a
$500,000 endowment. More than 50 years
would pass before the Law School had established a culture of philanthropy supported by
a cadre of successful, loyal and generous graduates, a staff with fund-raising acumen, and
a $500,000 endowment. This essay explores
some of the words, events and developments
that helped create the culture of philanthropy
that has become such an integral part of the
life and history of the USC Law School.
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USC LAW fall 2001
Dreams
The Stuff of Dreams
In 1904, Dean Porter assumed leadership of
the school and its $1,200 endowment. In
1965, the endowment was nearly $500,000;
by 1980, it topped $5.5 million. Today the
market value of the Law School endowment
is more than $140 million, one of the 10
largest endowments among private American
law schools. The spectacular growth of recent
years stems in part from a bullish stock
market, but credit also lies with those gratified
graduates who have contributed large gifts.
The late Jerry Wiley ’67, who did more than
a little giving to — and asking on behalf of —
the Law School, thought great American law
schools were more alike than different: They
had great faculty, great students and great
facilities. He might have added a forth similarity: They have great endowments, built
upon gifts from generous donors.
Philanthropy and volunteerism are among
the most celebrated American cultural habits;
education and religion are the two leading
beneficiaries of philanthropy. Americans like
to speak of philanthropy as a virtue, perhaps
forgetting that in a country without national
churches and aristocracies, Americans must
volunteer time and treasure to establish and
perpetuate institutions of importance. Early
private American universities, often fashioned
from religious institutions, understood the
necessity of full hearts and full treasures;
congregations became university alumni, and
tithing became university annual funds.
By 1900, when USC began its adventure
in legal education, private law schools were
busy forming alumni associations to establish professional networks among graduates,
to reengage graduates in the life of the school,
and to encourage giving. Harvard had a law
alumni association by 1886 and, in 1887,
began publishing the Harvard Law Review, in
part to reconnect alumni to their alma mater.
The Yale Law Review informed graduates
about legal issues as well as the school’s financial needs. As Louis D. Brandeis, an 1877
Harvard law graduate and a founder of the
Harvard Law Association, observed: The
needs of a law school “may be used to bind
successful graduates and others to the school
by keeping them alive to its growth and problems” and “by acquainting them with the
growth of legal education.” What Justice
Brandeis recognized in the connection
between alumni, philanthropy and the vigor
of Harvard Law School was soon coin of the
private law school realm.
But Dean Porter needed only to look
locally for his philanthropic cues. Philanthropy created USC in 1880 and has been an
integral part of university culture ever since.
From the onset, trustee minutes reported
contributions of stock, cash, real estate and
gifts-in-kind — even a pair of water buffalo
USC LAW fall 2001
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horns. Dean Porter himself had fund-raising
experience gleaned from activities with the
Los Angeles Methodist-Episcopal Church and
his campaign for mayor of Los Angeles.
The sources, then, for Dean Porter’s dream
of a new law building and an endowment
were personal, professional and institutional.
For him, the Biblical admonition, “Where
your treasures are, there will be your heart
also,” must have been familiar, comforting —
and instructive. The 1911 “Dean’s Dream”
correctly foretold that philanthropy would be
a permanent part of the Law School culture.
Promoting progress and development
Forty-five years would pass between the
“Dean’s Dream” and a time when the Law
School would organize itself around the
notion that volunteers, shaped into an alumni
association, could ask graduates to provide
financial support for the school. Still, many of
the philanthropic elements that now comprise
the modern law school surfaced during the
years between 1911 to 1956. With the
encouragement of law school administrators,
Gavin W. Craig ’01 formed the Law School
Alumni Association just after his graduation;
the association began as a networking organization that feted its members at dances,
banquets and “smokers.” Well before 1940,
graduates spoke of the USC legal network as
a compelling reason to study law at USC.
While the Alumni Association danced
and ate its way into the fabric of the Law
School, it also began developing a relationship
with students. The Alumni Award for top
student was established in 1907; Kemper
Campbell was its first recipient. And,
although most early graduates came from
families of modest means and few apparent
habits of philanthropy, the Alumni
Association Scholarship appears in the Law
School catalog in 1940.
Some graduates also gave monies sufficient
to endow scholarships. The 1926-27 Law
School catalog notes three scholarships, two
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named and one anonymously funded. The
following year, the Southern California Law
Review heralded the gift of Harry J. Bauer ’09,
USC trustee and chair of the university’s semicentennial campaign. Mr. Bauer endowed a
$100,000 scholarship, then the largest
commitment made to the Law School; that
endowment provides scholarships to this day.
As gifts arrived, the culture of philanthropy developed. The Southern California
Law Review’s editors proclaimed in a 1928
issue that, to “promote the progress and development of this school of law,” members of the
Class of 1928 each pledged “not less than fifty
dollars” to create an unrestricted endowed
trust fund. Ranney C. Draper ’28 anticipated
$4,000 in pledges; he wrote that “certain
intangible benefits [would] follow” from the
senior class commitment, and that students
believed their gifts would “form a strong bond
between the Law School and its graduates by
reason of the fact that they will have played
a vital part in the building of its future.”
Noble though they were, Mr. Draper’s words
its first professorship in 1945. Funded in part
by a testamentary gift, the Henry W. Bruce
Professorship in Law honored the 1929 graduate for his nearly 30-year relationship with
the university. Mr. Bruce, who also earned a
bachelor’s degree from USC, later served as
USC’s vice president for finance.
After World War II, the G.I. Bill supported
many USC law students, but it was discovered
income, not earned income. Edwin F. Beach
’50, student editor of the school’s directory
and student handbook, observed that the
school was “really quite deficient in the matter
of scholarships.” He encouraged students to
put their education to work by advising others
to establish scholarships at the Law School.
For the advancement of the school
Mr. Beach’s clarion for scholarship support
echoed similar calls heard throughout the Law
School’s first 50 years; in retrospect, they have
the sound of solo voices in search of an
orchestra and a chorus. That chorus — a
volunteer chorus — took shape in the form of
Draper’s assertion that philanthropy was the way
to promote the programs and development of this school was right
on mark: At USC Law School, philanthropy has made the
stuff of deans’ dreams real.
Ranney
were richer than his classmates: Trustee reports
from 1928 to 1940 reflect few gifts from 1928
graduates. Their intentions were good, but
their timing was bad: the Great Depression
likely restrained their giving.
Lean management also hampered development efforts at the Law School. Making the
case for philanthropy was one thing; having
administrators able to ask for gifts and
manage the development process was four
decades in the future. Lack of fund-raising
staff notwithstanding, the Law School named
Legion Lex in 1956. Legion Lex’s founding
marked a decisive shift in the philanthropic
history of the Law School. With the slogan,
“Formed for the advancement of the school of
law,” Legion Lex represented a culmination of
informal fund-raising practices and made
philanthropy a formal part of the Law School.
Conceived by Tom Nickel in the USC
development office, Legion Lex attracted
Dean Robert Kingsley’s eager support. Thanks
to willing volunteers who personally recruited
annual gifts from graduates and friends of the
F E AT U RE S
Law School, Legion Lex had 371 annual
donors within four years of its founding; by
1968, nearly 1,200 persons made annual gifts.
By 1970, 50 percent of non-tuition income
came from Legion Lex contributions. Gifts
were designated for the highest need as
defined by deans; over the years, Legion Lex
contributions have helped remodel the old
law school building, construct the present
building, and fund library acquisitions, scholarships, student loans and professorships.
By 1965, Legion Lex’s success was evident.
The organization had identified a loyal and
growing population of generous graduates;
some with the inclination and capacity later
made larger gifts, particularly planned gifts
from their assets. When the Law School
announced in 1965 a $2.7 million campaign
for a new building, Legion Lex committed
$100,000. At the same time, the school hired a
fund-raising staff person who gave permanence
to the philanthropic enterprise.
With the construction of the Musick Law
Building in 1969 — Elvon Musick ’15 and
his wife provided the naming gift — came a
new era in the pace and size of contributions.
The testamentary gift of another graduate,
John W. Barnes ’27, LL.M. ’29, provided
nearly $1 million and generated more in
matching funds. A campaign led by Dean
Dorothy Nelson exceeded goals. The Law
School received its first $1 million endowment in 1976 from the William and Frederika
Gordon estate; the gift was the result of estate
work conducted by Gordon MacDonald ’34.
After opening the Musick Law Building in
1971, Dean Nelson invested her time and
resources in development. Served in part by
Jerry Wiley, soon thereafter a development
officer, Dean Nelson also benefited from the
work of former law professor, then university
vice president for legal affairs, Carl M.
Franklin, who helped attract four endowed
law professorships. When Dean Nelson left
the deanship for the 9th U.S. Circuit Court
bench, she passed to Scott Bice a faithful
contingent of Legion Lex donors, among
them the philanthropists who moved the Law
School’s endowment from $5.5 million to one
of the nation’s top law school endowments.
The Franklin Mint
The late Syd Irmas ’55 once described how
well-suited Scott Bice was for the deanship he
assumed in 1980. A 1968 graduate of the Law
School, Dean Bice knew the recent history
of the Law School; he had served as both
faculty member and administrator. Mr.
Irmas’s only concern was whether Dean Bice
could become a successful fund raiser. Telling
the story decades later, Irmas chuckled at his
concern. Under Dean Bice’s watch, the Law
School endowment’s market value grew from
$5.5 million in 1980 to $140 million at the
end of the year 2000.
Dean Bice declared his commitment to
attracting financial resources for the Law
School from the onset. In his first “From the
Dean” essay in the fall 1980 USC CITES,
he vowed to dedicate 50 percent of his time to
fund-raising activities. Certainly he harvested
the work of his predecessors; ultimately he
inherited also the good work of capable
professors whose teaching served USC law
graduates well. And he arrived at a crucial
time in the lives of graduates whose
professional successes, wealth and sense of
gratitude combined to make giving possible.
Dean Bice led three fund-raising campaigns,
the last of which, the “Campaign for the
Second Century,” exceeded $50 million in
cash and pledges. The development staff grew
from one person in 1980 to eight in 2000.
The philanthropic successes of the Bice years
are recorded on plaques throughout the
Law School.
Perhaps the greatest boon to Dean Bice’s
tenure was the wisdom, loyalty and generosity
of Carl M. Franklin, arguably one of the most
important philanthropy-centered persons in
USC’s history and certainly in the eleemosynary life of the Law School.
PHILANTHROPY
Professor Franklin joined the Law School
in 1953 and taught legal accounting, international law, common law actions and
restitution until 1960, when he assumed the
role of USC vice president for financial affairs.
From 1973 to 1983, he was chief of legal
affairs. Professor Franklin served the university in other ways, too: He and his late wife,
Carolyn Craig Franklin, have participated in
raising more than $150 million for USC. He
estimates that at least half of those dollars
supported Law School endowments for
professorships, chairs and scholarships; additional Franklin family gifts helped build the
law building and its libraries and provided
unrestricted funds for other projects. Professor
Franklin has asked for gifts, and he has made
them. Thirty-three chairs and professorships
adorn the Law School; Carl and Carolyn
participated in the funding of 26. He facilitated seven of 27 gifts of $1 million or more
from persons or foundations. Fittingly, the
academic position held by the dean of the
Law School is the Carl Mason Franklin Dean’s
Chair in Law, created in 1983. A chair in law
and religion bears Carolyn’s name.
Professor Franklin also has served as a wise
mentor — first to Dean Kingsley, who hired
him in 1953, and later to deans Orrin Evans,
Nelson, Bice and now Matthew Spitzer —
imparting the virtues and skills of patience, a
love of legal education and the ability to
develop and sustain deep, caring relationships.
Professor, philanthropist and development
professional extraordinaire, Carl Franklin was
the person Dean Porter dreamed of in 1911
— the year Professor Franklin was born.
The culture of philanthropy is an integral
aspect of the history of all American law
schools, and, after a century, philanthropy has
made extraordinary contributions to the life
of this Law School. Ranney Draper’s assertion
that philanthropy was the way to promote the
programs and development of this school was
right on mark: At USC Law School, philanthropy has made the stuff of deans’ dreams real.
USC LAW fall 2001
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A Contagious Habi t
PILF is changing the culture of the
USC Law School as it spreads its
public service message
by Melinda Myers Vaughn
USC law students appeared before Judge Carol Williams Elswick (a 1979 political science graduate of USC) on Adoption
Day. Students worked with attorneys at the Alliance for Children’s Rights to help finalize adoptions for several children.
Photography by Michele A.H. Smith.
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USC LAW fall 2001
F E AT U R E S
The
Vargas family is scattered about
a stuffy courtroom waiting
area swamped with children clutching teddy
bears, volunteers handing out bagels and
parents snapping photographs. Pedro Vargas
and his wife, Charmon, keep watchful eyes on
their six girls — three to whom Charmon
gave birth, three to whom the family will
become legally bound today — as they
scamper about the room.
It is a rare day at the L.A. Dependency
Court: Everybody here is smiling.
Adoption Day is a ritual at this courthouse. Three or four Saturdays a year, judges
and court staff volunteer time to help finalize
adoptions for hundreds of low-income
Los Angeles families. Certainly, the day is a
special one for families such as the Vargases.
Pebbles, 6, has been living with the Vargas
family for three years; her sisters, Camille,
1-and-a-half, and MaryJane, 3, came to the
Vargases shortly after their births. When it
became clear that their birth parents couldn’t
keep them, Mr. and Mrs. Vargas decided to
adopt rather than see the girls split up in the
foster care system. For this family, Adoption
Day is the culmination of several years of
foster parenting, navigating the family court
system and waiting.
For a handful of USC law students, this
Adoption Day is also important: The day
marks the first time they will appear before a
judge on a client’s behalf. As the Vargases and
other families wait somewhat impatiently for
their turn before the judge, Michael Smith
’03, Erin Gardiner ’03, Vanessa Soto ’03 and
Darlene Wanger ’03 pace back and forth,
practicing their lines and conferring with their
supervising attorney from the Alliance for
Children’s Rights. Their work is making this
day possible for the Vargas family and several
others; and, as they guide their families
through the adoption process, these students
not only learn how the adoption process
works, but also how satisfying it is to provide
such meaningful service to others.
“It’s wonderful to see mothers crying tears
of joy at the Dependency Court,” Ms. Soto
says after emerging from the courtroom with
the Vargas family. “I was surprised at what an
emotional day it was. It was really incredible.”
Ms. Soto was among dozens of USC law
students who volunteered in public interest
legal positions last year with help from the
Law School’s Public Interest Law Foundation
(PILF). The student-managed foundation
works with public interest organizations to
create summer positions and school-year
volunteer opportunities for law students
while meeting critical community needs for
low-cost legal services. Established in 1987,
PILF has become part of the fabric of a USC
legal education, creating a culture of service
at the Law School that touches hundreds
of students each year. This year, PILF handed
out a record number of summer grants and
expanded its reach among students with a
well-attended speaker series, dozens of legal
training and clinical programs and a slate of
successful fund-raising programs. Its success
has positioned PILF, winner of USC’s 2001
Student Organization Volunteerism Award,
as a campus leader in community service.
And, as one of the first — and still one of
the largest and most successful — student-run
public interest law programs in the
country, PILF has become a model for law
schools nationwide.
PILF
Indeed, a growing public interest movement in law schools is changing the culture of
legal education as students learn they can
achieve academically and still find time to
volunteer with public interest agencies. They
also are learning that a demanding corporate
career and public interest work do not have to
be mutually exclusive. Particularly at USC,
where PILF has become the largest and most
prominent student organization in the Law
School, public interest is increasingly viewed
as part of a lawyer’s job, no matter where
a career in the law may lead.
“When I worked at the Alliance for
Children’s Rights, I began to see how incredible it is to simply be able to read, to think
critically,” says Sara Elzerman ’02. Ms.
Elzerman worked at the Alliance during her
first year of law school; last year, she served
as co-chair of PILF’s pro bono activities.
“Public interest work is not just important
because you’re a first-year law student. It’s
important because you were able to eat breakfast this morning, because you know you’re
not going to lose your food stamps if you
argue with someone about your rights. This is
one reason why PILF has been successful: By
working in these places where you’re able to
help people, you begin to realize how lucky
you really are.”
Public interest: A USC tradition
PILF was established at USC in 1987 by law
students who wanted to bridge the gap
between the Law School and the community.
Beginning that year, tuition bills included a
$10 “tax” to fund public interest grants.
Students could opt out of the tax by checking
a box, but practically all students contributed
USC LAW fall 2001
9
“
— and continue to contribute — to PILF.
The “negative check-off system” raised about
$12,000 that first year. When the late Sydney
Irmas ’55 and his wife, Audrey, heard that
students were taxing themselves to pay for
public interest activities, they matched the
student fund with a $12,000 grant. They also
established an endowment that continues to
provide resources for PILF.
PILF offered 12 summer grants in 1988.
It was the beginning of a USC tradition that
has grown immensely in scope and vision.
Now, students pay a $15 “tax” each semester
to support PILF, and other fund-raisers, such
as the annual auction and the “Donate a Day’s
Salary” program, bring in nearly $90,000
annually for the Sydney and Audrey Irmas
Public Interest Fund and draw wide support
from students, faculty, alumni and community members. This summer, 25 law students
received PILF grants to work full time in
nonprofit organizations around the country;
seven other USC students received public
interest grants funded by friends, alumni and
students, including the yearlong Sydney and
Audrey Irmas Fellowship, worth $37,500, for
a graduating student. USC’s PILF grants
increased by $500 this year; first-time grant
recipients received $4,500 and those in their
second summer of service received $5,500.
According to Vicky Rateau, program associate at the National Association for Public
Interest Law (NAPIL), USC’s public interest
grant program is one of the nation’s largest.
Most law schools award eight to 18 annual
grants ranging from several hundred dollars
to $5,500. These programs are making a
difference: Last year, law students in the
United States raised more than $3 million in
funding for grants to support 1,500 students
working in public interest positions.
The surge in student volunteerism has
been a boon to public interest law agencies.
Amy Pellman, supervising staff attorney at the
Alliance for Children’s Rights, says the
Alliance has come to rely on student assis-
10
USC LAW fall 2001
Public interest work is not just
important because you’re a first-
year law student. It’s important
because you were able to eat
breakfast this morning, because
you know you’re not going to lose
your food stamps if you argue
”
with someone about your rights.
tance. “We only have five staff lawyers, and we
serve 5,000 children each year,” she says.
“Students are vital to the operation of our
organization. They help with intake and
receive calls from the community, conduct
legal research and writing, help with adoption
and guardianship paperwork, assist with legal
clinics and help individual families.
“It’s a good experience for them, too,” she
adds. “There aren’t a lot of first-year law
students who get to go to court or learn to do
a guardianship from beginning to end. There
aren’t a lot of first-year students who have
families truly see them as their advocates.”
This year’s PILF grant recipients worked
with a broad range of public interest agencies,
providing desperately needed legal assistance
for low-income families, victims of domestic
violence, immigrants, homeless people and
victims of discrimination. Eli Palomares
received a PILF grant after securing a summer
position with Bet Tzedek Legal Services, his
first choice for a summer job. “I thought I’d
learn a lot more about the law doing public
interest than working at a firm,” he says. And
learn he did: Most of his cases were related to
housing law — helping tenants fight unlawful
evictions or illegal rent increases — but he also
assisted in cases involving government benefits payments, bankruptcy and immigration
issues. “I targeted Bet Tzedek because I felt
I could offer them a bridge to the Latino
community,” says Mr. Palomares. “You can
see the timidity in people when they come
here for help, and if they have someone here
who speaks their language, they feel so much
more comfortable.”
Working at the Alliance for Children’s
Rights enabled Mr. Smith, a graduate of the
University of Sussex and a former public
school teacher, to pursue his interest in
children’s health care issues. Along with three
other USC law students, Mr. Smith spent his
summer working closely with clients, filing for
adoption or guardianship, obtaining public
benefits, name changes and emancipations,
and researching issues relating to health care,
public benefits and foster care. “I am really
impressed with PILF,” says Mr. Smith, who
volunteered at the Alliance through spring
semester and received the Sidley, Austin,
Brown and Wood Public Interest Law
Fellowship to work there full time during the
summer. “The grant program is excellent. It
would’ve been a lot more difficult to do what
I wanted to do this summer without the grant.”
PILF’s success can be measured by more
than the growth of its grant program, however.
An increased level of organization and activity
throughout the broad scope of PILF’s
programs has raised student participation and
elevated the organization’s presence at the Law
School. Students participated in dozens of
clinics and training sessions last year, and many
pursued volunteer opportunities beyond those
organized by PILF. “We viewed clinics as a
jumping off point,” says MaryBeth Lipp,
2000-01 co-chair of pro bono activities. “We
give students the gist of what public interest
work is and then provide them with resources
and information so they can establish their
own relationships with organizations.”
“PILF has become so prevalent at USC,”
says Ms. Gardiner, PILF pro-bono co-chair
this year. “There’s always something going on.
The consistency and diversity of programs
have made it very accessible.”
F E AT U R E S
A broadened vision of legal education
By making public interest opportunities so
accessible, PILF has effected a noticeable
change in the way students view their career
goals and their duties as attorneys. Ms.
Wanger didn’t know what public interest law
was when she came to USC. “I had no
community service experience,” she says. “I’d
just never taken the time for it. But I went to
a PILF meeting at the beginning of my first
year, and public interest work sounded interesting. I started signing up for whatever was
available — I did the Public Counsel
Homelessness Prevention Project clinic, the
county bar Barrister’s Domestic Violence
Project, Adoption Day — and I just really
enjoyed it.”
When it came time to apply for summer
jobs, Ms. Wanger looked for public interest
opportunities and took a position with
the Alliance for Children’s Rights. “PILF
has broadened my vision of what you can do
with a legal education,” she says. “It gave
me something that contradicted that
cliché view of the world of selfish lawyers.
There’s a lot of good that you can do with
a law degree.”
Olivia Kim ’03 hadn’t heard of public
interest law before coming to USC either, but
she was hooked after attending her first PILF
meeting and a clinic with Public Counsel’s
Homelessness Prevention Project. She logged
more than 130 volunteer hours with Public
Counsel and the Legal Aid Foundation
during the school year and served as a student
supervisor for the Homelessness Prevention
Project — an unusual accomplishment for a
first-year law student. She received a Sidley,
Austin, Brown and Wood Public Interest Law
Fellowship to work at Public Counsel full
time during the summer, and this fall she took
on the role of PILF vice president. “It’s
changed my whole perspective,” Ms. Kim says
of her PILF experiences. “Now, when I’m
trying to find a job, I’m looking carefully at
what public interest opportunities firms offer.
A year ago, I wouldn’t have even thought
about it. Now it’s very important to me.”
Showing students that public interest work
can be a part of any career has become a
primary goal of the organization. “PILF is for
everyone, no matter what your career goal is,”
says Nicolle Cumberland ’03, PILF’s 2001-02
president. “It’s part of what attracted me to
PILF. It wasn’t like you could only participate
if public interest was going to be your life.
A lot of my friends who were committed to
corporate jobs got involved with PILF, too.
They saw you can do both.”
“I’ll always make pro bono work a part of
my career,” says Ms. Elzerman, who came to
USC with an interest in children’s law but has
since become enamored with tax law. She’s
now pursuing a dual J.D. degree with a
master’s in business tax. “You can always serve
the community through a corporate job, and
that’s part of what we want people to understand. There are needs in every area — people
need help filing taxes; people need help
keeping their small businesses going. You
can follow your intellectual passion without
sacrificing a commitment to service.”
“PILF encourages a habit of pro bono
service by exposure,” adds Ms. Elzerman.
“We’re letting people know it’s an option and
exposing them to how it feels to help others.
It’s really a contagious habit. Once they
experience it, we’ve caught them.”
2001 PILF
Grant Recipients
Michelle Deleye ’03
Janet Hong ’02
Robert Rapfogel ’03
Bet Tzedek Legal Services
West Texas Legal Services
Semara Belgarde ’03
Stephen Dunkle ’03
Public Defender Service
for District of Columbia
Legal Aid Foundation of
Los Angeles
Public Counsel
Shannon Boyce ’03
Legal Aid Foundation of
San Bernardino
Larry M. Chattoo ’03
HIV & AIDS Legal
Services Alliance
Carlton Davis ’03
Legal Services of
Northern California
Leslie De La Torre ’03
Legal Aid Foundation of
Los Angeles
Nicolle Cumberland ’03
YWCA Domestic Violence Project
Erin Gardiner ’03
Anne Hwang ’02
Southern Center for Human Rights
Jonathan Judge ’03
Protection & Advocacy Inc.
Alliance for Children’s Rights
Kasie Lee ’03
Amber Grayhorse ’03
Legal Aid Foundation of
Los Angeles
NAACP Legal Defense
and Education Fund
Leon Hazany ’03
Sean Matsler ’03
PILF
Vanessa Soto ’03
Alliance for Children’s Rights
Jennifer Staack ’02
Anti-Defamation League
Tiffany Zwicker ’03
Break the Cycle
Sidley, Austin, Brown &
Wood Public Interest
Fellows
Anti-Defamation League
Paul Maxon ’03
Western Law Center for
Disability Rights
National Lawyers Guild
Steve L. Hernandez ’03
Eli Palomares ’03
Fair Housing Council of
San Gabriel Valley
Bet Tzedek Legal Services
Olivia Kim ’03
Homelessness Prevention
Project, Public Counsel
Michael J. Smith ’03
Alliance for Children’s Rights
USC LAW fall 2001
11
A new
r e s e a r ch
Surfing the Body Politic
12
USC LAW fall 2001
center examines the role of
F E AT U R E S
p u b l i c opinion in lawmaking and how the Web
might give polling new
CSLP
f l e x i b i l i t y and c r e d i b i l i t y
by Melinda Myers Vaughn
When the 2000 presidential election first
began its descent into legal quagmire, Bill
Clinton observed, “The American people
have spoken. It’s just going to take a while to
determine exactly what was said.”
In its simplest form, democracy is government by the people. Elected officials are
supposed to gauge the preferences and values
of the populace and create laws based on the
public will. But deciphering the will of the
people is not an easy task in a nation of 275
million residents, even without the complications that encumbered the recent election.
How do we know what the public will is? How
reliable are the ever-present surveys and polls
that claim to measure public preferences?
Where do those preferences come from? How
fixed are they? To what extent do the politicians who claim to follow the will of the people
actually manipulate and shape that will?
Despite their relevance, such questions are
not often the subject of academic study.
Several institutes around the country study
citizen knowledge of the political process and
capture public opinion data, but none
addresses the connections between law, political institutions and public opinion. To fill the
gap, the Law School has joined forces with the
California Institute of Technology and other
academic departments at USC to create the
USC-Caltech Center for the Study of Law
and Politics (CSLP). Initiated with a seed
grant from USC’s provost and support from
the Law School and Caltech, CSLP’s mission
is to generate and fund quantitative, empirical
research on the intersections of law, political
institutions, public policy, citizen knowledge
of politics and public opinion. Top scholars in
fields ranging from law, political and social
science, economics and statistics have joined
the center to examine how the public will is
measured, defined, shaped and manipulated
and how perceptions of the public influence
the American political process.
“This center is not just about the theory
and philosophy of law and politics,” says
Edward J. McCaffery, CSLP’s director, the
Maurice Jones, Jr., Professor of Law at USC
and a visiting professor of law and economics
at Caltech. “We aim to provide quantitative,
empirical analyses of how the law intersects
with other components of democracy.” And,
he notes, as a cross-campus, cross-discipline
research center, CSLP is a logical next step in
the interdisciplinary progression launched
within the legal academy by law and
economics scholars more than 30 years ago.
“This is, in a way, a new generation of
people in the field of law and economics,”
agrees Caltech Professor R. Michael Alvarez, a
political science scholar and CSLP’s associate
director. “We’re trying to invigorate different
parts of legal study in the way the law and
economics movement did by bringing
together scholars in disparate disciplines.
Particularly in the aftermath of the last presidential election, there’s a unique opportunity
to study the intersections of law and politics.”
Polling in the digital age
One of those intersections is the role public
opinion plays in lawmaking. Although public
opinion carries great weight in the American
political process, the primary tool for measuring that opinion — polling — is a costly
process that often produces questionable data.
With that in mind, several CSLP researchers
are studying ways to improve public opinion
surveys. A major goal: Developing a reliable
Internet survey mechanism to reduce costs of
public opinion polling and produce faster and
more credible statistics. If successful, the
project could result in broader access to public
opinion measurements for scholars, researchers,
media and political institutions — and a more
accurate guide for social discourse and public
policy development.
Web surveys are already widely used with
varying degrees of reliability. Many Web sites
conduct informal opinion polls to engage
viewers or capture demographic information
for advertising. CSLP is aiming for something
more substantial: Through its Web site, the
center has developed a Web survey mechanism and a database of nearly 15,000 people
who respond to periodic online polls relating
to CSLP research projects. Using various
means of Internet advertising (and the occasional gift-certificate drawing), CSLP has
drawn tens of thousands of people to its site.
As many as 40 percent of those who view the
site fill out an information form, providing
demographic information, answering questions that help researchers gauge political
knowledge, and providing an e-mail address
to which future questionnaires can be sent.
The center has received thousands of survey
responses from its pool of participants. (To see
how it works, visit http://survey.caltech.edu.)
CSLP scholars are using the electronic
survey mechanism to gather data for their
research projects, and center affiliates have
conducted simultaneous telephone surveys to
see how responses to Web and telephone
surveys compare. The benefits of Internet
polling are increasingly apparent: Professor
Alvarez notes that a simple telephone survey
of 1,500 adults can cost up to $40,000. Focus
groups and face-to-face interviews are more
costly and generally more difficult to coordinate. In contrast, he says, “you could spend
about $10,000 to obtain e-mail addresses, in
relatively short order, for about 8,000 to
USC LAW fall 2001
13
12,000 people. And there’s virtually no cost
associated with putting a survey online and
sending e-mails out.”
Web surveys might also be more reliable.
Early research indicates that people may be
more likely to respond truthfully to Internet
surveys than telephone or face-to-face ques-
selected also presents problems. A telephone
survey can be conducted using randomly
generated telephone numbers, which
improves the odds of getting a respondent
pool that reflects the general populace. A
similar database of randomly generated e-mail
addresses is difficult to create, and people
professor of economics and law, are examining
how a person’s self-perception affects his or
her responses to survey questions. A recent
Stanford study found that Asian women
performed better on math tests when they
identified themselves as Asian than when they
identified themselves as women. That finding
The very nature of CSLP’s work is likely to influence perceptions of the interaction between government and people.
tioning, says Professor McCaffery. “On the
telephone, people tend to under-report
discriminatory or biased beliefs because they
don’t want to say such things out loud,” he
says. “Although it’s complicated, Web surveys
might in some ways be more credible.”
And, in an age of changing lifestyles, the
Web provides access to an increasingly hardto-reach segment of people. When telephone
polls began taking hold during the 1960s and
’70s, Professor Alvarez explains, most people
were home in the evenings and willing to talk.
A normal response rate was 80 percent of the
people contacted. Today, people are much
more likely to let a telephone ring without
answering it. Adults with jobs and children are
often away from home in the evenings; for
those who are home, caller ID technology can
screen out unknown callers. “Telephone
surveys are increasingly skewed to people who
are at home in the evenings and willing to
answer the phone — which means we’re
missing some people,” says Professor Alvarez.
Fortunately, the people who are most likely
to respond to Web surveys fill in some of the
gaps. Unfortunately, those people represent
one of the primary methodological problems
of Web surveys: the digital divide. Internet
survey participants are more likely than the
average American to be white, middle-class,
well-educated and young, so results can’t be
assumed to represent the general public
without adjustment. Therein lies CSLP’s challenge: How can Web survey results be
adjusted to reflect a broader public will?
That Web survey participants are self-
14
USC LAW fall 2001
generally trash unsolicited e-mails. So, before
Web researchers can even ask a question, they
must entice people to sign up for surveys. The
pool of respondents is skewed, then, to the
type of person willing to take surveys. CSLP
hopes to resolve some of these issues.
“We are working with statistical tools to
alleviate the problem with self-selection,” says
Professor Alvarez. “With regard to the digital
divide issue, we hope it will diminish in time,
that computers and Internet access will
become as widely available and used as the
telephone. Meantime, we’re studying whether
it might be possible to use sophisticated statistical tools to mitigate the differences between
Web users and the general public.”
Toward a better measure
Still, methodological problems persist for
both online polls and those conducted
through more traditional means; other CSLP
studies are tackling some of those issues. For
instance, research shows people often respond
differently to the same question depending on
how the question is worded. Professor
McCaffery is now studying public perceptions
of tax and how attitudes toward tax change
when questions are framed differently.
“With tax, everything can be framed as
either a penalty or a bonus,” he says. “The
‘marriage penalty’ can be framed as a ‘singles
bonus.’ People are generally penalty averse. So
if you play with the wording, what happens to
people’s attitudes and responses?”
In another study, Professor McCaffery
and CSLP member Timur Kuran, a USC
prompts questions for pollsters: Do people
talk differently about issues if they are primed
to be thinking about themselves as part of a
specific group? Is a person’s self-perception
when using a telephone different from when
using a computer? Is a person more likely to
respond to online questions in a more
thoughtful or honest way than he or she
might during a telephone conversation?
“We’re not trying to be the next Gallup,
Harris pollster,” says Professor McCaffery.
“We’re interested in looking at public opinion
on certain issues, but we’re also very interested
in studying the means and methods of getting
public opinion and how those means and
methods are shaping policy debates.”
By studying the role of public opinion in
our political process and working to improve
the way public opinion is measured, the
center is positioned to have its own role in
shaping policy debate. An election reform
study has already garnered widespread attention among policymakers and the media (see
sidebar), and the very nature of CSLP’s work
is likely to influence perceptions of the interaction between government and people — as
well as the interaction between the legal
academy and diverse academic disciplines.
“The questions people ask about law are
intrinsically interdisciplinary,” says Professor
McCaffery, “Lawyers alone don’t have all the
skills to answer these questions, and others
don’t have the knowledge of law. It is time to
move beyond law and economics and begin
investigating the law in other disciplinary
contexts as well.”
F E AT U R E S
CSLP
Counting on reform: CSLP examines methods for improving elections
CSLP Members
Edward J. McCaffery
Maurice Jones, Jr., Professor of Law,
USC Law School, and visiting professor of law
and economics, Caltech; director, CSLP
R. Michael Alvarez
Associate professor of political science,
Caltech; associate director, CSLP
Jeb Barnes
Assistant professor of political science, USC
Linda R. Cohen
Professor of law and social science,
USC Law School, and professor of economics,
University of California, Irvine
Ann Crigler
Associate professor of political science,
USC; director, Unruh Institute of Politics
Jonathan Katz
Associate professor of political science, USC
D. Roderick Kiewiet
Professor of political science and dean of
graduate studies, Caltech
Timur Kuran
Professor of economics and King Faisal
Professor of Islamic Thought and Culture, USC
John Matsusaka
Professor of finance and business
economics, USC
Robert P. Sherman
Associate professor of economics and
statistics, Caltech
Matthew L. Spitzer
Dean and Carl M. Franklin Professor of Law,
USC Law School
In his popular play “Jumpers,” Tom Stoppard wrote: “It’s not the voting that’s democracy;
it’s the counting.” He couldn’t have found better proof of his witticism than the 2000
presidential election.
Even before the election, researchers at the USC-Caltech Center for the Study of Law and
Politics (CSLP) were examining methods for counting votes and investigating the efficacy of
voting technology, says Professor Edward J. McCaffery, CSLP director. After the election,
the center decided to expand its research into popular perceptions of voting. With convincing
results from a comprehensive post-election survey, a major academic conference and a forthcoming book, the center is shaping public discourse and policy on how elections can be
improved to ensure that every vote counts.
The center sees a mandate for such reform: In a telephone survey conducted in March, 77
percent of 1,500 respondents said election reform is an important or very important issue,
even though just 4 percent had personally experienced voting problems. Support for reform was
bipartisan: 74 percent of Republicans, 85 percent of Democrats and 75 percent of independents
or third-party identifiers saw changing the way we vote as an important issue. (The center
conducted a simultaneous survey online, but its results had not been analyzed at press time.)
“It is rare to see 77 percent of Americans agree on anything, especially on political reforms,”
says Professor R. Michael Alvarez, CSLP associate director. “But the public is quite bipartisan in support of election reform as a priority, so there is a unique window of opportunity.”
At a CSLP-sponsored conference in June, scholars from around the country presented ideas
for reform. Among them: Fred Solop of Northern Arizona University discussing the success
of online voting in Arizona’s 2000 Democratic presidential primary election; Michael Traugott
of the University of Michigan discussing Oregon’s experience with mail-in ballots; Jeb Barnes,
a political science professor at USC, discussing congressional proposals for reform; Kathleen
Frankovic of CBS discussing issues associated with media projections and exit polls; and
Professor Alvarez discussing the process of counting — and recounting — ballots. Other participants included USC law professors Susan Estrich and Erwin Chemerinsky; Trevor Potter,
former chair of the Federal Elections Commission; and Pamela Karlan, professor of law
at Stanford University.
“The conference brought together an interdisciplinary group of scholars to attack the
problems of election reform and to look at the issues in light of the realities of the politics
and the legal system of this country,” said Ann Crigler, professor of political science at USC,
director of the Unruh Institute of Politics and a member of CSLP. Professor Crigler
organized the conference and is working with Wellesely Professor Marion Just, Professor
McCaffery and publishers to produce a book based on the conference. The book, she says, will
make specific recommendations for election reform.
Already, CSLP has become a critical voice in the discussion. The center’s survey received
wide media coverage, and CSLP members have testified before Congress on the issue. CSLP
research also has been referenced by policymakers — including Rep. Maxine Waters and Sen.
Joe Lieberman — as they advocate election reform. As the political machine moves to address
the issue, CSLP will undoubtedly continue to frame the discussion. “It’s common to think that
Americans have a short attention span and are quick to forget even big issues,” says Professor
McCaffery. “But our findings show that, while citizens are generally willing to move beyond
the last election and get on with life as usual, concern over voting fairness has not gone away.”
USC LAW fall 2001
15
F E AT U R E S
N EWS
G R A D UAT E S
Law School responds to terrorism with silence, reflection and solidarity
Top: Professor Erwin Chemerinsky speaks during a
universitywide “teach-in” about civil rights issues
related to the attacks; bottom: Dean Matthew
Spitzer comforts students during a reflection service
at the Law School.
16
USC LAW fall 2001
Students and professors at the USC Law School responded to the attacks of Sept. 11 with efforts
to understand the implications of the event and to support those affected by the tragedies.
At the request of Dean Matthew L. Spitzer and the Student Bar Association, professors
began all classes and events with a moment of silence during the week after the attacks. Many
students and faculty participated in a campuswide blood drive, and the Student Bar Association
planned a November blood drive to help meet the recurring need for blood among
burn victims.
MaryBeth Lipp ’02 coordinated a reflection service on Sept. 20 that enabled faculty, staff
and students to discuss the events and remember the victims. The service, sponsored by more
than 20 law student organizations, included remarks from students and faculty and ended with
a slide presentation documenting memorial services around the world. “I think there’s a
tendency to keep going,” Ms. Lipp said at the beginning of the service. “We have obligations,
interviews, classes. But at this time it is necessary, important and appropriate for us to come
together as a law school to reflect on what happened.”
Dean Matthew Spitzer and Associate Dean Lisa Mead encouraged students to talk to friends
and family about the events. “Don’t feel bad about getting counseling,” Dean Spitzer said. “Take
positive steps. I wish I could make it all go away for you, but I can’t make it stop. In the long
run, it will be your generation’s responsibility to deal with this new threat, and to be smart,
vigilant and strong in dealing with it.”
Professor Ronald Garet commended students, faculty and staff for their “enormous depth
of feeling” and their kindness to each other in coping with the news, noting that “in my own
classes, there have been wet eyes.”
Courtney Stuart ’02 discussed her feelings of confusion and loss. “This is the first time I can’t
tell myself that the media is blowing it out of proportion,” she said. “There is a gaping hole
in the landscape of New York and a gaping hole in the hearts of all Americans. I want to wake
up peacefully to banal NPR news. But, suddenly awakened, I feel it is time to arise, not to go
back to sleep. I beg that we don’t take this awareness for granted.”
Professor Mary Dudziak offered a historical context for the events, reminding students that
“moments of crisis are often moments of transformation. It is not a coincidence,” she added,
“that some of our most cherished civil rights protections came into our Constitution after a civil
war. We have to ask ourselves what we will do with this moment. It is the duty of survivors.”
She quoted Roland B. Gittelsohn, a military chaplain who dedicated the graves of soldiers killed
on Iwo Jima during World War II: “Here lie officers and men, Negroes and whites, rich and
poor, together. Here no man prefers another because of his faith or despises him because of
his color. Theirs is the highest and purest democracy. Whoever of us lifts his hand in hate against
a brother, or thinks himself superior to those who happen to be in the minority, makes of
this ceremony and of the bloody sacrifice it commemorates an empty, hollow mockery.”
Professors Edwin “Rip” Smith and Erwin Chemerinsky participated in a university-sponsored “teach-in” on Sept. 24 to answer student questions about how the attacks might affect
civil rights and national security. Professor Smith was applauded when he noted that a bombing
campaign against Afghanistan might not resolve the problem. “Afghanistan has no functioning
economy,” he said. “There are no dangers created by these hungry people.”
Professor Chemerinsky asked students to be wary of attempts to curb civil rights in the name
of national security. “The terrorists took away our sense of security,” he said. “We can’t let them
now be responsible for taking away our basic freedoms.”
N EWS
Actor entertains, inspires Class of 2001
Actor, attorney and former Yale Law School
cutup Ben Stein feted the Class of 2001
at USC’s May commencement ceremony
honoring 195 members of one of the
most diverse graduating classes in Law
School history.
Presiding over his first graduation ceremony as dean, Matthew L. Spitzer noted that
graduation is “a team effort” to which
students, staff, faculty, family, friends and
alumni contribute. He particularly thanked
alumni: “Our alumni are, for some of you,
your parents, aunts and uncles, and for many
of you, your future employers. They are
crucial to your having gotten here; their
accomplishments made this an interesting
and inviting place to come, and their contributions provided resources that made your
education possible.”
Mr. Stein’s words to the Class of 2001
reflected a life divided between the legal
profession and the entertainment business. A
poverty and trial lawyer who has taught law
and culture courses at American University,
the University of California, Santa Cruz, and
Pepperdine University, Mr. Stein is the star
of the Comedy Central game show “Win Ben
Stein’s Money.” In a speech punctuated by
jokes and laughter, Mr. Stein reflected on his
time as a trouble-making student at Yale Law
School, where one of his professors was USC’s
own Larry Simon. Mr. Stein credited
Professor Simon with both keeping him in
law school and helping him find a career in
entertainment: When Mr. Stein contemplated
dropping out, Professor Simon helped him
arrange to take a drama class.
According to Mr. Stein, the legal profession has its good and bad sides. The bad
includes hard work, long hours and
demanding clients. The good parts, however,
make a life in the law worthwhile: “The
Almighty has commanded us to do justice,
love mercy, and walk humbly with your
God,” he said. “You’re in a position to help
The Class
BRIEFS
people do justice and love mercy. When
you’ve reached the vantage point of 56, you
will think more about the good you’ve done
than the money you’ve made.”
PILF boosts grant funding
USC’s Public Interest Law Foundation
increased its summer grants this year, thanks
to the continued support of students, alumni
and friends of the Law School.
During its spring pro bono luncheon,
PILF awarded a record 25 summer grants to
law students who had committed to working
in public interest positions during the
summer. First-time recipients received
$4,500, and students in the second year of
service received $5,500. Both grants were up
$500 from last year. PILF also awarded its
Sydney and Audrey Irmas Fellowship to
Bernardo Merino ’01; the $37,500 fellowship
is enabling Mr. Merino to work for a year
at the Immigrant Legal Resource Center in
San Francisco.
Roger Coggan ’74 was named PILF’s 2001
Outstanding Graduate for his commitment to
public interest work and his 12 years of
service as director of legal services at the Los
Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center. Among his
many accomplishments: creation of an
immigration law project, which has provided
legal services to thousands of clients from
more than 100 countries. Mr. Coggan also
developed gay and lesbian sensitivity training
courses for Immigration and Naturalization
Service officials.
The Los Angeles County Bar Association
(LACBA) honored students who dedicated
more than 30 hours to public interest work.
Six students were recognized for volunteering
more than 50 hours. “There are wonderful
opportunities out there to do good for
people, to give back to the community,”
Rex Heinke, LACBA president, told students.
“I’m delighted to see so many of you
committed to doing that.”
Top: Professor Mary Dudziak, left, students Casey Johnson
and Corrie Lyle, and Professor Charles Whitebread spur
bidding during the 2001 PILF auction. Among the evening’s
highlights: Mr. Johnson appeared on stage in four different
evening gowns during the live auction. Bottom left: Students
cheer winners at PILF’s silent auction. Right: Roger Coggan
’74 accepts PILF’s 2001 Outstanding Graduate Award
during the annual pro bono luncheon.
of 2001 was one of the most diverse ever to attend the Law School. Forty-two percent of
graduates identified themselves as ethnic minorities. The class was approximately 16 percent Asian,
14 percent Hispanic and 12 percent African American.
USC LAW fall 2001
17
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Factor Foundation grant boosts
Family Violence Clinic
Top: Professor Erwin Chemerinksy congratulates Jody
Leibman, a member of the 2000-01 Moot Court board.
Below: The 2001 Hale Moot Court finalists, left to right, Tyler
Barnett, Jennifer Wayne, Jessica Kaplan and David Levine,
with U.S. Circuit Court judges Carlos Lucero, Stephanie
Seymour and Raymond Fisher.
The Max Factor Family Foundation has
awarded a three-year $100,000 grant to
USC’s new Family Violence Clinic. The gift
will support the clinic’s myriad services to
violence victims, says Stacey R. Turner, clinical teaching fellow and director of the clinic.
The Factor foundation has historically
supported health care initiatives with its charitable giving, and programs that work to
prevent violence are a priority. This gift is not
the foundation’s first to the Law School; it also
provided seed funding for the Law School’s
Review of Law and Women’s Studies.
“This is our second substantial gift to allow
students and faculty to examine and
contribute to the solution of challenges raised
by gender discrimination and domestic
violence,” said Max Factor, III, one of the
foundation’s three trustees. “I’m a full-time
neutral, specializing in mediation of business,
employment and real estate disputes. In that
capacity, I’ve seen the value of improving
communication and facilitating discussion to
ease tension and empower people to make
decisions for themselves. I believe that’s what
this clinic does — it provides information
and resources to empower victims of domestic
violence to make decisions for themselves.”
facts & figures
The Class of 2004
Number of students . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .210
Median G.P.A. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.55
Median LSAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .164
Women . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106
Men . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104
African American . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Latino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Asian American . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Middle Eastern, Armenian, East Indian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Graduates of schools outside California . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91
18
USC LAW fall 2001
The foundation’s gift will greatly enhance
the clinic’s efforts to serve clients. “These
funds allow us to take clients who have
nowhere else to go,” says Ms. Turner. “We are
dealing with several clients who, due to their
immigration status and the fact that they
are not on welfare, do not qualify for legal
assistance from other agencies.”
Developed by the Law School in partnership with USC’s Keck School of Medicine
and the USC School of Social Work, the
Family Violence Clinic provides legal services and a range of social and medical
resources to victims of domestic violence,
elder abuse and neglect. (For clinic news, see
story on Page 42.)
Moot Court finalists debate
Fifth, Eighth Amendment rights
Can a defendant’s pre-arrest, pre-Miranda
silence in the face of police questioning be
used against him in court? Does a sentence
of chemical castration for a convicted rapist
constitute cruel and unusual punishment?
Moot Court finalists Jessica Kaplan ’02,
David Levine ’02, Jennifer Wayne ’02 and
Tyler Barnett ’02 argued both sides of these
issues during the 53rd annual Hale Moot
Court competition at USC, the culmination
of the yearlong moot court honors program.
The final hypothetical case involved a rapist’s
appeal of his conviction. He claimed that the
state violated his Fifth Amendment right
to avoid self-incrimination by using his
pre-arrest, pre-Miranda silence as evidence
during his trial. He also claimed that his
sentence to medroxyprogesterone acetate
(MPA) treatment, or chemical castration,
violated the Eighth Amendment protection
against cruel and unusual punishment.
A panel of three judges — Stephanie K.
Seymour of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals in Tulsa, Raymond C. Fisher of the
9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in
Pasadena, and Carlos Lucero of the 10th U.S.
Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver — gave
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top honors to Jessica Kaplan. Jennifer Wayne
was runner-up.
Grad boosts scholarship fund
Thomas L. Roquemore ’53 has contributed
another $100,000 to the scholarship endowment he established last year to honor his late
wife, Dolores M. Roquemore. The Thomas L.
and Dolores M. Roquemore Scholarship
Endowment Fund provides financial assistance to USC law students who earned
undergraduate degrees at the University of
Southern California.
Mr. Roquemore created the scholarship to
express his appreciation to USC for the significant role it has played in his life. He says he
has enjoyed seeing the Law School and the
university become nationally prominent.
“There have been many beneficial changes
and advancements made from the time I
attended USC after World War II to the
present time,” says Mr. Roquemore, whose
fond memories of USC include a car-chasing
stray dog adopted by students in the late ’40s.
The mongrel, nicknamed George Tirebiter,
was the school’s honorary mascot for several
years before he met an untimely death on the
street in front of the old Law School building.
Mr. Roquemore earned his bachelor’s
degree in accounting from USC’s School
of Business Administration in 1951 after
serving as a pilot in the U.S. Marine Corps
during World War II. He completed an LL.B.
at the Law School in 1953 and, in 1954,
founded a civil and business law practice in
Los Angeles. Mr. and Mrs. Roquemore were
married more than 55 years; she passed away
in 1999.
Street Law schools teens in legal ed
High school students from around Los
Angeles got a sneak peek at college life and the
Law School this spring, thanks to Street Law,
a law student organization that works with
area high schools to improve teens’ understanding of the law and legal education.
More than 100 students from Dorsey
High School and Woodrow Wilson High
School visited the Law School during two
day-long events. They sat in on mock trials,
learned how to apply to college, checked out
USC’s campus and the Law School building,
heard from professors and lunched with
mentor law students. Nearly 50 law students
helped with the events. Doughnuts were
donated by Krispy Kreme, and Lexis-Nexis
supplied folders and pens for participants.
A chapter of Street Law, a national organization that promotes practical law education
for high school students, first launched at
USC in 1992, but its activities lapsed in 1998.
This year, with help from associate deans Bill
Hoye and Karen Lash, several first-, secondand third-year law students joined forces to
revive the organization.
“I identify with the group of kids we were
serving — low-income, first-generation
college-bound kids who are motivated — and
I thought if I’d had a law student of color
talking to me about education it would have
really gotten me excited about the possibilities,” said Pablo Palomino ’02, one of the
students behind Street Law’s revival. “For me,
Street Law facilitates a sense of pride in this
institution because it makes itself available to
these kids.”
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During one of Street Law’s mentor days, USC students
spent a lunch hour with teens from Woodrow Wilson High
School, discussing college life, law school and the value of
education.
Law School events online
Need something to do? The Law School has a
lot going on, and now it’s all listed online. The
school’s new online events calendar offers a
complete listing of Law School community,
student, faculty and alumni events. Accessible
from the “Quick Links” menu on the Law
School’s home page (www.law.usc.edu), the
searchable calendar lists everything from
faculty workshops and continuing legal
education institutes to class reunions and
student organization meetings.
USC LAW fall 2001
19
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La Raza honors legal pioneer
Top: Norma Garcia ’02, 2000-01 La Raza president, and
Genoveva Meza ’02, vice president, share a laugh with Judge
Albert Armendariz ’50, recipient of La Raza’s Lifetime
Achievement Award. Bottom, left to right: new Law School
staffers Jennifer Murray and Erika Schreiber.
When Judge Albert Armendariz ’50 came to
the USC Law School in 1947 to earn a law
degree, he was the only Hispanic student in
his class. When he returned in March to
accept the La Raza Lifetime Achievement
Award, he spoke to a classroom full of Latino
law students.
“I am extremely proud to have the chance
to address something I never thought I’d see,”
Judge Armendariz said with awe as he gazed
upon members of USC’s La Raza Law
Student Association and representatives from
Los Angeles’s Hispanic legal community.
A retired Texas Court of Appeals judge,
Judge Armendariz was the earliest Hispanic
graduate of the USC Law School to be named
to the bench. He was the 1954 president of
the League of United Latin-American
Citizens and co-founder of the MexicanAmerican Legal Defense and Education
Fund. In 1954, he helped argue a pivotal case,
Hernandez v. the State of Texas, which
recognized Hispanic Americans as a distinct
class entitled to equal protection under
the 14th Amendment.
“We were very successful,” he told students.
“You are the proof.”
He also reminded students that working
with people of all ethnicities and races is
imperative to the cause of civil and human
rights.
“If we do not learn how to get along with
each other, this nation will fall,” he said. “We
have no business turning a deaf ear when
someone says something [derogatory] about
blacks or Asians, because tomorrow they will
say it about you. In everything we do in life,
remember that we are all Americans.”
Students getting more career help
Beginning this fall, all first-year law
students will be meeting with career counselors during their first year of school to create
individual career planning strategies.
Administrators in the Law School’s career
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USC LAW fall 2001
services office hope this required career planning meeting will encourage students to take
maximum advantage of resources provided by
the Law School. Eden Kusmiersky, director of
career services, says the meetings are designed
to ease student worries over the sometimes
overwhelming job search process.
“It can take quite a lot of initiative to come
into the career services office, especially if you
are swamped with classes, are scared of
working, or feel like your interests are divergent from your classmates,” she says. “We are
hoping that students will feel reassured
to have a private place to speak with
someone who can, without judgment,
help them navigate their three years to
best position them for their career goals.”
Anonymous grad funds scholarships
An anonymous graduate of the Law School
has established four scholarships to support
minority students at the USC Law School.
The scholarships will provide full tuition for
three years to academically qualified minority
students. The first scholarships will be
awarded this fall.
New staffers in career services, library
Two new faces joined the career services and
law library staffs this fall. Erika Schreiber is the
new associate director for counseling in career
services, and Jennifer Murray is a new research
librarian in the library’s reference department.
Ms. Schreiber will provide career counseling for law students and alumni. She’ll also
assist in planning career workshops and
programs such as the Alumni Mock Interview
Program. She is a 1998 graduate of the UCLA
School of Law and holds a bachelor’s degree
in psychology from Saint Olaf College.
She was most recently a labor and employment associate with Greenberg Glusker Fields
Claman Machtinger & Kinsella, where
she advised employers on compliance
with federal and state employment laws,
including those governing hiring, discipline,
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termination, benefits, leaves of absence and
wage payment.
Ms. Murray provides research and reference services to law students, faculty, staff and
the public. She also teaches legal research
programs and assists in developing the
library’s international collection. She received
her bachelor’s degree in political science from
Arizona State University in 1994, her juris
doctorate from ASU in 1998 and her master’s
in library science from the University of
Arizona in May. She was previously an intern
at the ASU College of Law Library and a
senior library assistant at the University of
Arizona’s law library. After graduating from
law school, she practiced law in the areas of
domestic relations and employment law.
IP student award honors L.A. attorney
Friends and colleagues of the late Roger
Sherman, a Los Angeles entertainment
attorney and senior partner at the Beverly
Hills law firm of Mitchell, Silberberg &
Knupp, have established an annual academic
scholarship in memory of his contributions to
the legal profession and the community.
The Roger Sherman Memorial Prize in
Intellectual Property at the University of
Southern California Law School will be
awarded to a student who demonstrates
outstanding academic promise and dedication
in intellectual property coursework. The first
$1,000 prize will be awarded this year.
“We’re honored that Roger’s distinguished
career is being recognized and celebrated
through the establishment of a memorial fund
that will encourage and honor academic
excellence in an increasingly important field
of law,” said Dean Matthew L. Spitzer.
During his 40-year career as an entertainment attorney, Mr. Sherman represented and
advised companies and individuals in all areas
of the entertainment industry — including
actors, writers, producers, directors, distributors
and financiers — and was a highly regarded
expert in independent film financing, physical
BRIEFS
production and the worldwide distribution of
theatrical motion pictures. He was a graduate
of Yale University and Yale Law School.
A friend and philanthropist turns 90
Faculty, family and friends gathered in the
Carolyn and Carl Franklin Faculty Lounge
in February to celebrate Professor Emeritus
Carl Franklin’s 90th birthday and his nearly
50 years of service to the USC Law School.
A beloved educator and administrator
who has helped guide the Law School and the
university through a half-century of change
and growth, Professor Franklin has served as a
professor at the Law School as well as vice
president of finance, vice president of legal
affairs and vice president of the university. He
is now vice president and professor emeritus,
keeping regular hours in his third-floor office
at the Law School. He and his late wife,
Carolyn, have been among the Law School’s
most generous donors and supporters.
“Carl, we — the entire USC Law School
family — want you to know that we are
delighted to celebrate your 90th birthday, and
that we are honored to have been the object of
48 of your years of hard work and dedication,” said Dean Matthew L. Spitzer during
the Feb. 28 celebration. “We are very impressed
and perhaps just a bit envious of both your
personal and professional accomplishments,
your charm, your sweet disposition and, of
course, your wonderful head of hair.”
In addition to compliments from the dean
and a lavish birthday cake, Professor Franklin
received an official proclamation from the
Los Angeles City Council. The proclamation
honored his “lifetime of service and commitment” and extended the council’s gratitude to
him and his wife, Carolyn, “for their enduring
legacy of love, generosity and loyalty that has
touched the lives of all who are associated with
the University of Southern California and will
continue to do so for generations to come.”
Professor Emeritus Carl Franklin celebrated his 90th
birthday at the Law School with help from Dean Matt Spitzer
and Vice Provost Marty Levine, as well as numerous family
and friends.
dicta
“
Regardless of your future choices, don’t ever take
your knowledge for granted; don’t forget your
privilege; don’t lose sight of your power as a
human being and as a lawyer. Most of all, don’t
ever forget those who have less privilege.
”
— ROGER COGGAN ’74
AT PILF’S PRO BONO LUNCHEON, WHERE HE ACCEPTED
PILF’S 2001 OUTSTANDING GRADUATE AWARD
USC LAW fall 2001
21
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STUDENTS
Preponderance of preeminence
A
The Law School’s 2001 student awards ceremony was, as always, a welcome spring break from classes and routine. The
annual picnic and ceremony were held in Crocker Plaza. As students awaited the names of award winners, photographer
Barbara Grover captured some of the excitement of the moment. This year’s Shattuck Award recipients, left to right: Alvin
Lee, Anita Famili, Carol Silberberg, Stephen Marquardt, Lori Tribbett-Williams and Seth Levy.
22
USC LAW fall 2001
lvin Lee ’01 was among those students
whose service to others was exceptionally generous. A mentor and leader during his
tenure at USC Law School, he was known for
saying “Hi” to everyone he knew — and at
USC, that included pretty much everyone.
As 1999-2000 president of the Asian
Pacific American Law Students Association,
Mr. Lee created opportunities for APALSA
students to serve their community as well as to
get to know their fellow classmates better and
to excel in their law school classes. “He
supported, nurtured and did whatever he
could to help APALSA students,” said one
nominator. He also volunteered with the
Law School’s admissions office, serving as a
contact and guide for prospective AsianAmerican students and assisting in general
recruiting efforts. A nominator credited
Mr. Lee with “setting an example to fellow
classmates of how to be a balanced, wellrounded person who knows how to work
hard, play hard and be an overall positive
contributor to the Law School.”
Anita Famili ’01 also set a positive
example for her classmates: She came to USC
Law School to find ways to protect the civil
rights of Middle Eastern Americans and other
ethnic minorities in America; by her second
year here, she was well on her way.
As co-founder of USC’s Middle Eastern
South Asian Law Association (MESALA),
Ms. Famili helped provide what Dean
Matthew L. Spitzer called “an important
forum for exploration and discussion of issues
of race, gender and ethnicity” that broadened
awareness of the discrimination that many
Middle Eastern and South Asian Americans
face. The organization is one of few such
student groups in the nation; already it boasts
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STUDENTS
As usual, the 2001 Shattuck Aw a rd recipients give USC a good name. Named for and funded by Edward S. and
Eleanor J. Shattuck, the awards honor the cre a m - o f - t h e - c rop — six students voted by their peers and professors as most likely
to succeed, thanks to hard work, persistence and dedication to the Law School, the profession and community service.
more than 50 members. Ms. Famili didn’t
limit herself, though; she also volunteered
with numerous student organizations and
served on not one but two law journal staffs:
the Southern California Law Review and the
Southern California Review of Law and
Women’s Studies.
Like Ms. Famili, Carol Silberberg ’01
matched excellence in academic pursuits with
vigorous service to others. As a first-year SBA
representative and second-year class president,
she raised the bar for service: She compiled
and distributed a list of students’ names,
contact information and birthdays and helped
create an electronic discussion group for her
class. She stuffed student mailboxes not only
with notes about important dates, but also
with holiday treats and finals-week surprises.
“I have never received such a high level of
service from a member of student government,” said one classmate.
A staff member of the Southern California
Law Review and a member of the Public
Interest Law Foundation, Ms. Silberberg also
went beyond the call of duty as a Lawyering
Skills Program instructor. She taught with
the skill and patience of a veteran teacher
— she holds a master’s degree in education
and taught for five years before coming
to USC — and also offered advice and
encouragement to fellow instructors. “Carol
will be an outstanding member of the legal
community,” said a classmate. “We are lucky
to have her.”
The Law School also is lucky to have had
Steve Marquardt ’01 within its ranks. He is
perhaps one of the most involved students
ever to grace the school’s hallways. Among his
commitments: president of the Student Bar
Association and PILF, member of the Post-
Conviction Justice Project and Criminal Law
Society, volunteer with the Barrister’s
Domestic Violence Project and the Barrister’s
Homelessness Prevention Project, Street Law
mentor and USC presidential fellow.
He also volunteered with PILF, participated in Law School legal clinics and worked
for the Inner-City Law Center, where he
helped file class-action suits against slumlords.
His public interest work allowed him to
continue a tradition of community service
that began in full before he came to USC,
when he spent two years living, teaching and
working in Central America. Classmates,
professors, staff and administrators praised
Mr. Marquardt for his talent, skill and
dedication to others. “He is not only an
inspiration and guide to other law school
students,” said one nominator, “but also a
leader and giver in the purest sense.”
Lori Tribbett-Williams ’01 was a giver
as well. In fact, to hear her friends tell it,
this “incredible woman” is a saint. “An
extremely encouraging person to know,” said
one classmate. “A steady personality that
stands out among the crowd of ambitious but
stressed-out law students,” said another.
Resourceful, kind, supportive. The list goes on.
By the time Ms. Tribbett-Williams came
to USC, she’d already had a 10-year career as
a legal secretary, during which she earned a
bachelor’s degree, got married and had a baby.
At USC, even as she split her time between
studies and mothering a toddler, she served as
executive and development editor of the
Southern California Review of Law and
Women’s Studies, secretary of the Black Law
Student Association, coordinator of a speaker
series that tackled subjects such as “Women in
Prison,” initiated a black history celebration
and established a newsletter and mentor
program for incoming African-American
students. But her optimism is what drew
people to her: “She’s a very happy person,”
said one nominator, “and a joy to be around.”
Seth Levy ’01 also kept an impossibly
busy schedule, albeit a frequently off-campus
one. After completing a regular internship
with the legal services department of the
Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center during
his second year, Mr. Levy put down roots,
broadening his efforts by volunteering with
not only the legal clinic but also the center’s
myriad legal service programs. Altogether, he
logged more than 400 hours of service during
his second and third years.
He also laid the groundwork for a
continued partnership between the Gay and
Lesbian Center and the Law School, by
recruiting and training eight USC law
students to continue his work in the center’s
legal clinic. “No job is too small or too big
for him,” said the center’s director of legal
services. “He has his heart in helping people.
His efforts have made a real difference in
the lives of the people who come through
our doors.”
2001
STUDENT
AWARDS
In a 1965 letter to Law School Dean Orrin Evans, Mr. Shattuck said his awards should recognize “students who appear to have
the greatest potential in the legal profession.” Noting his own inability to get the highest grades, he designed the awards to honor
the student who works “like the dickens” and makes contributions beyond the classroom.
USC LAW fall 2001
23
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Awards honor excellence
in the courtroom, classroom and community
Left to right: Winner of the Mason Brown Trial Advocacy Award, Ryan Williams, with Laurie Brown, wife of the late Mason
Brown, and her daughter Alison Brown; Cynthia Sandoval, winner of the Miller-Johnson Equal Justice Prize; and JoLynn
Edmiston and Noel Ragsdale, recipients of the SBA staff and faculty awards, respectively.
A natural advocate
In his application to USC Law School, Ryan
Williams ’01 wrote of his commitment to
justice, the law and his desire to be a prosecuting attorney. He stuck with that
commitment through law school, impressing
faculty and peers with his skill and dedication
to trial work in his trial advocacy class and the
Post-Conviction Justice Project.
As the 2001 recipient of the Mason Brown
Trial Advocacy Award, Mr. Williams was
honored for his strong commitment to public
interest endeavors and his aptitude for trial
work. The award was established by the
Arnold & Porter Foundation in honor
of the late Mason C. Brown ’70, an
accomplished trial attorney who was
interested in promoting the careers of
promising young trial attorneys.
Mr. Williams indeed has a promising
career ahead. “He is a natural advocate,” said
a nominator. “Working with Ryan has been
a pleasure and a privilege.” Professors point to
a closing argument he delivered at a federal
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USC LAW fall 2001
evidentiary hearing on behalf of a PCJP client
as an example of his ability to take command
of a courtroom. “He handles himself like a
veteran,” said a professor. “It was one of the
best closing arguments ever.” (See story on
Page 43.)
The judge on the case must have agreed.
After grilling Mr. Williams with wellanswered questions, the judge made it a point
to state on the record that Mr. Williams’ client
had received “outstanding” representation.
Dedicated to service, justice
For Cynthia Sandoval ’01, it was a simple
lunchtime lecture that sparked her commitment to civil and social justice.
During her first year at the Law School,
she heard Veronica B. Hahni ’94, attorney for
the HIV and AIDS Legal Services Alliance,
speak about volunteer opportunities. The
lecture launched a two-year stint with the
organization, where Ms. Sandoval volunteered countless hours preparing documents,
interviewing clients and providing testamen-
tary planning services to victims of HIV and
AIDS. She met with clients at hospices,
convalescent homes and private residences all
over Los Angeles County — whenever and
wherever clients needed assistance.
Her efforts were recognized with the 2001
Loren Miller-Earl Johnson, Jr., Equal Justice
Prize, an award created by Justice Johnson,
a former USC law professor, to honor the
third-year student who shows the greatest
commitment to social justice.
Ms. Sandoval’s supervisor at the Alliance
pointed to one incident that demonstrated
her dedication to the job. Ms. Sandoval often
used her Spanish language skills to translate
documents for Spanish-speaking clients.
Once, unsure of her translations, she faxed a
stack of documents to her mother in Chicago
for proofreading. Ms. Hahni praised Ms.
Sandoval’s skill, flexibility, dependability and
“significant efforts on behalf of so many of our
clients.” She added, “I will sorely miss
Cynthia as she moves on to Paul, Hastings in
the fall — but hope that she will continue to
shine as one of our pro bono attorneys!”
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STUDENTS
2001
STUDENT
AWARDS
The dean’s secret to success
Well-rounded and committed
Students, faculty and administrators use
words such as “professionalism personified,”
“utterly invaluable” and “a model of hard
work” to describe JoLynn Edmiston. The
Law School community has long known that
Ms. Edmiston is a driving force behind the
school’s success, and the Student Bar
Association recognized her efforts with the
2001 SBA Outstanding Staff Award.
Ms. Edmiston joined the Law School in
1978 as an administrative assistant to thenprofessor Scott Bice. When Professor Bice
became dean in 1980, he asked Ms. Edmiston
to make the move with him. As assistant to
the dean, she quickly became an indispensable
asset to the entire Law School. Twenty
years later, she began work under the
new dean, Matthew L. Spitzer, and her skill,
dedication and experience — as well as
frequent late nights at her desk — ensured a
smooth transition.
Stephen Marquardt, president of the
Student Bar Association, noted that Ms.
Edmiston’s dedication to students was particularly evident this year when she organized
events that allowed every student in the Law
School to meet and converse with Dean
Spitzer during the first year of his tenure.
“The Law School community has felt the
rewards of JoLynn’s commitment and hard
work for over 20 years,” Mr. Marquardt said.
Few law school professors can claim a career
history as eclectic as that of the recipient of the
2001 SBA Outstanding Faculty Award: After
graduating from Harvard University,
Professor Noel Ragsdale worked in London
operating a crafts store, worked as a journalist,
attended law school at the University of
California, Berkeley, clerked for a judge and
spent five years with the Los Angeles law firm
of Munger, Tolls and Olson.
But when she came to USC in 1983, her
commitments were clear: For nearly 20 years,
Professor Ragsdale has dedicated herself to
public interest work and to providing handson learning opportunities for law students.
She has worked closely with students as a
professor of trial advocacy, served as a supervising attorney in the Post-Conviction Justice
Project and heads the Employer Legal Advice
Clinic, currently the only clinic in the country
that gives students the opportunity to represent small community-based nonprofit
organizations. She also serves as USC’s faculty
representative to the National Collegiate
Athletics Association, supervising USC’s
compliance office and investigating and
reporting all NCAA violations to the PAC 10
Conference and NCAA members of the
PAC 10 Council.
SBA president Steve Marquardt ’01 recognized Professor Ragsdale’s commitment to
clinical education and thanked her for using
“her position to not only influence the
students who sit before her in the classroom
but also to enrich the lives of countless individuals in the Los Angeles community.”
other awards
Sydney and Audrey Irmas
PILF Fellow
Bernardo Merino ’01
Trope & Trope / Harriet Buhai
Family Law Student Fellow
Hazel Kim ’02
Adam Freeman Scott
Memorial Grant
Fernando Gaytan ’02
2001 NAPIL Fellow
Linda Hoos ’01
Sidley, Austin, Brown & Wood
Public Interest Law Fellows
Olivia Kim ’03
Michael Smith ’03
Sidley, Austin, Brown & Wood
Family Violence Clinical Fellows
Sheiva Taban ’03
Catherine Popham Durant ’03
Sidley, Austin, Brown & Wood
Immigration Clinical Fellows
Rooha Asifuddin ’02
Brian Recor ’02
2000-01 Post-Conviction
Justice Project Supervisors
Maria Hall ’03
Jeremy Mittman ’03
Kara Oien ’03
Julie Paluch ’03
Sean Sullivan ’03
PILF Outstanding Student Award
Linda Hoos ’01
USC LAW fall 2001
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Jennifer H. Arlen
Jody D. Armour
Vicki L. Brown
Jennifer Arlen, Ivadelle and Theodore Johnson
Professor of Law and Business and director
of the Center in Law, Economics and
Organization (CLEO), is visiting at Yale Law
School during the 2001-02 academic year.
Earlier this year, she taught business law and
economics as a visiting professor at the
California Institute of Technology. In June,
Professor Arlen organized the 2001
Conference on Behavioral Law, Economics
and Organization with CLEO’s other directors, Bentley MacLeod and Eric Talley (see
story on Page 41). The conference was cosponsored by the Sloan Foundation, Caltech
and CLEO. She also conducted a continuing
legal education Webcast, “Fiduciary Duties of
Controlling Shareholders,” sponsored by the
National Practice Institute. Professor Arlen
presented “Torts and Authority: An
Economic Analysis of Medical Malpractice
Liability” at the American Law and
Economics Association annual meeting, the
California Institute of Technology and the
USC Marshall School of Business. She
conducted an all-day continuing legal education presentation on “Corporate Governance:
Responsibility and Liability of Officers and
Directors” for the National Practice Institute
and the Washington Bar Association in
Seattle. In March, she commented on a paper
by John Coates and Guhan Subramanian,
“Do Takeover Defenses Matter? Evidence on
Bid Outcomes and Bid Incidence from the
1990s M&A Marketplace,” at the Vanderbilt
Law and Business Symposium. Professor
Arlen also presented “Endowment Effects
Within Corporate Agency Relationships,”
co-written by Dean Matthew L. Spitzer and
Professor Talley, at the University of Michigan
Law School. She continued her service as
editor of the Journal on Empirical and
Experimental Studies, an electronic publication
of the Legal Scholarship Network.
Jody Armour, professor of law, conducted a
series of lectures at major universities across
Poland at the request of the U.S. Department
of State and the American Embassy in Poland
(see story on next page). His lectures included
“The Civil Rights Movement and Race
Relations in the Last Decade of the 20th
Century,” “Race, Hip-Hop Culture, and the
Law,” “Stereotypes, Prejudice and Political
Correctness” and “Hidden Bias in Criminal
Justice.” At a Western State Law School
symposium on racial profiling, Professor
Armour spoke with Kadiatou Diallo, the
mother of a 23-year-old African student
mistakenly killed by four New York City
police officers, and Milton Grimes, who
represented Rodney King in his civil rights
suit against the city of Los Angeles. He
moderated a panel discussion at USC, “HipHop 101,” featuring recording artists and
industry executives. Professor Armour also
delivered the keynote address at the Equal
Justice Colloquium hosted by UCLA School
of Law and Pepperdine University School of
Law. He discussed his recent research at a
faculty colloquium at Emory Law School and
presented a lecture to Emory law students on
maintaining a commitment to social justice.
His article, “Interpretive Construction,
Systemic Consistency, and Critical Norms in
Tort Law,” was published in the symposium
issue of the Vanderbilt Law Review.
Vicki Brown, assistant dean, was a panelist at
an academic leadership development workshop for tenure-track assistant professors and
their department chairs. The workshop was
sponsored by USC’s provost and the
Academic Senate.
USC LAW fall 2001
Left to Right:
Jennifer Arlen
Jody Armour
Scott Bice
Vicki Brown
Lee Campbell
>
Scott H. Bice
Scott Bice, Robert C. Packard Professor of
Law, returns to the Law School this fall after a
yearlong sabbatical. He delivered a paper at
a July conference on law school curriculum in
the 21st century at the University of
Minnesota. In June, Professor Bice was elected
treasurer of the Chancery Club, a Los Angeles
organization of lawyers.
Lee W. Campbell
Lee Campbell, clinical professor of law, was
appointed to the civil subcommittee of the
Judicial Council Task Force on Jury
Instructions by California Supreme Court
Chief Justice Ron George. The task force
is drafting new civil and criminal jury
instructions that are intended to be more
understandable to jurors.
Alexander M. Capron
Alexander Capron, Henry W. Bruce Professor
of Law and University Professor of Law and
Medicine, testified before Congress in June on
two bills aimed at preventing the cloning of
human beings. On behalf of the National
Bioethics Advisory Commission, he conveyed
a recommendation that a three-to-five year
moratorium be placed on reproductive
cloning. One of the nation’s foremost
biomedical ethicists, Professor Capron also
offered testimony in a personal capacity,
urging that a provision in a congressional bill
placing a permanent ban on research cloning
— the practice of cloning embryos for basic
research and to develop medical treatments —
be changed to a moratorium. Professor
Capron also testified on the impact of human
genome research on worldwide health before
the World Health Organization’s advisory
committee on health research and cooperation, which met in Geneva in June. Earlier
this year, Professor Capron published an
editorial, “Brain Death: Well Settled Yet Still
Unresolved,” in the New England Journal of
Medicine. He also spoke on “Research Ethics”
at the Northridge Hospital Medical Center
and on “End of Life Issues” at a medical staff
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education session at City of Angels Medical
Center and at the Annenberg Center at
Eisenhower Medical Center. His editorial
commentary,
“Reexamining
Organ
Transplantation,” appeared in the Jan. 17
Journal of the American Medical Association.
His chapter on “Genetic Discrimination in
Insurance: Is It Ever Ethically Acceptable?”
was published in Biomedical Research Ethics:
Updating International Guidelines. His 1997
article on the Supreme Court’s assisted suicide
decisions, “Death and the Court,” was
reprinted in Perspectives: Death and Dying, and
his 1998 article “Punishing Mothers” was
reprinted in the ninth edition of Taking Sides,
Clashing Views on Controversial Bioethical
Issues. Professor Capron lectured on the
ethical and legal implications of human
embryonic stem cell research in a USC undergraduate biology course in April and on the
ethical, social and legal issues surrounding
family studies in a graduate class at USC’s
Keck School of Medicine.
Erwin Chemerinsky
Erwin Chemerinsky, Sydney M. Irmas
Professor of Public Interest Law, Legal Ethics
and Political Science, received the Clarence
Darrow Award from the People’s College of
Law. The award honors public interest
pioneers; previous recipients include Nelson
Mandela, the late civil rights attorney Joseph
Posner, and 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
Judge Stephen Reinhardt. Professor
Chemerinsky was profiled in a March 6 Los
Angeles Times article, “He Trains Legal
Eaglets.” Noting that Professor Chemerinsky
is a nationally known legal expert as well as a
key figure in Los Angeles civic affairs, the
article traced Professor Chemerinsky’s
personal and professional life and included
words of praise from colleagues, city officials
and academics from around the state.
Professor Chemerinsky’s new casebook,
Constitutional Law, was published by Aspen
Law and Business in April. He also published
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Professor offers lessons on diversity to students in Poland
When the American embassy in Poland invited Professor Jody Armour to speak to Polish students
about racism in America, the U.S. State Department was hesitant. “The State Department told
the embassy that race relations is a passé subject in America in light of Colin Powell’s appointment as Secretary of State,” Professor Armour says.
When he visited Poland for two weeks last spring, Professor
Armour’s experiences confirmed that the subject of race relations is extremely relevant not only in America, but in Poland
as well. As the former East Bloc country begins to question
traditions of ethnic and gender discrimination, academic
leaders there are hoping to gain insight into the dynamics of
diversity by studying America’s struggles with race. To help,
Professor Armour spoke to university students in Warsaw,
Gdansk, Kraków and Lublin on subjects such as the civil rights
movement, the current status of American race relations and
political correctness.
His ideas touched a nerve: “[Professor] Armour managed to
explode certain myths and stereotypes and shed new light onto
the seemingly familiar issues,” said a State Department report. Professor Armour’s tour of Eastern Europe
brought home the widespread effects of
“The students did not simply sit through the lectures. They American racism.
knew that what they had heard … had to do with their images
of themselves and others, their own identities and their very perceptions of the world. The enthusiastic response … clearly prove[s] that there exists a genuine need in Polish society [and] academia
to discuss issues of racial and ethnic diversity.”
Professor Armour noted striking similarities in the dual nature of race relations in America
and Poland. He visited the concentration camp at Auschwitz and was impressed by the country’s
effort to confront its tragic history. But later, he passed by a Kraków store full of toys and caricatures
portraying stereotypical images of Jews — caricatures that echoed America’s “Sambo” characterizations of African-Americans. In Poland, as in America, discrimination and stereotypes persist despite
broader acceptance of the ideals of equality and tolerance.
Professor Armour also was struck by the popularity of American hip-hop culture among young
Polish people. He encouraged students to be wary of the “gold chains and fancy cars” stereotypes
often perpetuated by hip-hop culture.
“The trip enriched my understanding of the global nature of problems of discrimination, bias
and social justice,” said Professor Armour. “It also drove home to me how important it is that we
take responsibility for the images and messages that our cultural institutions generate. We are establishing stereotypes in the minds of not just American citizens, but also the world’s citizens.”
— Ryan Ito
“Against Sovereign Immunity” in the Stanford
Law Review; “Bush v. Gore Was Not
Justiciable” in the Notre Dame Law Review;
and “The Expressive Interest of Associations,”
with Loyola law professor Catherine Fisk, in
the William and Mary Bill of Rights Journal. In
May, Professor Chemerinsky argued Andrade
v. California in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals, focusing on whether a sentence of 50
years in prison is cruel and unusual punishment for the crime of stealing $150 worth of
videotapes. He published several op-eds:
Left to Right:
Alexander Capron
Erwin Chemerinsky
USC LAW fall 2001
27
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“O’er the Ramparts We Watched,” in
California Lawyer; “The Self-Inflicting
Wound,” in California Bar Journal; “Mayor’s
Power Play Sets Back LAPD Reform,” “For
Answers on Rampart We Have to Ask
Questions,” and “Disabled Feel the Sting of
an Arbitrary Court” in the Los Angeles Times;
“Senators Should Fight for Middle Ground
and Block Ashcroft,” in the Los Angeles Times,
reprinted in the Houston Chronicle and the
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; and “When Does
State Sovereign Immunity Protect Cities and
Counties?” in the Los Angeles Daily Journal.
Professor Chemerinsky spoke on sovereign
immunity and civil rights claims at the
Defense Research Institute conference on civil
rights in San Diego; on conservative judicial
activism and the Rehnquist court at Texas
Southern University’s Thurgood Marshall
School of Law; on recent developments in
constitutional law to the Nevada Judicial
Conference, the Federal Bar Association in
Madison, Wis., the 1st Circuit Judicial
Conference, and federal district court judges
in Washington, D.C.; on “Policing the Police”
at an American Bar Association appellate
judges seminar in Phoenix; on recent developments in civil rights law at Georgetown
University Law Center and Chicago-Kent
College of Law; on the Constitution and the
2000 election at the San Diego Bar
Association; on federalism and spending
power at a Chapman Law School symposium;
on federalism decisions at the AntiDefamation League in New York City; on
recent Supreme Court decisions at the
National Practice Institute at the University of
Minnesota Law School and at the Tennessee
Judicial Conference; on federalism and individual rights at Wayne State Law School; on
impediments to police reform at a conference
on women and policing; and on privacy and
the First Amendment at the ABA
Communications Forum. He also spoke to
judges from Alaska, Virginia and the 6th
U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Professor
Chemerinsky presented “Why the Supreme
Court is Wrong About the Establishment
Clause” at a conference on law and religion
at Loyola University Chicago School of Law;
“Sovereign Immunity Should Be Abolished”
at Stanford Law School; and “Against
Sovereign Immunity” at the University of
North Carolina and the University of Florida.
Geoffrey Cowan
Geoffrey Cowan, professor of communication
and law and dean of the USC Annenberg
School for Communication, is a principal
investigator for three major Annenberg
projects: a grant on campaign-finance disclosure funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts; the
Pew Hispanic Center; and the Ford
Foundation-funded Institute for Justice and
Journalism. He moderated a three-day Aspen
Institute conference on media pluralism in
Santiago, Chile, and a videoconference of the
Council on Foreign Relations with participants in New York City and Los Angeles.
He also moderated a panel with Dr. Art Ulene
and Todd Purdham on health communication. He gave the keynote speech at a New
Democratic Network luncheon; was a host
and judge in interviews for White House
Fellowships; was appointed to a bipartisan
commission on Internet political practices by
Gov. Gray Davis; and is a founding member
of the Vera Institute for Justice’s Police
Assessment Resource Center board.
David B. Cruz
David Cruz, associate professor of law, spoke
on “Civil Unions: Expressively Inferior or
‘Separate But Equal’?” at a panel on
“Vermont: Status Now and Where We Are
Going” at an American Bar Association
meeting in San Diego. He presented “On
‘Nature’ Worship: Disestablishing the
Religion of Gender” at the seventh annual
LatCrit Conference in Gainesville, Fla., and
he discussed “Transcending Boundaries: The
Constitution, Families, Federalization and
Left to Right:
Geoffrey Cowan
David Cruz
Mary Dudziak
28
USC LAW fall 2001
>
Federalism” on a panel at the annual
American Association of Law Schools conference in San Francisco. In addition, Professor
Cruz spoke on “Marriage as Property” as an
invited panelist at a symposium on same-sex
marriages, domestic partnerships and civil
unions at Capital University Law School in
Columbus, Ohio. He published “ ‘Just Don’t
Call it Marriage’: The First Amendment and
Marriage as an Expressive Resource” in the
May Southern California Law Review.
Mary L. Dudziak
Mary Dudziak, professor of law and history,
has received numerous accolades for her
recent book, Cold War Civil Rights: Race and
the Image of American Democracy. The book
was named a finalist for the Robert F.
Kennedy Book Award, which honors books
that reflect “Robert Kennedy’s purposes, his
concern for the poor and the powerless, his
struggle for honest and evenhanded justice,
his conviction that a decent society must
assure all young people a fair chance, and his
faith that a free democracy can act to remedy
disparities of power and opportunity.” Cold
War Civil Rights was favorably reviewed by the
Washington Times, which said the book was
“exceptionally well done,” and by the
American Political Science Association’s electronic magazine Law and Politics Review.
Harvard Law Review called the book “a
nuanced, scholarly appraisal of the relationship between foreign policy and the civil
rights story,” and Academia: An Online
Magazine and Resource for Academic Libraries
listed it as a “University Press Bestseller.” The
January 2001 edition of The American Lawyer
called Cold War Civil Rights a groundbreaking
book about the complex relationship between
America’s domestic fight for civil rights and
the international fight against communism
during the Cold War. Professor Dudziak
spoke about Cold War Civil Rights at the
Institute for Governmental Studies at the
University of California, Berkeley; the
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Crossroads High School “Festival of Reading”
in Santa Monica; the University of California,
San Diego; Barnes and Noble in West Los
Angeles; Midnight Special Books in Santa
Monica; and Borders Books and Music in
Washington, D.C. In March, Professor
Dudziak spoke on two panels at the annual
meeting of the Western Political Science
Association. During the first panel, “Author
Meets Readers: Mary Dudziak’s Cold War
Civil Rights,” Professor Dudziak responded to
political scientists’ questions and comments
about her book. She also was a panelist
discussing the 2000 presidential election.
Professor Dudziak’s book was the subject
of a presentation offered by University of
Virginia law professors Michael Klarman and
Curtis Bradley, with a response from Professor
Dudziak, during the University of Virginia
Law School’s Program in Legal and
Constitutional History; Professor Dudziak
also presented “The Constitution as Cold
War Propaganda” at another University of
Virginia Law School workshop. In addition,
she presented “Birmingham, Addis Ababa and
the Image of America: International Influence
on U.S. Civil Rights Reform During the
Kennedy Years” at a faculty workshop at the
USC Center of International Studies. She
participated in a Cold War conference at the
University of California, Santa Barbara, where
she chaired a panel on “New Perspectives on
the Cultural Cold War” and commented on a
paper, “The American Team: U.S. Athletic
Goodwill Tours, 1954-1968,” by Damion
Thomas. She was a panelist discussing “The
La Pietra Report” on the internationalization
of the study of American history at a meeting
of the Organization of American Historians in
Los Angeles. She served as commentator on
a panel on “Law and Professionalism as an
Instrument for Social Mobility in 20thCentury America” at the annual meeting of
the Law and Society Association in Budapest.
In June, Professor Dudziak published the
op-ed “Could Allen Iverson Help Us All Get
Along?” in the Los Angeles Times and “U.S., as
Global Leader, Must Drop Death-Penalty
Practice” in the Los Angeles Daily Journal.
Susan Estrich
Susan Estrich, Robert Kingsley Professor of
Law and Political Science, discussed her
recent book, Sex and Power, on CSPAN’s
“Book Notes,” at a joint meeting of Women
in Film and Women in Technology in Beverly
Hills, and at the Los Angeles Times Book
Festival. The book was listed on the Los
Angeles Times bestseller list in March.
Professor Estrich was the keynote speaker at
the American Association of University
Women convention in Costa Mesa, Calif.
She published an op-ed in USA Today,
“Wooed by a Washington Wolf,” blasting
U.S. Congressman Gary Condit for his slow
response to speculation over his involvement
with Chandra Levy, a USC social work
student who disappeared this spring while
completing an internship in Washington,
D.C. Professor Estrich’s op-ed, “Chaleff Firing
Sends a Message to Parks,” was published in
the Los Angeles Times, and her column, “Girls,
Interrupted: More Women Partners? It’s Up
to Us to Fight,” appeared in the premiere issue
of JD Jungle magazine. She discussed the 2000
election at Claremont McKenna College, the
Organization of American Historians, and
a conference sponsored by the Jesse M. Unruh
Institute of Politics. She was one of three
plenary speakers at the Law School Admission
Council’s annual meeting and educational
conference, where she discussed women
and the legal profession, and she spoke
at the Dallas Women’s Museum, the
92nd Street Y in New York City, and at a
conference on economic development in
Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
Darin K. Fox
Darin Fox was named associate dean,
assuming a more supervisory role in information services as well as additional teaching
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FACULTY
responsibilities in the first-year legal research
course. Dean Fox is serving his third year as
chair of the Southern California Association
of Law Libraries’ information technology
committee. He is also serving his second year
as Webmaster for the American Association of
Law Libraries’ section on computer services.
Niels W. Frenzen
Niels Frenzen, clinical assistant professor of
law, discussed defending clients in immigration proceedings that involve terrorism or
national security allegations at the American
Immigration Lawyers Association’s annual
regional meeting in Los Angeles in April and
at the annual conference in Boston in June.
An op-ed, “INS Must Stop Using Secret
Evidence,” which originally appeared in a
December 2000 Los Angeles Times, was
reprinted in a supplement to the March issue
of the Washington Report on Middle East
Affairs. The article addresses the Immigration
and Naturalization Service’s use of secret
evidence in deportation cases against noncitizens. Professor Frenzen wrote another op-ed,
“Funneling Immigrants To Their Deaths,”
criticizing U.S. Border Patrol practices and
suggesting these practices have increased the
number of deaths at the border. The article
appeared in the Los Angeles Times in May and
was reprinted in the Houston Chronicle and
the Tucson Citizen.
Ronald R. Garet
Ronald Garet, Carolyn Craig Franklin
Professor of Law and Religion, presented
“The Biblical and Constitutional Traditions”
at the Reform congregation Ohr HaTorah
and at a Loma Linda University study group.
He also spoke on “Our Ancient Faith: The
Bible and the Constitution” at a Park LaBrea
Residents Association meeting. He also spoke
about legal education to Dorsey High School
students visiting the Law School through the
Street Law program.
Left to Right:
Susan Estrich
Darin Fox
Niels Frenzen
Ronald Garet
USC LAW fall 2001
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Ariela J. Gross
Ariela Gross, professor of law and history,
received tenure and was promoted to full
professor of law with a courtesy appointment
to USC’s history department. Professor Gross
presented a paper, “Beyond Black and White:
Cultural Approaches to Race and Slavery,” at
a University of Virginia Law School faculty
workshop. “Beyond Black and White” was
published in the Columbia Law Review, Vol.
101 (2001). She participated on a “Law and
Stratification” panel at the Law, Culture and
Humanities Meeting at the University of
Texas, where she also presented “Trials as
Narrative and Performance” as part of a panel
on law and performance, which she chaired.
She presented “Choosing Up Sides: Are You a
Lawyer or Are You a Historian?” at a conference on law and literature at the University of
California, Irvine, and “Birth of a Racial
Nation” at the Tel Aviv University Legal
History Workshop. Professor Gross’s essay,
“The Law and the Culture of Slavery:
Natchez, Mississippi,” was published in Local
Matters: Race, Crime and Justice in the
Nineteenth Century South. Professor Gross
serves on the the steering committee for
USC’s Center for Law, History and Culture.
Carrie L. Hempel
Carrie Hempel, clinical professor of law,
discussed clinical education in the United
States with faculty and students at three
universities in Yugoslavia as part of the
American Bar Association’s Central and
Eastern European Law Initiative (see story on
next page). Professor Hempel also spoke at a
weeklong conference on clinical legal education at the University of Marmara in Istanbul,
Turkey, and she participated on a panel
discussing innovative clinical programs at the
Equal Justice Colloquium hosted by UCLA
School of Law and Pepperdine University
School of Law. An article in the summer issue
of The College, the newsletter of USC’s
College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, high-
30
USC LAW fall 2001
Left to Right:
Ariela Gross
Carrie Hempel
William Hoye
Gregory Keating
Daniel Klerman
>
lighted Professor Hempel’s work in the PostConviction Justice Project. Professor Hempel,
who earned her B.A. from the college in 1981,
discussed her passion for justice and her
efforts on behalf of incarcerated women.
William J. Hoye
William Hoye was named associate dean and
dean of admissions, assuming direct responsibility for enrollment services. He also has been
appointed chair of the Association of
American Law School’s section on pre-legal
education and admission to law school.
He served as chair of the Law School
Admission Council’s annual meeting and
educational conference, which attracts deans,
faculty and admissions officers from all of the
nation’s accredited law schools. Dean Hoye
organized and planned all of the sessions in
the conference.
Gregory C. Keating
Gregory Keating, professor of law, presented
“Beyond Cost-Justified Precaution” at a
Northwestern Law School faculty workshop
in April and at a conference on negligence and
the law sponsored by the Cegla Institute at Tel
Aviv University in June. He presented a USC
faculty workshop on “Irreparable Injury
and Fair Precaution” in March. His paper,
“The Theory of Enterprise Liability and
Common Law Strict Liability” appeared
in the Vanderbilt Law Review in April.
The paper was published as part of a
symposium, “Restatement Third of Torts:
General Principles.”
Daniel M. Klerman
Daniel Klerman, professor of law and history,
received tenure and was promoted to full
professor of law with a courtesy appointment
in USC’s history department. He received the
Selden Society’s David Yale Prize for distinguished contribution to the history of the laws
and legal institutions of England and Wales.
Professor Klerman taught a course in intellec-
tual property and high technology at the
Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) in Herzliya,
Israel, and gave four workshops in Israel,
including presentations on “Female Private
Prosecutors in 13th-Century England” at the
Hebrew University Law School faculty workshop and “Economic Analysis and Legal
History: Settlement and the Selection of Cases
for Litigation in 13th-Century England” at
law and economics workshops at Tel Aviv and
Hebrew universities. His article, “Settlement
and the Decline of Private Prosecution in
13th-Century England,” was the lead article
in the February Law and History Review.
Professor Klerman presented “Economic
Analysis and Legal History: The Selection of
13th-Century Criminal Disputes for
Litigation” at Yale Law School’s law,
economics and organization workshop in
January. He also presented “Jurisdictional
Competition and the Evolution of the
Common Law” at a faculty workshop at
George Mason Law School and “The
Selection of 13th-Century Criminal Disputes
for Litigation: An Economic Analysis” at the
opening plenary session of the 15th British
Legal History Conference in Aberystwyth,
Wales, and at the Medieval Academy of
America/Medieval Academy of the Pacific
joint meeting in Tempe, Ariz. He presented
“Statistical and Economic Methods in Legal
History” at a symposium on empirical and
experimental methods in law at the University
of Illinois College of Law. In April, Professor
Klerman presented “Legal and Technological
Protection of Digital Intellectual Property:
A Symbiotic Relationship” at a USC engineering department retreat in Santa Monica.
Karen A. Lash
Karen Lash, associate dean, was named
co-chair of the California Access to Justice
Commission along with California
appellate Justice Earl Johnson, Jr. The
commission seeks ways to improve the
delivery of legal services to moderate-income
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and poor Californians and is made up of
judges, lawyers, political appointees and representatives of California’s religious, labor and
education communities. Dean Lash also was
named to the U.S. District Court Magistrate
Judges Merit Selection Panel, which recommended candidates for five open magistrate
positions in the Central California District. In
March, Dean Lash delivered two talks as a
panelist at the annual American Bar
Association/National Legal Aid and Defender
Association Equal Justice Conference in San
Diego, where she discussed the role law
schools can play as access-to-justice partners.
George Lefcoe
George Lefcoe, Florine and Ervin Yoder
Professor of Real Estate Law, moderated a
panel on “The Role of Mediation, Arbitration
and Ombudsmen in the Land-Use Arena” at
the University of Denver’s Rocky Mountain
Land-Use Institute. Other panelists included
the Honorable Michael M. Zimmerman,
former chief justice of the Utah Supreme
Court, and Alex S. LaBeau, government
affairs director for the Idaho Association of
Realtors. He also coordinated the USC
Traveling Land-Use Seminar in Europe (see
story on Page 32).
Martin L. Levine
Martin Levine, university vice provost for
faculty and minority affairs and UPS
Foundation Chair of Law and Gerontology,
spoke at the annual meeting of the National
Association of College and University
Attorneys on faculty retirement policies.
FACULTY
Law — and hope — take hold in Yugoslavia
Emerging from the shadow of Slobodan Milosevic, Yugoslavia is embracing the rule of law as a path
toward democracy and freedom. But preparing future lawyers to sustain this new social structure
is proving difficult for the nation’s law schools, which have few resources and little precedent for
strong legal education.
To help, the American Bar Association’s Central and Eastern European Law Initiative (CEELI)
sent Clinical Law Professor Carrie Hempel to three
Yugoslavian universities to explore possibilities for
establishing clinical education programs. At the
universities of Belgrade, Nis and Novi Sad,
Professor Hempel met with students and professors
to discuss the concept of clinical education and
gauge interest in establishing programs that would
enable students to learn by working side-by-side
with practicing lawyers.
Clinical programs, internships and volunteer
work are standard fare in American law schools, but
Professor Hempel, far left, worked with several Yugoslav in Yugoslavia, learning-by-doing is a foreign
professors and attorneys to assess clinical education
concept. “The idea of clinical education is new in
opportunities in Yugoslavia’s law schools.
two ways,” explains Professor Hempel. “It introduces a very different kind of teaching, which relies heavily upon interaction between teachers
and students, and it introduces the practical application of the law in legal education. Now, there are
no courses in which students actually work with real clients or learn professional skills. Even the question and answer sessions I conducted were very unusual. Most classes there are taught by lecture, with
no questions and very little interaction.”
Professor Hempel said students were especially receptive to the idea of clinical education, but
Yugoslavia’s depressed economy presents a stumbling block. “Law schools just don’t have the
resources to start clinical programs on their own, nor do they have the resources to assign professors to courses with just eight or 10 students,” she said, noting that some courses have as many as
1,000 students. Still, she sees opportunities: CEELI could help schools seek funding from external
sources and develop partnerships with legal organizations to provide opportunities for students
without burdening professors.
Although challenges loom, Professor Hempel says student enthusiasm is a good start. “The sense
of hope and interest in creating a democratic government and a just legal system was palpable,”
Professor Hempel says. “There is a great sense that they have made it through a terrible time, and
they are striving to become a country where the rule of law is internalized. And after all, the movement to oust Milosevic started on Yugoslavia’s campuses.”
Thomas D. Lyon
Thomas Lyon, professor of law, was awarded
a Haynes Faculty Fellowship for his proposal,
“Refining a Structured Interview for
Questioning Young Children About Sexual
Abuse.” His paper, “Reducing Maltreated
Children’s Reluctance to Answer Hypothetical
Oath-Taking Competency Questions,” co-
written by Karen J. Saywitz, Debra L. Kaplan
and Joyce S. Dorado, was published in the
February 2001 issue of Law & Human
Behavior. Professor Lyon was named chair of
an American Psychological Association task
force on developmental psychology and the
child witness, which will bring together
<
psychologists and legal professionals to
improve the process for questioning children
during investigations and in court. At the
12th annual Beyond the Bench conference
in Universal City, Calif., Professor Lyon spoke
on “Children and Truth: Recent Research.”
He also spoke at an AALS conference in San
Left to Right:
Karen Lash
George Lefcoe
Martin Levine
Thomas Lyon
USC LAW fall 2001
31
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FACULTY
Seminar studies modern quandaries of historic cities
Visitors to Venice might notice the exorbitant price of a night’s stay or meal within the water city,
but they likely don’t contemplate the troublesome realities of doing business or living in a place
where every morsel of bread and every ounce of trash must be transported by boat.
Such thoughts were top-of-mind for a group of
35 real estate experts who trekked from California to
Italy this summer under the guidance of Professor
George Lefcoe, who coordinates USC’s Traveling
Land-Use Seminar.
The seminar, which studies the variety of land-use
and development problems confronting modern
Europe, grew out of Professor Lefcoe’s own impatience
with common travel. “I’m a terrible tourist,” he says.
“After a few days, I grow restless, wandering aimlessly
through unfamiliar streets and vast museums. I begin
Professor Lefcoe, far left, and members of his archi- to notice features that differ markedly from U.S. cities
tectural seminar discuss architect Jose Plecnik’s
and wonder how to account for the differences.”
legacy in Ljubljana, Slovenia, as they study a 13thcentury monastery that Mr. Plecnik reconstructed in
To get answers, he began arranging expert-led tours
the 1950s.
and discussions with European officials. Fourteen
years later, the seminar is an annual tradition among L.A. real estate experts; recent travelers include
City Councilman Joel Wachs; attorney Davina Kohanzadeh Massey ’00; Professor Scott Bice ’68
and his wife, Barbara; and USC architecture grads Douglas Moreland and Jeff Skorneck.
Participants convened this year in Venice, where city councilmembers and developers hope to
contain a fleeing residential community by attracting new businesses to some of the city’s underused
or vacant historic buildings. Next stop was Trieste, Italy: Once the trade hub for the entire AustroHungarian region, this city on the Adriatic Sea now struggles to find new uses for a massive
collection of abandoned warehouses that comprise the city’s historic port. The seminar concluded
in Ljubljana, Slovenia, where planners are trying to make room for rapid economic growth without
spoiling the magnificent countryside or destroying the scale of this perfectly planned city.
Complicating matters is the dearth of private developers in Slovenia, a country just 10 years removed
from communist rule.
Next year, the seminar visits Italy’s Naples, Capri and the Amalfi coast.
“It’s really about understanding where you’ve been,” says Professor Lefcoe. “For us, that means
locating the experience in a familiar context. Real estate is a frame of reference shared by all the
members of our group. These trips are not for everybody; it’s not a leisurely holiday. But our generous
hosts present some magical moments which lead us to an understanding of the places we visit
that none of us could achieve on our own.”
Francisco on “What Have We Learned About
Children as Victims and Witnesses in the
Criminal Trial Process?” In March, Professor
Lyon spoke to Los Angeles deputy district
attorneys on interviewing children, and he
delivered talks on “Suggestibility of Children”
and “Age-Appropriate Questioning of Children”
32
USC LAW fall 2001
Left to Right:
Bentley MacLeod
Edward McCaffery
Lisa Mead
Elyn Saks
Robert Saltzman
>
at the ninth annual Children’s Justice
Conference in Seattle. He spoke to the
psychology department of the University of
California, Riverside, on “The Effects of
Reassurance or the Oath on Children’s
Honesty: Research With Maltreated
Children” and on “Children and the Truth” at
the Phoebe C. Ellsworth Psychology and
Justice Symposium at Mount St. Mary’s
College. Professor Lyon co-chaired a symposium on “Effectively Interviewing Young
Children,” gave a presentation on “The
Effects of Reassurance and Promising to Tell
the Truth on Young Maltreated Children’s
False Reports of a Minor Transgression,” and
discussed “Understanding Maltreated
Children’s Experiences with Foster Care”
during the Society for Research in Child
Development’s biennial meeting in
Minneapolis. In May, he spoke on “Juvenile
Injustice — What is the Law?” at Youth in
Peril: Covering Abuse, Neglect and Foster
Care, a conference for journalists sponsored
by the Foundation for American
Communications. In June, he spoke on
“Developmentally Appropriate Interviewing
Strategies” at the National Colloquium of the
American Professional Society on the Abuse
of Children in Washington, D.C.
W. Bentley MacLeod
W. Bentley MacLeod, professor of economics
and law, received a National Science
Foundation grant for research he is
conducting with USC Professor Herbert
Dawid on “The Evolution of Bargaining
Conventions.” Professor MacLeod was a
visiting scholar at the Center for Economic
Studies at the University of Munich in June.
He presented “Cognition and the Theory of
Learning by Doing” at the Econometric
Society meeting in New Orleans; the
University of California, Irvine; the American
Law and Economics Association meeting in
Washington, D.C.; the Hans Moeller
Seminar at the University of Munich; and the
Maison des Sciences Economiques in Paris.
He also presented a faculty workshop on
“Torts and Authority: An Economic Analysis
of Medical Malpractice” with Professor Arlen.
He coordinated the Conference on Behavioral
Economics, Organizations and Law 2001
with fellow CLEO directors, Professor Arlen
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and Professor Talley, and presented “On
Optimal Contracting with Subjective
Evaluation” during the conference.
Edward J. McCaffery
Edward McCaffery, Maurice Jones, Jr.,
Professor of Law, delivered the sixth annual
Hugh J. and Frank Tamisiea Lecture, “Death,
Luck and Taxes: Comments on the Estate
Tax and Beyond,” at the University of Iowa
College of Law. Prior presenters include
Justice Antonin Scalia, Cass Sunstein and
Richard Epstein. The lecture was published in
the Iowa Law Review. Professor McCaffery’s
two-part article, “When Will They Ever
Learn?” was posted in the online journal, The
Progress Report. In February, Professor
McCaffery presented a faculty workshop at
the University of Iowa College, “You Get
What You Vote For: Women, Men and Fiscal
Policy,” co-written by Michael Alvarez,
professor of political science at Caltech and
associate director of the USC-Caltech Center
for the Study of Law and Politics, which
Professor McCaffery directs (see story on Page
12). A three-part article on the estate tax
written by Professor McCaffery and Chuck
Collins, co-director of United for a Fair
Economy, appeared in American Prospect
online. Professor McCaffery addressed tax
reform in his keynote speech at a Cato
Institute luncheon seminar, “Perspectives on
Policy 2001.” In April, Professor McCaffery
presented “Thinking about Tax,” a lecture cowritten with University of Pennsylvania
Professor Jon Baron, at Penn’s Decision
Processes Lecture Series. Professor McCaffery
also delivered a guest lecture, “Taxing Genes,”
to a biotech seminar at Loyola Law School.
Lisa M. Mead
Lisa Mead was named associate dean and
dean of students. She will assume responsibility for student affairs, including student
organizations and activities, student travel,
conductproblems,complaints,moral character
certifications, academic counseling, nonacademic counseling, academic support, student
petitions and other miscellaneous services. In
May, she completed her second term as a
member of the National Association for Law
Placement’s board of directors.
FACULTY
Dan Simon
Dan Simon, associate professor of law,
presented “Psychological Insights into Bush v.
Gore: Legal Realism Refined” at a Law and
Society Association meeting in Budapest.
Edwin M. Smith
Elyn R. Saks
Elyn Saks, Orrin B. Evans Professor of Law
and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences,
published a chapter, “Psychoanalysis: Past,
Present and Future Contributions to the
Law,” in The Evolution of Mental Health Law.
She also published an article, “Psychoanalytic
Contributions to Humanizing the Law,” in
the June edition of Clio’s Psyche of the
Psychohistory Forum. She spoke in San
Francisco on capacity and the geriatric psychiatry patient and on capacity to consent and on
mechanical restraints to a Los Angeles chapter
of the Alliance of the Mentally Ill. Professor
Saks spoke on capacity to consent to
treatment to doctors at Verdugo Hills
Hospital and at a conference co-sponsored
by the Office for Human Research
Protections and USC. In June, she presented research on informed consent to
psychoanalytic research to the International
Psychoanalytic Association.
Robert M. Saltzman
Robert Saltzman, associate dean, was named
to a two-year term on the Law School
Admission Council committee on test
development and research. The committee
is reviewing plans for changes in the LSAT,
including development of a computerized
version of the test. Dean Saltzman also
presented and moderated a plenary panel
discussion at the annual conference of the
National Association for Law Placement
(NALP), the association of law schools and
legal employers, in Phoenix. The presentation
focused on the role law schools and legal
employers should play in setting professional
examples for students.
Edwin Smith, Leon Benwell Professor of Law
and International Relations, delivered the
featured speech, “Peace Operations: Responding to Conflict in a New Millennium,”
at the annual meeting of the Southern
California Division of the United Nations
Association of the United States at UCLA’s
Tom Bradley International Hall.
Matthew L. Spitzer
Matthew Spitzer, Dean and Carl M. Franklin
Professor of Law, spoke about law school
fund-raising at the annual AALS conference
in San Francisco. He also spoke about the
future of digital television to the San Diego
Inns of Court.
Nomi M. Stolzenberg
Nomi Stolzenberg, professor of law, was
named co-director of USC’s Center for Law,
History and Culture. She delivered a talk
titled “The Return of the Repressed: Illiberal
Groups” at a symposium on liberals and
illiberalism at the University of San Diego
School of Law. An article based on the
talk will be published in the Journal of
Contemporary Legal Issues.
Christopher D. Stone
Christopher Stone, J. Thomas McCarthy
Trustee Professor of Law, published
“Agriculture and the Environment: Challenges
for the New Millennium” in the Brazilian
Environmental Law Review. The article is based
on the keynote address Professor Stone delivered at the fourth International Conference on
Environmental Law.
<
Left to Right:
Dan Simon
Edwin Smith
Matthew Spitzer
Nomi Stolzenberg
Christopher Stone
USC LAW fall 2001
33
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FACULTY
Eric L. Talley
Mark I. Weinstein
Eric Talley, professor of law, was a visiting
professor of law at Caltech’s Division of
Humanities and Social Sciences during the
spring term, teaching a class in corporate
finance. He presented “Trade Secrets and
Mutual Investments” at a law, economics and
organization workshop at Yale Law School
and at the American Law and Economics
Association conference in May. He also
presented “The Corporate Opportunity
Doctrine and Independent Negotiation
Committees” at the USC Institute for
Corporate Counsel; “Fiduciary Duties and
Industrial Development” at the University of
California, Davis, Dykstra Corporate
Governance Symposium; and “Endowment
Effects, Other Regarding Preferences, and
Corporate Law” at Cornell Law School.
Professor Talley presented “Endowment
Effects and Corporate Agency Relationships,”
co-written by Professor Arlen and Dean
Spitzer, at Vanderbilt Law School’s Joe Davis
Conference on Law and Business in March
and at a University of Cincinnati School of
Law workshop in April. In June, he coordinated the 2001 Conference on Behavioral
Economics, Organizations and the Law with
fellow CLEO directors Professor Arlen and
Professor MacLeod.
Mark Weinstein, associate professor of finance
and business economics and law, presented
seminars at Tel Aviv University and Hebrew
University of Jerusalem on his paper “Limited
Liability in California: 1928-1931.”
Stacey R. Turner
Stacey Turner, Bradway Clinical Teaching
Fellow and supervising attorney, Family
Violence Clinic, testified before the California
Assembly public safety committee regarding
habeas and battered women in prison. She
advocated passage of SB 799, which would
permit battered women convicted of killing
their batterers before 1992 to apply for a new
trial if expert testimony concerning Battered
Women’s Syndrome was not presented at their
trial. In 1992, the state legal code was changed
to allow such testimony in criminal trials.
34
USC LAW fall 2001
Left to Right:
Eric Talley
Stacey Turner
Mark Weinstein
Charles Whitebread
Gillian Hadfield
>
Charles H. Whitebread
Charles Whitebread, George T. and Harriet E.
Pfleger Professor of Law, delivered his lecture
on first-year exam taking techniques to law
students at Minnesota, Hamline and William
Mitchell. The speeches concluded Professor
Whitebread’s tour of 72 law schools this year.
He also delivered a speech on recent Supreme
Court decisions to Ohio prosecutors in
Columbus, to the Criminal Advocacy
Program in Detroit and to Minnesota judges
in Minneapolis. He filed his final report with
the State Justice Institute as an outside evaluator of the University of Virginia’s graduate
program for judges. In April, he spoke to the
Orange County Business Trade Lawyers
Association in Costa Mesa on recent Supreme
Court decisions.
New Faculty
Gillian K. Hadfield
Gillian Hadfield has joined the Law School as
a professor of law. Professor Hadfield will be
on leave during the 2001-02 year as she is
working with the Law and Economics
Consulting Group in Berkeley, but she will
attend several USC workshops throughout
the year. She is a member of the Center in
Law, Economics and Organization and was
an Olin Fellow in Law and Economics for the
spring 2001 semester at the Law School. She
was previously a professor of law at the
University of Toronto. Professor Hadfield is
the former president of the Canadian Law and
Economics Association and a member of the
Institute for Policy Analysis board of advisers.
She earned a Ph.D. in economics from
Stanford University in 1990, a juris doctorate
from Stanford Law School in 1988 and a
bachelor’s degree in economics from Queen’s
University in 1983. Her research interests
include contract theory and law, theories of
conflict and dispute resolution and economics
of legal institutions and organizations. She
recently presented a USC faculty workshop
on the “Allocation of Legal Effort between the
Democratic and the Economic Functions of
the Legal System: Evidence from Ontario.”
Linda R. Cohen
Linda Cohen has joined the Law School as
professor of social science and law. She also
holds an appointment as professor of
economics at the University of California,
Irvine. She holds a doctorate in social sciences
from the California Institute of Technology.
Professor Cohen’s research interests lie in the
intersection of economics, law and political
economy. Her current research focuses on
government policies for research and innovation and on the relationship between the
judicial and legislative branches in formulating administrative policies. Recent
publications include “Intellectual Property,
Antitrust and the New Economy,” with Roger
Noll, in the University of Pittsburgh Law
Review, spring 2001, and “The Government
Litigant Advantage: Implications for the
Law,” with Dean Matthew Spitzer, in the
Florida State University Law Review, 2000.
Professor Cohen is a fellow and member of
the California Council for Science and
Technology and recently served on two
National Research Council committees. She
is also a member of the Advisory Panel for the
Public Interest Energy Research Program for
the California Energy Commission.
Visiting Faculty
Adam Winkler
Adam Winkler is the 2001 Olin Fellow of the
Center in Law, Economics and Organization.
Mr. Winkler completed his juris doctorate,
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with Order of the Coif and Magna Cum
Laude honors, at New York University School
of Law. He also completed a master’s degree
and is a Ph.D. candidate in political science at
the University of California, Los Angeles. His
dissertation focuses on the development of
regulations governing corporate involvement
in the electoral process. Mr. Winkler has
published numerous articles on research that
combines corporate law, constitutional law
and political history. Recent publications
include “A Revolution Too Soon: Woman
Suffragists and the ‘Living Constitution,’ ” in
the New York University Law Review (2000),
and “Voters’ Rights and Parties’ Wrongs:
Political Party Regulation in the State Courts,
1886-1915,” in the Columbia Law Review
(2001). He was a fellow of the Willard J.
Hurst Legal History Institute in June 2001
and a fellow of the Sloan Program for the
Study of Business in Society in June 2000. As
a lecturer at USC, he will teach a seminar on
“Corporations: Public and Private.”
Joint Appointments
The university has renewed joint Law School
appointments for Geoffrey Cowan, professor
of communication and law and dean of the
Annenberg School for Communication; W.
Bentley MacLeod, professor of economics and
law; John Rolph, professor of information and
operations management in the Marshall
School of Business; and Mark Weinstein,
associate professor of finance and business
economics and law. In addition, the following
professors have received joint appointments
with the Law School.
Timur Kuran
Timur Kuran, professor of economics and
King Faisal Professor of Islamic Thought and
Culture, has been teaching at USC since
1982. He received tenure in 1988 and served
as chair of the department of economics from
1994 to 1996. Professor Kuran graduated
FACULTY
from Princeton University in 1977 and
earned master’s and doctoral degrees in
economics from Stanford University. He edits
the book series Economics, Cognition and
Society published by the University of
Michigan Press and is the author of Private
Truths, Public Lies: The Social Consequences
of Preference Falsification.
Kevin J. Murphy
Kevin Murphy, professor of finance and business economics in the Marshall School of
Business, is an international expert in executive compensation and incentives in
organizations. He holds a bachelor’s degree
from the University of California, Los Angeles,
and master’s and doctoral degrees from the
University of Chicago. His research interests
are corporate finance, executive compensation, human resource management and
value-based management. He is the associate
editor of the Journal of Financial Economics,
the Journal of Accounting Economics and the
Journal of Corporate Finance.
Hilary M. Schor
Hilary Schor, professor of English and gender
studies, is the director of the USC Center for
Feminist Research and chair of the College
of Letters, Arts and Science’s gender studies
program. She also has been named co-director
of USC’s Center for Law, History and Culture
(CLHC). Professor Schor is a specialist in
Victorian literature, feminist theory and law
and literature. Professor Schor received her
doctorate from Stanford University and
returned to Stanford in 1994 as a Stanford
Humanities Center Fellow. She is the author
of Dickens and the Daughter of the House:
A Study of Women, Property and Narration
in Dickins’s Fiction, and Scheherezade in
the Marketplace: Elizabeth Gaskell and the
Victorian Novel. She received a 2001-02 John
Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship
for her new book on women, curiosity
and realism.
milestones
Dean Scott Altman and his wife, Laura Fry
’92, welcomed the birth of their second
child, Rachel Marie, on March 30. Their son,
Benjamin, is 6. Professor Dan Klerman and
his wife, Lisa von der Mehden, announced
the birth of their first child, Jerry Joshua, on
May 18. Grace Lester Talley was born Aug.
8 to Professor Eric Talley and his wife, Gillian
Lester. Grace is their first child. Professor
Emeritus Carl Franklin celebrated his 90th
birthday in February (see story on Page 21).
<
Left to Right:
Linda Cohen
Adam Winkler
Timur Kuran
Kevin Murphy
Hilary Schor
USC LAW fall 2001
35
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FACULTY
A sampling of recent news articles and broadcasts
featuring the expertise and insight of
USC Law School professors
USC LAW SCHOOL
In The News
Los Angeles Times (May 13, 2001): In the
first ruling of its kind in California, an appellate court decided that a father’s obligation
to pay child support ends when his parental
rights are terminated. “It is obviously new
in California, but it is an issue that has
been addressed in other states and has had a
similar outcome,” noted Associate Dean
Scott Altman. “It’s not a shocking kind
of decision.”
Los Angeles Times (March 11, 2001): When
the Cypress (Calif.) Police Department began
crafting a plan to study whether its officers
practice racial profiling of motorists, Professor
Jody Armour called it a good first step. “If I’m
an officer and know that someone is keeping
track of me,” he said, “I may be more careful
to avoid racially discriminatory stops.”
Los Angeles Times (Jan. 10, 2001): Professor
Michael Brennan discussed the conviction of
four men found guilty of murdering an
Anaheim woman — even though prosecutors
did not know who pulled the trigger. “Laws
provide authorities with wide leeway to prosecute suspects in gang-related shootings,” said
Professor Brennan. “Especially if they can
prove the suspects were acting as part of a
larger group.”
U.S. News & World Report (July 9, 2001):
As the Food and Drug Administration
cracked down on a religious sect’s efforts to
clone a human baby, Professor Alexander
Capron questioned the FDA’s authority. “The
authority that they’re asserting is something
they’ve never asserted in the fertility field
before,” he said, noting that the FDA is
charged with regulating safety concerns only;
if scientists can prove human cloning safe, the
FDA would not have the legal authority to
stop the process.
Wall Street Journal (April 18, 2001): When
promoters of the film “The Ten
Commandments” installed 6-foot-tall stone
tablets inscribed with the religious laws in
public spaces around the country, Professor
Erwin Chemerinsky provided legal analysis.
“The question is,” said Professor
Chemerinsky, “To a reasonable person, does
this convey a religious message?”
Los Angeles Times (March 22, 2001): In the
heat of the L.A. mayoral primary, Professor
Susan Estrich discussed candidates’ campaign
strategies. “The challenge is to define a reason
the city needs you at a time when it’s not clear
what it does need, or rather who,” said
Professor Estrich. “So what you hear about
is, ‘Who do you like?’ not, ‘Who do
we need?’”
San Francisco Chronicle (March 22, 2001):
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
opened the door to immigrant battered
women and children seeking asylum when it
Los Angeles Times
36
USC LAW fall 2001
prohibited immigration officials from
deporting a Mexican girl who fled her country
and a lifetime of abuse from her father.
Professor Niels Frenzen, one of the girl’s
lawyers, said the ruling sent a strong message
to governments that don’t protect domestic
violence victims. “President [Vicente] Fox [of
Mexico] should be embarrassed by this,” he
said. Noting that treatment of domestic
violence is far from perfect in the United
States, Professor Frenzen was hopeful that the
case might “raise the profile of domestic
violence in Mexico.”
The Salt Lake Tribune (July 23, 2000):
When police confiscated 3,500 hallucinogenic peyote buttons from a medicine man in
the Native American Church (NAC) in
Benjamin, Utah, questions arose over whether
the peyote should be destroyed, returned to
the medicine man or turned over to other
members of the NAC who claimed the medicine man was an imposter. The squabble
highlighted the difficulty police face in interpreting what use of peyote is “religious”
enough to enjoy constitutional protection. “If
originality or purity is the test” of a religion’s
validity, said Professor Ronald Garet, “many
religions will fail. Once a court is asked to
adjudicate … it’s put into a position where it
might run afoul of the First Amendment.”
Minnesota Public Radio, “Marketplace”
(Aug. 22, 2000): A California Supreme Court
San Francisco Chronicle
Wall Street Journal
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decision upholding prenuptial agreements,
even when just one party has a lawyer and the
agreement waives spousal support, raised
concern with Professor Ariela Gross, who saw
the case as part of a dismal national trend.
“What I see is a return to a very formalistic
view of contract law that isn’t so interested in
inquiring into the actual, realistic circumstances of how people enter into contracts and
what their intentions are.”
Los Angeles Times (May 4, 2001): When
police raided the home of an Orange County
businessman who persistently refused to pay
taxes under the claim that the law does not
apply a tax on personal wages, Professor
Thomas Griffith helped set the record
straight. “Businesses clearly have an obligation to withhold taxes,” he said. “If [the
businessman] ends up in court, it’s clear-cut.
He’d lose.” Professor Griffith was interviewed
by Fox News Channel on the same subject.
New York Times (Feb. 22, 2001): As more
and more people seek legal advice and services
online, the legal profession is facing a fundamental change, noted Professor Gillian
Hadfield. “The source of value and market
power is the difference between what lawyers
know and what consumers know,” she said.
“Anything that makes consumers feel that
they know more will reduce the demand for
legal services.”
Ha’aretz (Aug. 30, 2000): Professor Ehud
Kamar contemplated reasons for a rash of
recent Israeli business registrations in
Delaware. “If the question is either Delaware
or another state in the U.S., I suppose
Delaware has the advantage, especially if a
company is about to go public,” he told
Israel’s most prominent newspaper. “One
thing is certain — American investors, who
are very familiar with the laws of Delaware,
see registration there as more advantageous
than the registration of a company in Israel.”
Chicago Tribune (April 21, 2001): The Wind
Done Gone, a parody of Gone With the Wind,
drew national attention when a federal judge
barred its publication, saying the book constituted unabated piracy of the original text.
“The Supreme Court allows for parodies
which make fun of original works and
advance the culture,” Professor Dan Klerman
explained. “But the court said there must be a
very factual inquiry. You have to ask, ‘Did the
parody take too much of the original?’” An
appeals court didn’t think so, and the ban was
lifted in May.
Los Angeles Times (July 16, 2001): In
blocking a developer’s plan to gate the
entrance of a luxury residential development,
county officials said they were protecting the
rights of people who used the private road to
access hiking trails. Although state law awards
“prescriptive rights” to people who use a property for several years without the owner’s
consent, Professor George Lefcoe said the
county can’t prevent private owners from
restricting access to a private road simply
because the county wants the road to remain
open. “The county is way exceeding its jurisdiction,” he said. “What they are doing is
purporting to recognize a nonexistent claim.
It’s a claim nobody has asserted. For them to
suggest they have an obligation to honor these
rights is absurd.”
LA Weekly (Jan. 22, 2001): A board game
designed to encourage children to reveal incidents of molestation and sexual abuse could
foster false memories and damage a child’s
credibility in court, according to Professor
Thomas Lyon. “It is easy to imagine that a
family-court judge would look very skeptically on allegations if it was found out that the
child was playing the game,” he said. “It
creates this appearance of suggestion.”
New York Times (July 16, 2000): It’s no coincidence that the push to abolish the estate tax
FACULTY
came at a time when wealthy people are
playing a larger-than-ever role in political
campaigns, said Professor Edward McCaffery.
The mere threat of a repeal of the tax is good
for both Republicans and Democrats because
“it keeps the campaign contributions coming
in,” he noted. “You don’t need a lot of people
who care about this issue, because the people
who care about it have a lot of money.”
Associated Press (April 17, 2001): Convicted
at age 16 of killing two people in a 1979 San
Diego school shooting, Brenda Spencer lost
her parole bid this spring but offered new
insight into her case during the parole
hearing. For the first time, Ms. Spencer linked
her violent behavior to abuse she suffered at
home. “In all of these school shootings, we
collectively ask, ‘What could have caused our
children to behave this way?” said Professor
Denise Meyer, who, with students from
USC’s Post Conviction Justice Project, represented Ms. Spencer at the hearing. “She told
us why — a terrifyingly abusive home life.”
Christian Science Monitor (April 16, 2001):
Professor Noel Ragsdale explained that while
the law offers some protection for employees,
employers have a lot of leeway in firing
people. “If you’re an at-will [employee], the
question is not whether the employer had a
good reason, it’s whether they had an illegal
reason,” she said. “The reason can be that
you’re Aries, and the manager doesn’t like
Aries. It might be a crazy reason — but it
won’t be because of being Asian or female.”
ABC’s “Good Morning America” (Jan. 11,
2001): Six-year-old Molly Nash, born with
a rare form of anemia, received a life-saving
blood transplant last fall from her infant
brother, Adam — a child conceived in a test
tube by Molly’s parents in an effort to save
their daughter’s life. “It looks like they were
using the child as a medicine cabinet,”
Professor Michael Shapiro commented,
Associated Press
N e w Yo r k T i m e s
U.S. News & World Report
USC LAW fall 2001
37
N EWS
FACULTY
though he felt that the effort was acceptable
under the circumstances.
Las Vegas Review-Journal (June 12, 2001):
Professor W. David Slawson commented on
a government investigation into Harrah’s
Entertainment’s pending acquisition of
Harveys Casino Resorts. The Federal Trade
Commission’s job in such a case, Professor
Slawson said, is to determine whether the two
firms operate in the same “product market”
— casino gaming — and the same geographic
market.
Los Angeles Times (Jan. 23, 2001): There’s
a reason for the extensive delays in the effort
to extradite a fugitive Orange County doctor
from Argentina for alleged crimes in connection with the 1994 University of California,
Irvine, fertility clinic scandal, Professor Edwin
Smith explained. “Fraud is complicated to
prove, and prosecutors will have to prove
“
fraud under Argentine law and under U.S.
law,” he said. “What looks like a simple violation of law to us doesn’t look so easy when
asking another country to enforce our laws.”
Los Angeles Times (April 29, 2001): Professor
Christopher Stone questioned the judgment
of environmental groups that are negotiating
away their right to protest in exchange for
concessions with land developers. “You’ve got
organizations — the very purpose of which
is to monitor and speak out — and they agree
not to engage in the very function for which
they have been established and for which they
are being financed by people who make
voluntary contributions,” he said. “It really
sounds bad.”
The Los Angeles Daily Journal (June 12,
2001): In a story about USC’s new Family
Violence Clinic, Clinical Fellow Stacey
Turner described how students are particu-
larly suited to work with domestic violence
victims: “[Students] have so much energy,
they lack cynicism and they really spend time
with a client,” she said. “Students don’t know
their limitations, so they can come up with
more creative options. They teach victims
how to be advocates for themselves.”
Wall Street Journal (April 12, 2001): The
rise in litigation over employee stock options
is not likely to fade with the dot.com age that
helped spark the trend. Said Professor Eric
Talley: “There’s a consensus among legal
academics that this is becoming a really
important part of employment law.” Professor
Talley was also a source for a Sept. 27, 2000,
Journal article on the subject: Disputes over
stock options have opened up the “litigation
floodgates in the last year and a half,” he said.
“The stakes in these disputes are big — big
enough to fight over.”
”
Election Excerpts
If the court really inserts itself into this process, as it seems to be doing,
it could have a long-term
impact in the way the court is perceived and the way the judiciary as a whole is perceived.
Professor Mary Dudziak speculating on the magnitude of the Supreme Court’s involvement
in the 2000 presidential election (Portland Press Herald, Dec. 12).
I’ve been trying for years to get people to realize that when you vote for president, you’re voting for the
Supreme Court. … I think the Supreme Court has done my job for me on this one.
Professor Susan Estrich, discussing whether political partisanship played a part in the Supreme
Court’s election ruling (“The Edge With Paula Zahn,” Dec. 15).
We accept the cases we don’t like because we believe the process overall is a desirable one.
Professor Erwin Chemerinsky in a story about the Supreme Court’s role in the election and
the historical relationship between the public and the court (Los Angeles Times, Dec. 17).
Professor Chemerinsky was the second-most frequently cited law professor by the nation’s
media during the election saga, according to Legal Times.
38
USC LAW fall 2001
N EWS
FACULTY
Workshops Spring and Summer 2001
> Faculty
Jennifer Arlen and Bentley MacLeod
Professors of law, USC
Paul Milgrom*
Gideon Parchomovsky*
“Putting Auction Theory to Work: Ascending
Professor of law, Fordham University
Auctions with Package Bidding”
“Givings”
Uriel Procaccia*
Eric Talley
Visiting professor of law, Columbia University
Professor of law, USC
“An Economic Analysis of Medical Malpractice”
Jennifer Gerarda Brown
Director, Quinnipiac Center of Dispute Resolution
“The Constitution and the Endowment Effect”
“A Defense of Shareholder Favoritism”
Margaret Slade
Andrew J. Wistrich
“Unpacking Unit Cohesion: An Inclusive Command”
Catherine Fisk
Professor of law, Loyola Law School
“Working Knowledge: Ownership of Intellectual
Professor of economics, University of British
Magistrate Judge
Columbia
U.S. District Court for the Central District
“Mergers, Brand Competition, and the Price of a Pint”
of California
Lars Stole
“Judicial Susceptibility to Cognitive Illusions”
Professor of economics, Chicago Business School
Jan Zàbojnìk
Property in the 19th-Century Employment Relation”
Richard Ford
Professor of law, Stanford University
“Monetizing Social Exchange”
Professor of finance and business economics, USC
Joel Watson
“Entry Deterrence vs. Buyout in a Dynamic Model:
Professor of economic theory, UC San Diego
An Investigation of a Merger Mystery”
“A Reluctant Critique of Legal Identity Politics”
Gillian Hadfield
Professor of law, USC
“The Allocation of Legal Effort Between the
“The Law and Economics of Costly Contracting
and Recontracting”
Democratic and the Economic Functions of the
Legal System: Evidence from Ontario”
Simon Wilkie
Assistant professor of economics, Caltech
Greg Keating
Professor of law, USC
“‘Literature,’ the ‘Rights of Man,’ and the Narratives
Professor of history and law, Princeton University
“Man & Wife in America: A History”
Associate professor of economics, Stanford
University
“Bargaining Over Risky Assets”
of Law: Historical Backgrounds to the Culture
of Testimony”
CLEO/Applied Microeconomics
Ian Ayres
Medical Malpractice Liability”
“Torts and Authority: An Economic Analysis of
Professor of law, Yale University
Dan Bernhardt
Professor of economics, University of Illinois
Bankruptcy”
“Analyst Compensation and Forecasts: Theory, Tests,
Bernard Black
and Evidence”
Professor of law, Stanford University
Eric Talley
“Does Corporate Governance Matter? A Crude Test
Professor of law, USC
Using Russian Data”
“Trade Secrets and Mutual Investments”
Merritt Fox*
Professor of law, University of Michigan
“Civil Liability and Mandatory Disclosure”
*extended-stay visitors
Chair of Health Sciences, Cal State Northridge
“Conflicting Roles for Health Professionals Protecting
Michael R. Cousineau
Professor of clinical public administration, USC
“Effectiveness of Independent Health Consumer
Services in a Legal Services Environment”
“Dilution Mechanism for Valuing Corporations in
“White House Review of Agency Rulemaking”
Miriam P. Cotler
Patients’ Rights During Investigations”
Professor of law, USC
Professor of administrative law, UC Berkeley
> Pacific Center
Jennifer Arlen
> Center in Law, Economics and
Organization (CLEO)
Steven Croley
Hendrik Hartog
Endogenous Side Payments”
Muhamet Yildiz
Professor of English, Columbia University
> Center for Law, History and Culture
(CLHC)
“Coasian Transfers: A Study of Games With
“Irreparable Injury and Fair Precaution”
Julie Stone Peters
and Evidence”
Professor of economics, Stanford University
> Center for Communications Law and
Policy (CCLP)
Michael Gerhardt*
Professor of law, College of William & Mary
“Translating Theory into Practice: The Norms of
Constitutional Argumentation”
CLEO Summer Workshop Series
Sandra MacPherson*
Edward McCaffery
Professor of English, University of Chicago
Professor of law, USC
“Sex Accidents On Pornography and
“Is There a Gender Gap in Fiscal Political
Products Liability”
Preferences?”
Christopher S. Yoo*
Kevin Murphy
Assistant professor of law, Vanderbilt University
Professor of finance and economics, USC
“Vertical Restraint Theory as a Basis for
“Discretion in Executive Incentive Contracts Theory
Media Regulation”
USC LAW fall 2001
39
N EWS
CENTERS
USC Pacific Center honors
“America’s Wellness Doctor”
Dr. Arthur Ulene was awarded the 2000
Genesis Award for Ethics in Healthcare
Communication this spring by the co-directors of USC’s Pacific Center for Health Policy
and Ethics, Dr. David Goldstein, chief of
general internal medicine at the Keck School
of Medicine, and Alexander Capron,
University Professor of Law and Medicine.
Known as “America’s Wellness Doctor”
during two decades of regular guest appearances on NBC’s “Today” show, Dr. Ulene was
honored for his creative leadership in using
the media to educate the public about health
issues. A clinical professor at the Keck School
and a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist, Dr. Ulene has produced more than
50 books, videos and audio programs on
nutrition, medicine and wellness during the
past 20 years.
The Pacific Center created the Genesis
Award in 1993 to honor individuals who have
advanced the center’s goals of promoting
education, legislation and interdisciplinary
collaboration in research and teaching about
the ethical and legal aspects of health care and
biomedical research.
Pacific Center conference studies
human subjects protections
Top: Dr. Art Ulene, center, holds his 2000
Genesis Award. He is flanked by Pacific
Center co-directors Dr. David Goldstein
(left) and Professor Alex Capron. Center:
CLEO’s Conference on Behavioral
Economics, Law and Organization drew a
large crowd of scholars. Bottom: Gail
Pesyna, of the Sloan Foundation, and
Charlie Munger listen to a presentation at
the CLEO conference.
40
USC LAW fall 2001
The Pacific Center teamed with USC’s
schools of social work, law and medicine, as
well as state and federal officials, to present
“Informed Consent, Cultural Values and
Regulatory Overview: A Closer Look at
Behavioral Issues in Biomedical and Social
Science Research,” a two-day summer conference that trained medical practitioners on
changing laws protecting human subjects in
medical research.
The conference included speakers from a
range of disciplines and USC departments,
including the Law School. Professor Capron
served on the conference’s planning
committee and introduced a session on
“Ethical, Legal and Social Implications of
Human Genome Resarch.” Law Professor
Thomas Lyon discussed research with children; Professor Elyn Saks presented
“Obtaining Consent from Subjects with
Diminished Capacity” and served on a panel
discussing “How to Collect Data Sensitively
and Ethically.” The conference was designed
to help nurses, physicians, psychologists, sociologists, social workers and other researchers
learn to successfully navigate laws governing
the use of human research subjects and
to better understand ethical issues regarding
such research.
Former White House legal staffers offer
inside view of ‘the real West Wing’
Former deputy White House Counsel
William Marshall and former Counsel to the
Vice President Lisa Brown gave students an
insider’s look at the workings of the White
House during “Life in the Real West Wing:
Media, Law and the White House,” presented
in April by the Center for Communications
Law and Policy.
“The real power of the media is not its
ability to tell the public which way to believe
on a certain issue,” said Mr. Marshall, a
former Clinton administration staffer and
current professor at the University of North
Carolina, Chapel Hill. “It’s the power to set
the agenda. The media will call and ask,
‘What is your position on X, Y and Z?’ Our
job is to make it look like the White House
is on top of things. Everything else gets set
aside. There is a constant battle to not let the
media dictate policy.”
Ms. Brown, who worked at the White
House during President Clinton’s impeachment trial, said her position as counsel to the
vice president often pitted her lawyerly
instincts against demands of timeliness.
“There’s a tension between needing to
respond quickly to the media and doing what
a lawyer would do: slow down and look carefully at what’s going on.” Still, Ms. Brown
N EWS
“
added, despite the distractions of media
demands and the difficulties faced by White
House counsel during the impeachment
process, “most of us just kept doing our jobs.
We believed deeply in what that administration hoped to accomplish.”
and Their Consequences for Regulating
One’s Own and Others’ Behavior”; and
Benjamin E. Hermalin, of the University of
California, Berkeley, who presented “The
Effect of Affect on Economic and Strategic
Decision Making.”
Law and economics conference
draws a diverse, scholarly crowd
Summer workshop series attracts
cross-campus interest
The Center in Law, Economics and
Organization (CLEO) teamed with the
California Institute of Technology in June to
host the first Conference on Behavioral
Economics, Organizations and Law. The
conference drew more than 50 scholars from
around the country. Organized by CLEO’s
directors — Jennifer Arlen and Eric Talley,
professors of law at USC; Colin Camerer,
professor of economics at Caltech; and
Bentley MacLeod, professor of economics and
law at USC — the June conference was sponsored in part by the Alfred P. Sloan
Foundation, which provided a $30,000 grant.
Speakers included Simon Gächter of the
University of St. Gallen, Switzerland, who
presented
“Incentive Contracts and
Voluntary Cooperation”; Professor Camerer,
who presented “An Experimental Approach to
Cultural Conflict”; Professor Talley, who
presented “Endowment Effects Within
Corporate Agency Relationships”; Sendhil
Mullainathan of the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, who presented “Enjoying the
Quiet Life? Managerial Behavior Following
Anti-Takeover
Legislation”;
Donald
Langevoort of Georgetown Law School, who
presented “Monitoring: The Law and
Psychology of Compliance”; Peter Huang of
the University of Pennsylvania Law School,
who presented “Emotions and Securities
Regulation: Beliefs, Fears and Feelings of
Guilt in Securities Investing”; Professor
MacLeod, who presented “On the Economics
of Subjective Evaluation”; George Loewenstein,
of Carnegie Mellon University, who presented
“Incorrect Intuitive Psychological Theories
A new summer workshop series sponsored by
CLEO is providing a unique opportunity for
faculty from across campus to hear interdisciplinary presentations on subjects ranging
from psychology and economics to international relations and law. This summer,
professors from the Marshall School of
Business, the economics department and the
Law School, as well as a federal court judge,
offered presentations on male and female
political preferences, corporate shareholder
favoritism, judicial decision making and
contract incentives for business executives (see
Page 39 for a complete list). USC is one of few
major U.S. law schools to implement a
successful summer academic workshop.
CLEO to post scholarly papers online
CLEO has launched a working-paper series
on the Economics Research Network’s
research institute list.
The economics network is a section of
the Social Science Research Network
(www.ssrn.com), which posts academic
papers online to promote the dissemination
of frontline research in social science fields.
CLEO is among a small number of leading
research institutes that support a workingpaper series on the Economics Research
Network.
The new series enables CLEO-affiliated
scholars, as well as Law School faculty, to share
their research with colleagues around the
world. Submissions for the CLEO series will
be accepted from USC faculty of all disciplines whose research pertains to law and
economics. Professor Bentley MacLeod will
CENTERS
accept and review submissions and manage
the online content of the series. Papers
will also be posted on CLEO’s Web site
(http://lawweb.usc.edu/cleo).
CLEO manages two additional Law School
working-paper series on the Legal Scholarship
Network, another section of SSRN. One series
focuses on law and economics, and the other
focuses on jurisprudence and public policy. All
Law School faculty are invited to submit papers
to these series. Professor Eric Talley manages
submissions.
New research center studies
the law’s place in history and culture
A growing cadre of legal historians and
theorists at the Law School have partnered
with colleagues across campus to create the
Center for Law, History and Culture (CLHC).
The new research center will generate and
support research on law from a historical and
cultural perspective; legal history, law, literature and cultural analysis are among the fields
brought together by CLHC. USC Law
Professor Nomi Stolzenberg is co-director of
the new center, along with Hilary Schor, a
professor of English and gender studies at
USC’s College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.
Professor Schor also holds a joint appointment at the Law School (see Page 35).
CLHC sponsored a workshop at the Law
School last year (see Page 39 for listing), and
it is planning a full slate of activities for this
year. Several Law School faculty serve on
the center’s steering committee, including
professors Mary Dudziak, Ariela Gross and
Daniel Klerman.
The real power of the media is not its ability to tell the public which way to believe on a
certain issue. It’s the power to set the agenda.
”
— WILLIAM MARSHALL, FORMER WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL,
DURING A PRESENTATION SPONSORED BY CCLP
USC LAW fall 2001
41
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CLINICS
Clinical supervising attorneys:
Noel Ragsdale (Employer Legal Advice);
Stacey Turner (Family Violence);
Niels Frenzen (Immigration);
Michael Brennan, Carrie Hempel, Denise Meyer
(Post-Conviction Justice Project);
Lee Campbell (Children’s Issues)
Employer Legal Advice Clinic
continues service to nonprofits
Family Violence Clinic expands
client services, legislative advocacy
As the Employer Legal Advice Clinic shifts its
focus to nonprofit organizations, it is filling
a critical need in the Los Angeles nonprofit
community, according to John Kotick ’72,
executive director of the Center for Health
Care Rights and a recent client of the clinic.
The Center for Health Care Rights
provides educational, outreach, counseling
and research services to people who receive
Medicare benefits. The center employs 25
people and has a staff of 35 volunteers who
offer counseling to Medicare beneficiaries
throughout Los Angeles County.
After joining the agency last year, Mr.
Kotick determined that the center needed an
updated employee manual to ensure compliance with new labor laws. He sought advice
from Matrix, an agency that provides infrastructure development services to nonprofit
organizations in California. Matrix promptly
sent him to Professor Noel Ragsdale and
USC’s Employer Legal Advice Clinic.
Professor Ragsdale and clinical student
Carlos Banuelos ’01 met with Mr. Kotick and
his staff to assess the center’s needs and, after
researching labor laws and rewriting employee
policies, created a “brand new, up-to-date
employee manual” for the center.
“I can’t overstate the difficulty nonprofits
have in maintaining personnel systems,” Mr.
Kotick said. “We don’t have extra funding to
hire outside counsel. To have someone who
is willing to do the research, do the writing,
and produce a manual that is up to date is
really an incredible service. It saved us an
enormous amount of staff time.”
Professor Ragsdale said Matrix has referred
several organizations to the clinic, where
students have been able to provide a wide
range of services, including assistance in
revising employee manuals, drafting job
descriptions and contracts, and developing
appropriate classifications for employees,
contractors and consultants.
The Law School’s new Family Violence clinic
is rapidly expanding its size and scope of services. During the summer, two students —
Sheiva Taban ’03 and Poppy Durant ’03,
recipients of the Sidley, Austin, Brown and
Wood fellowships in family violence —
assisted clinic director Stacey Turner in interviewing, counseling and representing clients,
researching legal issues related to child custody
and visitation, developing educational materials for family law agencies and clients, and
training domestic violence victim advocates
and counselors on pertinent legal issues.
Advocacy is taking a more prominent role
in the clinic’s efforts, Ms. Turner said. The
clinic participated in legislative and policy
meetings at the California Alliance Against
Domestic Violence and the Los Angeles
Domestic Violence Council; Ms. Durant will
attend a California Alliance conference this
fall to report on the clinic’s research and to
assist in developing and drafting proposed
legislation. Students also submitted formal
comments on proposed changes to the rules
of court and legal forms relating to family law
and domestic violence.
From its launch in January to the end of
the summer, the clinic assisted more than 50
clients, providing direct representation to 12
clients and working with the Law School’s
Immigration Clinic to complete two clients’
applications for legal residency status under
the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).
Ms. Turner noted one particularly challenging
case last spring: Rachel Miller ’01 linked a
client to medical and counseling services,
participated in negotiations to have criminal
charges against the client dropped (the charges
were in connection to a false report filed by
the client’s abuser), obtained a restraining
order against the abuser, and assisted the client
in obtaining counsel for filing a VAWA application. Few legal service providers offer such a
breadth of services, said Ms. Turner.
Left to Right:
Noel Ragsdale
Stacey Turner
Niels Frenzen
Michael Brennan
42
USC LAW fall 2001
>
N EWS
Immigration clinic logs first wins,
builds new partnerships
Post-Conviction Justice Project
wins another long-fought battle
USC’s new Immigration Clinic capped its
first academic semester last spring with two
victories in asylum cases. Hazel Kim ’02
helped a Middle-Eastern nuclear physicist
successfully argue that because of his disagreements with his government’s nuclear policies,
his life would be in danger if he returned to
his native country. Pablo Palomino ’02 helped
secure asylum for an activist from Bangladesh
who had been beaten and tortured for his
political activities.
During the summer, Sidley, Austin, Brown
and Wood Fellows Rooha Asifuddin ’03 and
Brian Recor ’03 continued the clinic’s work
with clients from several countries, including
Cambodia, Russia, Kenya, Ethiopia and
Mexico. In addition, they assisted Niels
Frenzen, clinical assistant professor and
director of the Immigration Clinic, in initiating community partnerships to expand the
clinic’s referral base and enhance its ability to
serve immigrants.
Through a partnership with the Coalition
Against Slavery and Trafficking (CAST), the
clinic is beginning to accept referrals and assist
in investigating residency options for immigrants who have been held in involuntary
servitude in the United States. Immigrants
held as material witnesses in cases involving
slavery and human trafficking, for instance,
may be able to regularize their immigration
status under new laws; others may have
grounds to seek political asylum. The clinic
is also working with the Program for Torture
Victims (PTV), which provides medical and
psychological care for victims of torture. PTV
will refer immigrant clients for assistance in
seeking asylum or other relief under immigration laws, said Professor Frenzen.
Post-Conviction Justice Project client Rhonda
Dyas was ordered released from prison this
summer after a judge overturned her murder
case based on evidence that the shackles she
was forced to wear in court prevented her
from receiving a fair trial.
Ms. Dyas was convicted in 1991 of aiding
in a robbery that resulted in a murder
committed by her codefendant. Ms. Dyas was
forced to wear leg shackles during her
Riverside County trial, despite the fact that
she had no prior record of violence and was
not an escape risk, according to Stacey Turner,
a supervising attorney on the case.
“It’s very unusual for a defendant to be
shackled in the courtroom during trial,” said
Professor Denise Meyer, also a supervising
attorney for Ms. Dyas. “Defendants typically
wear street clothes and are guarded by plainclothed police officers. Like wearing a prison
uniform at trial, shackles convey subtle
messages to the jury that the court thinks this
person is dangerous. In a murder trial, that
implies that the accused can’t be trusted and
shouldn’t be presumed innocent.”
Ms. Dyas’s attorney in the murder trial
objected to the shackles, but the judge overruled, believing that the jury probably could
not see them. But, over the course of several
years, PCJP students located and interviewed
jurors who confirmed they had seen Ms. Dyas
in shackles during trial. Students brought that
evidence to an evidentiary hearing in May
2000; Brandy Davis ’01 and Ryan Williams
’01 examined witnesses and delivered opening
and closing arguments, convincing Magistrate
Judge Jeffrey Johnson that Ms. Dyas had been
denied due process and a fair trial.
After complimenting the students on their
“outstanding” representation of Ms. Dyas, the
judge recommended that her conviction be
overturned. U.S. District Court Judge Harry
L. Hupp ordered her release in June 2001, but
that decision was being appealed at press time.
<
CLINICS
Children’s Issues Clinic participant Leslie Howell ’01, second
from right, assisted the Sandoval family (from left, Ralph,
Johnny Perez and Marelina) in finalizing Johnny’s adoption
this spring.
Children’s Issues Clinic
assists with Adoption Day
The Children’s Issues Clinic participated in
Adoption Day this spring, in addition to
continuing work on a range of cases involving
children and caretakers in civil actions.
The clinic participates in two Adoption
Day events each year, helping families finalize
adoptions in a marathon event held at the Los
Angeles Dependency Court. This spring,
students helped finalize 25 adoptions. (See
related story on Page 8.)
The clinic also accepted numerous additional case referrals from Public Counsel, the
public interest branch of the Los Angeles and
Beverly Hills bar associations. The clinic
handled cases involving enforcement of
schools’ obligation to provide special education for children with disabilities and
provided legal services to homeless children in
urban schools. Professor Lee Campbell, supervising attorney for the clinic, has noted a
recent increase in cases involving the enforcement of school discipline rules. She’s also
noticed a decrease in the number of cases
where the clinic is asked to set up provisional
guardianships for children whose parents
suffer from AIDS, likely due to improved
treatments and extended life expectancies for
AIDS victims.
Left to Right:
Carrie Hempel
Denise Meyer
Lee Campbell
USC LAW fall 2001
43
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CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION
Napster, music industry execs debate future of online music
Top: Napster’s Hank Barry discusses the
future of online music. Bottom: Ronald
Johnston, chair of the Computer and
Internet Law Institute, with Lois Scali and
David Nimmer.
Napster and other Internet music providers may have attracted the ire of the music industry
and the courts, but their success with consumers portends big changes in the way music is
promoted and distributed.
At least this is one point upon which a panel of experts could agree during the 2001
Computer and Internet Law Institute, sponsored by USC’s continuing legal education program.
Chaired by Ronald Johnston ’73 of Arnold & Porter, this year’s institute assembled dozens of
computer law and intellectual property rights experts who addressed issues ranging from online
trademarks and privacy to the telecommunications convergence and the new patent landscape.
One panel — including Hank Barry, interim CEO of Napster; Harvey Geller, senior vice president of business and legal affairs at Universal Music Group; I. Fred Koenigsberg of White &
Case; and David Nimmer and Lois Scali of Irell & Manella — focused on the future of
online music.
“When copyright law runs into new technology,” said Mr. Koenigsberg, “unless copyright
adapts itself, it will be run over as if by steamroller.” Mr. Koenigsberg asserted that the industry
must address several issues in response to the growing popularity of online music; simple
licensing for online distribution must take place, he said, and global licensing must be the
ultimate goal.
“Simple licensing is at the core of where we need to go,” agreed Mr. Barry, noting that
existing compulsory distribution rights remove the need for radio stations to negotiate with
individual artists for the right to broadcast music. “The best way for the market to move forward
is compulsory licensing for the Internet, not just for compositions, but for sound recordings
as well.”
Experts advise corporate counselors on coping with the new economy
Technology, government regulation and the changing economy have produced multiple new
challenges for attorneys who advise companies. To help, presentations at the Law School’s 2001
Institute for Corporate Counsel addressed a range of recent developments and emerging trends
in a variety of issues of particular interest to corporate counselors.
Michael Evans of Ernst & Young, Steven Spector of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, and William
Weintrab of Pachulski, Stang, Ziehn, Young & Jones discussed the demise of many new
economy companies and related legal problems. Stephen Smith of Morrison & Foerster and
Molly Boast, senior deputy director of the Federal Trade Commission’s bureau of competition,
discussed legal issues surrounding e-marketplaces, which provide efficient procurement options
for various industries; some experts believe e-marketplaces inhibit competition and raise antitrust issues. Frederick Lorig of Bright & Lorig and Daniel Bishop, senior vice president and
general counsel at UNOVA, discussed the scope of the new business method patent, which
allows businesses to patent processes, such as systems for transacting business or processing data.
Other sessions included “Commerce in Cyberspace,” “The Workplace Newly Shaped by
the Courts and the Legislature,” “Ethics and Character in the Workplace,” “Interested Party
Transactions and Other Corporate Governance Issues,” “Recent SEC Developments,” “Special
Issues Governing the Employment of Technology Workers,” and “A 360-Degree Perspective of
the Employment Litigation Scene.”
This year’s institute was chaired by Henry Fields of Morrison & Foerster.
44
USC LAW fall 2001
N EWS
DISCOVERY
Your (Increasingly) Legal Options
by Professor Eric Talley
Chaotic stock markets inevitably unleash
anxieties over inflation, interest rates, unemployment and productivity. But amid the
most recent commotion lurks another hazard
that has — until recently — gone relatively
unnoticed: employment litigation. Quiescent
for much of the past century, employee
compensation disputes are beginning to claim
precious space on already-swamped judicial
dockets. Leading the charge are literally
dozens of costly lawsuits over the infamous
stock-option plans that firms routinely showered upon employees during the late ’90s. In
light of this ominous trend, the time has come
to reconsider whether the options-compensation game is ultimately worth the candle.
The legal maelstrom surrounding stockoption plans is more than a little ironic:
Indeed, equity compensation is traditionally
considered a means for avoiding litigation,
not inviting it. While employment and corporate law generally discourage the use of
“sticks” (such as termination or fiduciary duty
litigation) to motivate workers, courts are
traditionally a much softer touch when it
comes to using “carrots” (such as stock
options) to achieve similar ends. So what
gives? If options are such clever devices, what
stirred the slumbering jurisprudential giant?
Answering this question requires one to
appreciate a key factor differentiating run-ofthe-mill stocks from options: market
volatility. With ordinary stocks, a volatile
market means greater risk and usually lower
value. Volatility also makes options risky.
However, unlike stocks, options have a critical
feature that can make them more attractive in
the presence of risk: Flexibility. When you
receive a future option to purchase shares (at,
say, today’s prevailing market price), you can
wait to see how well the stock performs before
acting. Should the price rise above current
levels, you can exercise your option and
pocket the difference. Should it fall, you walk
away losing only what you paid up front
(possibly in the form of foregone wages). In
fact, volatility is what makes options valuable,
not only to employees, but also to cashstarved employers who can ill afford
significant salary commitments. Add to this
the widely held belief that options — by
making employees “think like” shareholders
— motivate hard work, and their popularity
is easy to understand.
Nevertheless, options are risky, and they
grow riskier the longer they’re held open.
With employees, this holding period tends
to be particularly lengthy. For starters, many
employee-owned options don’t vest until an
extensive period of time elapses. Once vested,
they frequently have distant exercise dates.
Finally, tax and securities laws (at least in some
cases) conspire to discourage employees from
selling or exercising their options until relatively late in the game. In the interim, the
value of an employee’s compensation package
can swing wildly, evaporating entirely or
multiplying many times over.
And big swings make for large stakes —
large enough to fight over. Add to this the fact
that the lion’s share of stock-option agreements were hastily drafted and adopted, and
you have a recipe for disaster. During the
dramatic market expansion in the late ’90s,
employers often searched for creative ways to
reduce their exposure to employee optionholders through mergers, borrowing or
strategic termination of employees. In a
number of notable cases, employees fought
back in court, alleging bad-faith breach of
contract, discrimination and even fraud. A
significant fraction of the damages these litigants claimed consisted of foregone income
from wrongly withheld options. Such efforts
were buoyed last year by the California
Supreme Court, which, in Guz v. Bechtel,
held that even at-will employees may have
valid breach-of-contract claims against an
employer who terminates them as a mere
pretext for cheating them out of other
contractual rights.
Most of the disputes currently in litigation
are the byproducts of a bullish market, filed
before significant slides took a severe toll on
the value of employees’ options. With fewer
spoils to wrangle over, one might guess the
tide of litigation should now subside. Don’t
bet on it. Already, employees holding worthless options have filed suits against their
employers alleging misrepresentation, securities fraud and broken promises of IPO riches.
And corporate boards are under significant
pressure to “re-price” managerial options,
abrogating the non-renegotiation provisions
found in many agreements and inviting derivative suits by irate shareholders.
In the end, the stock-option revolution has
partially succeeded in eluding traditional
employment law. But in so doing, it has awakened contract, corporate and securities law,
formidable behemoths themselves that won’t
withdraw gently into hibernation. Many, of
course, will continue to insist that equity
compensation is an indispensable component
of the economy. From a legal perspective,
however, it may only add another costly verse
to an all-too-familiar refrain.
ILLU ST RATI ON BY RANDY PALM ER
USC LAW fall 2001
45
F E AT U R E S
N EWS
G R A D UAT E S
’71
’51
’66
’96
’71
’56
46
USC LAW fall 2001
’56
’56
G R A D UAT E S
REUNIONS
The Classes of ’51, ’56,
’66, ’71 and ’96 celebrated
old friendships, fond memories
and renewed connections
during reunions held throughout
Los Angeles this spring.
’66
’96
’71
2001
Class
Reunions 2001
’51
’96
’51
’66
USC LAW fall 2001
47
Options. That’s what a scholarship to USC Law School
has given third-year law student Genoveva Meza.
“When I graduate, I can do public interest or government work.
I can volunteer. I can do what interests me most. Law school hasn’t
been about debt for me. It’s been about law school.”
For Genoveva, law school is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream –
and the extension of a family tradition. Genoveva’s father and
grandfather were lawyers. She was very young when her father
died, but the legacy of his work has stayed with her. “The knowledge he had amazed me. I saw knowledge as the key. With it, I can
do anything.”
Genoveva worked her way through college with the goal of
attending law school. She was accepted at several of the country’s
top law schools, but the scholarship offer she received from USC
made all the difference. When she shared the news with her
mentor, a partner at an L.A. law firm where she worked as an
undergraduate, he congratulated her – and he issued a challenge:
“Promise me you’ll give back.”
And she will. Because someone else made her lifelong dream a
reality. And because “there are so many others out there who
deserve this help. I can’t forget about that.”
Options.
Do something for the future. Give back.
Legion Lex Annual Fund USC Law School Office of Development and Graduate Relations Los Angeles, CA 90089-0071 (213) 740-6143
Give online at www.law.usc.edu/alumni
G R A D UAT E S
ALUMNI NEWS
Golf Tournament sponsors
Donors
Left to right, Irmas Golf Tournament winners Fred Edwards, Ira Burkemper ’94, Mike Tomasulo ’94, Richard Norman ’61
and Hodge Dolle ’61.
Sydney M. Irmas golf tournament celebrates 20 years
This year marked the 20th anniversary of the Sydney M. Irmas USC Law School Golf
Tournament. A crowd of 175 golfers, alumni and friends gathered at the Wilshire Country
Club on April 23 to golf and share stories from past years.
The first golf tournament was held in 1982 at the Riviera Country Club. All of the proceeds
from these tournaments fund Law School scholarships. This year, the tournament raised nearly
$140,000, thanks to the support of golfers, sponsors and proceeds from an auction and raffle.
The day began with a barbecue lunch and a “shotgun start” to the tournament. A cocktail reception and awards banquet were held in the evening. Scores were tallied by Patrick
Collins ’98; winners for “Closest to the Pin” included John Porter for Hole No. 4; Rick Lyon
for Hole No. 7; and Matt Shackelford for Hole No. 13. David Holt won for “Drive for
Accuracy”; Jason Counsil won the “Men’s Longest Drive” and Cynthia Lyons won the
“Women’s Longest Drive”; Sorrell Trope ’49, Linda Trope, Jeff Kylee, Mike Miller and Rob
Irmas won “1st Place Low Net”; and Joe Porter ’71, LeRoy Bobbitt, Raphael Tisdale, Larkin
Arnold and Stephen Barnes won “1st Place Low Gross.”
Next year’s tournament will be held April 22, 2002, at the Wilshire Country Club. Contact
April Gallegos at (213) 740-6143 for details.
— Elina Agnoli
Alumni honor Dean Spitzer with receptions around the country
Alumni around the county welcomed Dean Matthew Spitzer to his new post at the Law School
by sponsoring regional receptions in his honor. Graduates and friends of the Law School hosted
events last spring in New York City, Washington, D.C., San Diego and Santa Barbara.
Alumni in Washington, D.C., gathered at the Congressional Country Club in May to meet
the dean. Norm Barker ’72 and Frederick Ryan ’80 hosted the event. In New York City, John Slusher
’94, Felipe Prestamo ’84 and Sheri Kocen ’78 coordinated a June reception at Nike’s headquarters, where Mr. Slusher works.
Alumni in Santa Barbara held a reception at the Santa Barbara Contemporary Art Museum.
Joseph Nida ’65 sponsored the event. In San Diego, Beth Dunn ’82, Judge Lawrence Irving ’63 and
the William L. Todd, Jr., (’57) Inn of Court hosted a reception in the dean’s honor. Additional receptions are planned for Orange County and San Francisco.
Sorrell Trope (beverage stands and cart, awards)
Charles J. Lyons, Jr. (souvenir putters)
Audrey and Sydney Irmas Charitable
Foundation (dinner)
Richard F. Alden (barbecue lunch)
Stolpman Vineyards (red dinner wine)
Thomas V. Girardi of Girardi & Keese
(souvenir coffee mugs)
William P. Hogoboom (cocktail reception)
Phillip L. Bosl of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
(the putting green)
Lee L. Blackman (hole-in-one)
Seijas Court Reporters (tee gift bags)
Hutchings Court Reporters (t-shirts)
Janney & Janney Attorney Services
(water bottles)
Tee and Green Sponsors
C. Neil Ash
Baker, Keener & Nahra
Phillip L. Bosl
Jonathan M. Brandler
Richard Chernick
Paul Cholodenko
Ralph M. Drummond
Ron Frankel
Thomas V. Girardi
Al Hodges and Associates
William P. Hogoboom (two tees)
Marshall T. Hunt
Janney & Janney Attorney Services (two tees)
Kelly Paper
Malcolm M. Lucas
Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy
Gary C. Ottoson
Arch V. Palmer
Richard G. Reinjohn & Dixon M. Holston
Voorhies & Kramer
Wyman, Isaacs, Blumenthal & Lynne
Silent Auction and Raffle Sponsors
Nick Bozick
Fredrick M. Flam
Sue Waggener and Steve McCracken
Angel Sepriano of Umbertos
USC LAW fall 2001
49
G R A D UAT E S
CLASS NOTES
Class Notes
>
Class of 1950
Travel pre-dominates the responses for this issue.
Outstanding are the adventures of Hon. Robert
Armstrong and Eleanor, especially their June trip
to London. For his delightful account, e-mail him
(March through August) at JudgRWA@
shieling00.demon.co.uk or (October through
January) at RWARMSTRONG@lasc.co.la.ca.us.
C. Neil Ash and June recently returned from
another European trip. Plans include following
Trojan football to Oregon and South Bend this fall
and next year their third USC Law School cruise.
Hon. M. Ross Bigelow and Millie moved from
Crestline to Temecula, Ca. Their last cruise was on
the “Crown Odyssey” touring Italy. His youngest
daughter, Tricia Ann Bigelow (Murray) is Judge
of the Superior Court, Los Angeles County, Dept.
102 CCB. He proudly reports that “She is a
lecturer at trial judges college and orientation of
new judges each year. She is even on the CALJIC
committee.” Willis M. Brooks spent five years in
Europe on vacation. (Doesn’t say when.) He
continues the full time plus practice of law in
Beverly Hills. Philip D. Donovan has a “great wife
and 4 wonderful children and one 7 year old
grandchild.” Yearly vacations are usually to Canada.
Hon. David N. Eagleson is still doing ADR work.
Albert J. Ghiradelli reports “My wife Olga, and I
took a Rhine River cruise in May with Trojan
Travelers. We were pleased to renew our old
friendship with classmate Judge Bob Armstrong
and his wife, Eleanor, who also were part of the
Trojan contingent. One of my reasons for signing
up on this cruise was to visit the ruins of the bridge
at Remagen, a bridge my infantry regiment
crossed in WWII, two days before its tragic
collapse.” Ralph B. Helm’s wife Alice is having a
balance problem, but hopefully with medical help
she will be better soon. They have visited the
Armstrongs in Scotland. Lee W. Landrum is with
Prudential California Realty in Encinitas. Currently
a broker/lawyer/arbitrator/mediator, after 45
years of practicing law. John H. Larson and Louise
went with 10 people to Brandon, Mo. this spring.
Appointed to the Governor’s Commission on
50
USC LAW fall 2001
On the Honor Roll
George R. Richter ’33 was honored by the
California Bar Association during its annual
awards luncheon in April for his outstanding
career and contributions to the legal profession.
Now retired, Mr. Richter held numerous leadership positions throughout his career, including
chair of the California Commission on Uniform
State Laws and chair of the Los Angeles County
Bar Association’s commercial law and bankruptcy section.
Veteran’s Homes and also chosen as mayor protem of the City of Seal Beach. His e-mail address
is jhassel@msn.com. Hon. Murry Luftig married
to Rita since June 22, 1947, 4 children and 7
grandchildren. Retirement is spent on an unfinished novel, painting and travel, including a family
reunion, 16 members in Hawaii. Raymond E. Ott
reports “Still enjoying life in the desert, (age 75)
although my wife passed away in February. I have
been retired since 1986 (from municipal law
employment).” Hon. Jack T. Ryburn “Went to
Chicago for a Board meeting-cold and rainy in
June.” Going on the Sea Goddess cruise planned
by the Law School next June. Wanda Young
Sankary took her ten-year-old granddaughter on
a trip to Europe on the QE2 luxury liner last
summer, staying in Zurich, London and NYC (in a
friend’s penthouse). Very involved in Democratic
causes. Would love to hear from her classmates.
Iver E. “Dick” Skjeie is retired from the California
Attorney General’s Office where he headed the
“Government Law” section representing State
Constitutional Executive Officers, control agencies
and appellate justices. He was General Counsel of
Development of 14 California State prisons. Ted
Sullivan and Evelyn will celebrate their 50th
wedding anniversary next spring. Just had their
9th grandchild. Travel this year will be limited to a
2-month stay in Chula Vista in their R.V. Says that
with advancing age, trips keep getting shorter.
Sends greetings to all our classmates. Ben
Susman has been retired for 22 years and reports
that life is sensational. “Get up in the morning, look
at the ocean, pinch myself and start another great
day, doing very little. Traveling and fishing take up
the slack.” His e-mail address is mbsus@earthlink.net. Dan J. Tangalakis married to Mary Louise
since January 1949. They have 5 children and
10 grandchildren. Still practices law occasionally
with son Phillip Tangalakis in Culver City. Recently
took 4 granddaughters abroad and to Greece to
find their cultural roots. E-mail addresses: If you
would like your classmates to communicate with
you by e-mail please send your address for the
next issue. Ideas for our 55th reunion: Judge
Ryburn wrote “A member of another class has
invited the members of the class to his Villa in
France for their next reunion. If anyone in our class
has any such exotic ideas for our 55th Reunion,
please let us know.”
Shirley Olsen, Class Reporter
richard@frazmtn.com.
>
Class of 1951
Looking fit and handsome, and brimming with
collegiality, in May the following members
(spouses) of the class descended upon the
Peninsula Hotel, Beverly Hills for a good brunch
and successful Fiftieth Reunion: Volney Brown, Jr.
(Peggy), Bill Camil (Anne), George Cox (Mary
Frances), George DeRoy (Honey), Vern Foster
(Ines), Fred Flam, Michael Franklin (Betty), Nathan
Goller (Irina Maleeva), Ned Good (Margaret), Dave
Graf, Stuart Hillman, Jim Kolts (Dorothy), Marvin
Levin (Ruth), Ann Stodden (Ed Mayer), Teddy
Smith , Donald Von Mizener (Yvonne), Art
Wasserman (Harriet), Harold Wax (Lila Mayer),
Robert Weil (Dorothy), Robert Wolf (Mildred),
Charles Woodmansee (Nancy), and Milton Zerin
(Helen). See group photo at the beginning of this
section. Milt Zerin presided in his charming law
professor manner, recounting facts sprinkled with
aphorisms, e.g. “life is like a roll of toilet paper, it
goes faster towards the end.” Dean Matthew
Spitzer, attending with his lovely wife, spoke briefly
of the progress of the Law School, which made us
proud. Meanwhile, the capable Keven Jones,
Reunion Coordinator, and his staff coordinated,
comforted and coddled. Thank you Dean! Thank
you Keven! Attendees were delighted to chat with
each other and learn that “for the most part they
G R A D UAT E S
were in good health” (Wax); that Kolts “still has
great jokes” (Woodmansee); that they “are well
and active” (Cox); or, more colorfully, that they “are
still alive and cooking.” (Camil). What is particularly
great about our class is “the congeniality and
friendliness of classmates” (Zerin), “the historic
interval in which we have lived and worked” (Cox)
and that “we were very eager” (Kenneth Holland).
Von Mizener spoke for most in commenting that
the best thing about the reunion was “good
companions.” For non-attendees the worst thing
was being unable to attend: Richard McWilliams
(in Europe), Sheldon Caplow (ill, but now recovering well), Kenneth Holland (“I missed all of you
on May 20”), Marshall Davis (“sorry I missed the
reunion”) and Jack Felthouse (his wife just passed
away – by acclamation we extended to Jack our
sympathy and warm regards). We have decided to
meet for a 55th Year Reunion and the following
are willing to serve on the planning committee:
Holland, Cox (“God willing and the creeks don’t
rise), Brown, Zerin, Von Mizener and Wax, who
collectively have volunteered Stodden without
consulting her. In news unconnected to the
reunion, Don Brown continues to practice full time.
So does Ned Good, who not remarkably wants the
caps on medical malpractice cases eliminated, and
Art Wasserman “same old practice, same old
airplane (30 years)”. Von Mizener will retire as soon
as he can convince some of his clients “not to do
what they are thinking of doing.” Most of the rest
of us are already retired, including Seymour Lazar
who is living it up in Palm Springs. Art Wasserman
took Marty Munson to lunch and reports (things
never change) that he “won’t be serious about
anything.” The Waxes are cavorting in the South
Pacific, the Zerins in Eastern Europe where they
somehow missed seeing the McWilliams, all while
Marshall Davis and Kenneth Holland stay home
and play better tennis and golf, respectively. In the
meantime, those returning the class questionnaire
think the principles of the founders are in jeopardy,
as follows: “the sanctity of the Constitution”
(Holland); the free exercise of religion, (as) threatened by political correctness” (Davis); “separation
of Church and State” (Woodmansee); the Second
Amendment (“thank God”) (Don Brown), “God
CLASS NOTES
Judge Ferguson honored for role in establishing Public Law Center
Warren J. Ferguson ‘49, senior circuit judge of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, received
the inaugural Founders’ Award from the Public Law Center of Orange County. The award honored
Judge Ferguson’s path-breaking career on the bench and his pivotal role in the development of
the Public Law Center.
Judge Ferguson began his legal career in Fullerton,
Calif., as one of just 49 lawyers in all of Orange County.
He spent nine years in private practice with the law firm
of Ferguson & Judge before accepting an appointment to
the Anaheim Municipal Court. In 1961, the governor
of California appointed Judge Ferguson to the Orange
County Superior Court. In 1966, President Lyndon
Johnson appointed him to the district court, making Judge Warren Ferguson with some of the people
have clerked for him over the years, including
Judge Ferguson the first judge to serve in the new Central Uwho
SC law graduates Sheryl Gordon McCloud ’84,
District of California. In 1979, President Jimmy Carter far left, Laurie Hasencamp ’85, third from left, and
elevated Judge Ferguson to the 9th Circuit Court; he Karen Lash ’87, far right.
assumed senior status in 1986.
Judge Ferguson has played a prominent role in the development of the legal community
in Orange County and has received numerous awards and honors. He is widely credited
with helping to bring a federal courthouse to Santa Ana, Calif., and in 1981 he founded Amicus
Publico, which helped link pro bono attorneys to needy clients. Amicus Publico eventually evolved
into the Public Law Center, the public interest branch of the Orange County Bar Association.
The Public Law Center provides pro bono legal services to poor and underrepresented communities
in Orange County.
Hundreds of friends and family joined Judge Ferguson at the Public Law Center’s annual
awards banquet in July, including a few of the many USC law graduates who have clerked for
Judge Ferguson.
save us!” (Volney Brown); “irrational violence”
precluding “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness
for many” (Zerin); and, “independence of the judiciary.” (Camil). Holland spoke for most of the
foregoing by recommending that our legislators
“read the Constitution”. Finally, Don Brown (who
is practicing law full time) probably spoke for all of
us in commenting “every day above ground is a
good day.” Indeed.
Volney Brown, Jr., Class Reporter
>
Class of 1952
In less than ten months that venerable Class of
1952 will assemble to celebrate its 50th Year
Reunion. The Law School alone cannot fashion a
memorable and successful reunion. Those of you
who have available time should respond to the
school’s request for volunteer members of the
reunion planning committee. Speaking of the
concept of “time,” based upon my observation from
the responses over the years to my requests for
information for this column, it is clear beyond cavil
that the Class of 1952 took the advice of an
Englishman known only as Marsden. He
composed a thought-provoking poem entitled
“What is time?” He answered his question in
several ways. Two of them, I think, exemplify our
class. First: “I asked an aged man, with hoary hairs,
wrinkled and curved with worldly cares; “Time is
the warp of life,’ said he; ‘O, tell the young, the fair,
the gay, to weave it well!’” His second response
USC LAW fall 2001
51
G R A D UAT E S
CLASS NOTES
built upon the first and was couched in these
terms: “I asked my Bible, and methinks it said,
“Time is the present hour, the past has fled; Live!
Live today! Tomorrow never yet on any human
being rose or set.” Our class has acquitted itself
well on the field of the practice of law. And it has
lived—and continues to live—today, either in the
practice of law or in some challenging second
career, frequently closely related to the practice of
law. Charles (“Chuck”) Bakaly, Jr. has since 1995
been in the camp of those class members who
following retirement from the active practice of
law, opted for a new one closely related to active
practice. He retired from O’Melveny & Myers after
38 years, including 17 years on its management
committee and 5 years as head of its New York
office. He now serves as vice president of JAMS
and participates actively in mediating complex litigation disputes. The last four years he diverted
some of his attention from mediation by spending
a week at a Montana guest ranch, riding horses
and fishing with his five grandchildren. Additional
rest and recreation is achieved by trips to Greece
to visit his first cousins. Lawrence Frankley is firmly
ensconced in a retirement mood. He still spends
one half of each year at his home in the United
Kingdom and the other half in the States.
Sandwiched into that “difficult and demanding”
retirement mode is travel to other parts of this
interesting world of ours. William (“Bill”) B. Jones
spent nine years practicing law in Los Angeles at
which time he embarked upon a fascinating and
challenging career with our State Department
serving from 1962 to 1984, as a Deputy Assistant
Secretary of State. He was the Chief of U.S.
Mission to UNESCO, Paris, as Ambassador to
Haiti, 1977-1980. Then as a State Department
Diplomat in Residence, Hampton University, as a
member of the Law of the Sea Treaty Task Force,
and as a member of the Inter Agency Group
dealing with the survivability of the government
in the event of nuclear war. Eschewing significant
retirement, Bill has been a university teaching
professor for the past ten years, currently teaching
at Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia, and in the
Diplomacy and African American Studies
Department at Pepperdine University in Malibu.
Several years ago Jack R. Levitt retired as a
On the Honor Roll
Sorrell Trope ’49 was included in a roundup of
the nation’s "Killer Lawyers" in the May 2001
issue of Forbes magazine. The article listed Mr.
Trope as one of the top divorce lawyers in the
country and noted that his Los Angeles firm’s list
of clients includes Hollywood’s elite.
Superior Court Judge in the County of San Diego
electing instead to live in Bozeman, Montana
where he has lived for several years engaged in
pro bono settlement work for the local district
courts. When he can find the inner strength and
fortitude to give up (temporarily) golf, fishing
(stream and ice), playing pool and to forego
supporting participation by his grandchildren in
their baseball and soccer games, he has gone on
cruises from Hong Kong to Athens and from
Barcelona to Istanbul. Frederick (“Fred”) M.
Nicholas is one of those class members who
became involved in several new careers since
retiring from the practice of law. For him, real
retirement is for others. He presently is engaged
in real estate development and cultural service
on specific sites for museums and art institutions.
Presently he is representing Art Center in its negotiations with the City of Pasadena to develop the
Glenarm Power Plant location as a cultural facility
for Art Center. He recently was appointed an
honorary trustee of Art Center’s College of Design.
In addition to actively pursuing his new profession,
he, of course, also devotes quality time to be with
his wife, his three children and three stepchildren,
and his eight grandchildren. Don Olson retired
from the practice of law in 1977 and moved to
Newport Beach where he bought a boat and has
lived for the past 23-1/2 years at the Balboa Bay
Club. In lieu of practicing law Don has become
involved in the development of commercial property, as an owner, a co-owner, or limited partner
in various real estate endeavors. Don’s early practice of the law was complemented by his
concurrent operation of a candy/ice cream parlor
in Culver City, through which enterprise he
achieved recognition by authoring an article entitled “Lawyer with a Sweet Law Practice.” It
appeared in many U.S. and Canadian newspapers.
Class of 1952 50-Year Reunion
Friday, April 12, 2002
Call Reunion Coordinator Keven Jones at
(213) 740-6143 for details
52
USC LAW fall 2001
Don, like many of us, ignored the advice (apocryphal, or course) frequently given to persons
contemplating attending a reunion, especially a
fiftieth. It is this: “If you want to stay young, eat well,
exercise and don’t attend class reunions.” Like
many of us, Don left his last reunion feeling older,
but now, however, he once again feels like he is
a mere 30 or 40 years of age. More power to him!
To confirm his point Don enclosed a picture of
himself taken a few months ago showing him
standing beside a helicopter aboard an aircraft
carrier. Paul Eugene Overton, another of our
retired San Diego Superior Court judges still lives
in San Diego. While he has nothing new to report
concerning his present or recent activities, we
know based upon his prior reports that he must
still be “happy in retirement,” visiting his four children and six grandchildren and “traveling all over!”
In closing this quarter’s report, it appears from
recent information provided by members of our
class that many of them have elected not to abide
by Walter Wriston’s (former CEO of Citibank)
characterization of rules on “mandatory retirement
ages:” “Statutory Senility.” (New York Times, April
25, 1993) Members of our class, to hark back to
my opening remarks, are still weaving their “time”
well. They continue to live “today,” and spend no
time contemplating or worrying whether the sun
will indeed rise again tomorrow.
Jack T. Swafford, Class Reporter
jacks@lagerlof.com
>
Class of 1953
The Class of 1953 has finally broken radio silence
and the Class Reporter has prepared this report on
the activities of its members many of whom are
enjoying their golden years by hitting the links,
traveling to exotic places all over the world,
acquiring all kinds of strange diseases or just
becoming couch potatoes and enjoying life after
almost 50 years of law practice. The usual
suspects replied to the class questionnaire, but it’s
always nice to have a few names that haven’t
replied before! Wiley Bunn and his wife, Marilyn,
celebrated their 50th anniversary on June 19th
this year and are taking their family on an Alaskan
cruise, which will include 4 children and their
G R A D UAT E S
spouses, and 9 excited grandchildren. Wiley must
have hit the lottery! He is still practicing with Bunn
& Bunn in Pasadena specializing in estate and
probate law and doing a little mediation on the
side. Loyal Frazier is still in Oxnard and is enjoying
a second career. Loyal and his second wife (he’s a
widower) have 14 grandchildren with 2 grandchildren graduating from college and 2 graduating
from high school in June. He is still working about
20 hours a week and his practice is restricted to
real estate planning and business. Loyal just
returned from a 2-week trip to Scotland playing
golf, sightseeing and doing a little shopping (watch
those kilts, Loyal! You’d better wear something
underneath them.) He is still active in civic affairs
in Oxnard and is past president of the Ventura
County Bar Association. He hears from Bill Evans
now and then who continues to practice in Los
Angeles. Charlie Lyons continues to be a member
of the Board of Councilors of the Law School.
Charlie lives in Lakewood and has a house in
Rancho Mirage. He is still in the same business
working in real estate and commercial properties
in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. He plays a
little golf, is in good health, and is enjoying life with
Mary Lou. Elaine Fischel has retired, lives in Los
Angeles and does a lot of traveling to all kinds of
places like the West, the Far East and the Ozarks
(the Ozarks?). Bernie Silver has the same wife
Cecile, and is slowly adding grandchildren. He and
his wife reside in Pacific Palisades. A famous
quote from Bernie is “Work is for people who don’t
know how to fish”. I agree! Ed Coleman still hangs
his shingle in Las Vegas, is married with four children and 2 grandchildren. Sterry Fagan, retired
from the Superior Court bench and lives in Indian
Wells. He’s almost retired but still doing a little arbitration through Judicial West in Santa Ana. He
plays a lot of golf, and hits some links with some of
his regulars and does a lot of traveling. Clarence
Fleming still lives in Pasadena on Orange Grove
Avenue and has moved his offices. (Yes, Clarence,
the law school is going to get your office address
right once and for all!) Clarence is a brave soul. He
joined Annandale Country Club and is trying to
learn golf. I hope it doesn’t destroy his sanity! I
remember the days in the basement of the old law
school where Clarence showed he could be a
pretty good athlete (he usually won the “wastebasket target” competition). So perhaps he may
fool us all and become a scratch golfer. Clarence
and Bunny do a lot of traveling, but as he said in
response to an inquiry concerning pro bono
activity, political campaigns and bar association
offices “Been there, done that!”, and he asks “Is
there anything else left to do?” Please don’t tempt
us Clarence! He reports that former Superior
Court Judge Mort Franciscus lives about a 3minute walk from where he lives. Mort is retired
finally from the Superior court bench and lives in
Busch Gardens with his lovely wife Sandy. George
Mitchel and Owen Strange are of counsel to their
firm; Booth Mitchel & Strange. George plays a lot
of golf these days and keeps his hand in with a
few litigation matters. Owen resides in Rancho
Santa Fe and still enjoys a good cigar. (What a
guy!) Myron Blumberg still lives in Mammoth
Lakes and is still communing with nature. He is still
an active member of the State Bar of California,
but is semi-retired, and founder of the Dispute
Resolutions Center of the Eastern Sierra (what the
hell can they mediate up there besides who
caught the biggest trout in Lake Crowley?). Jim
Bentson is still hanging his shingle in Seal Beach,
California. One of the great quotes from the questionnaire “For the time being, all of our rotten
children are out of our Huntington Harbor condominium residence and we are enjoying the peace
and tranquility.” “Bravo” for you my friend! Jim still
does estate planning trusts and probate law in
Seal Beach and sends out his ugly litigation cases
to his son Jim Jr., who is an attorney in San Diego.
Andy Davis is practicing law with his son on
Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles. Bob Mallicoat
still resides at Pitchfork Ranch in Leona Valley,
California, but maintains his offices in Beverly Hills.
Bob has a son Christopher who graduated from
law school in May of this year. Bob still continues
his membership with the Los Angeles Convention
and Exhibition Center Authority as one of its
commissioners. He still continues to raise llamas
and at present has a herd of 89. I’ll ask again Bob,
“What the hell do you do with llamas? Do you pet
them, shear them, or eat them?” Ted Eckerman
is retired and lives in Pasadena with his lovely wife
Nancy of 28 years. Ted had open-heart surgery
CLASS NOTES
in September 1998 and retired from law practice
in March of 1999. He was a family law specialist
until his retirement. Cliff Anderson and his wife
Madeline live in Monarch Bay and Cliff is doing a
little family law mediation from time to time. Former
Chief Justice Malcolm Lucas still resides in
Beverly Hills, is married to the lovely and lively
Fiorenza, and is still doing “big ticket” arbitration
and mediations. Your Class Reporter, Richards
Barger, continues to practice law with Barger &
Wolen LLP, but little by little is limiting his practice by retaining only a few clients. One of these
days he is just going to haul off and retire from law
practice altogether. The only thing standing in the
way of that at the present time is, he doesn’t know
what the hell to do with his time! He went back
to school and received his fire and casualty insurance license and he may assist his oldest son in
managing his general agency. NOW DON’T
FORGET THIS CLASSMATES; 2003 marks the
50th anniversary of our class (Ughhh!). We have
95 living members in our class, and we should be
thinking about how to make our 50th anniversary
a memorable event. We’re all a little too old for
too much damn revelry, but at least we can plan to
have a good time, have a good meal, tell lies, drink
some good wine, and see old friends. Let’s be
thinking about where we are going to have our
reunion and let’s try to make it a fun event. Contact
me at (213) 680-2800 or rbarger@barwol.com or
Keven Jones at the law school at (213) 740-2640
or kjones@law.usc.edu.
Richards D. Barger, Class Reporter
>
Class of 1956
Where have all the years gone? It seems like only
yesterday we were sitting in Professor Howell’s
code pleading class and he was explaining, in his
erudite and clear way, the meaning of “cause of
action.” In celebration of those law school years,
our class met for its 45th year reunion. It was held
Saturday night, April 21, 2001, at the Regency
Club in Westwood. It was a wonderful evening,
seeing everyone, chatting during the cocktail hour
on the patio of the Regency Club which is on the
20th floor of an office building at Wilshire and
Westwood Boulevards, overlooking the entire city
USC LAW fall 2001
53
G R A D UAT E S
CLASS NOTES
Pioneers honored for service to community and university
Five USC Law School graduates were featured in “Trojans of Ebony Hue: Role Models For All
Generations,” an exhibit and guide developed by USC’s Black Alumni Association in celebration of
Black History Month. The exhibit highlighted the legacies of African-American men and women
whose achievements and dedication paved the way for generations of black students and community leaders in Los Angeles.
The exhibit noted the varied career of Clarence
Thompson ’04, the first African-American to graduate
from the University of Southern California. After finishing
law school, Mr. Thompson studied economics and sociology at Harvard University, published a book, worked in
the Boston Chamber of Commerce, built a hardware business in the Philippines, manufactured war supplies in
France, worked in rolling mills, paper mills, machine shops
and department stores in Germany, France and Italy, and
lectured and wrote at schools throughout Europe.
Twenty-three years after Mr. Thompson graduated,
Helen Wheeler Riddle ’27 became the Law School’s first
female African-American graduate. She was praised for a
successful career in management with the U.S. Postal
Service and a life dedicated to civic and community service.
She was a member of the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People and a charter member of
Alpha Kappa Alpha, a black sorority.
After Edwin L. Jefferson ’31 graduated from the USC Law School, he sought membership with
the Los Angeles County Bar Association. The association, at the time open only to whites, turned
him away. Ten years later, Mr. Jefferson was a municipal court judge, and the bar association was
seeking him. As the “Trojans” exhibit noted, Judge Jefferson’s prominence continued to grow: He
later was appointed a Superior Court judge and associate justice of the California Court of Appeal.
The exhibit praised Crispus Attucks Wright ’38 for not only being a role model, but also paving
the way for others to follow in his footsteps. Mr. Wright’s $2 million gift to the Law School in
1997 established scholarships for students committed to serving minority and underrepresented
communities. Mr. Wright also was a pioneer in the law: He co-founded the John M. Langston
Bar Association, the principal black legal association in Los Angeles, and helped win the Supreme
Court battle to end racist real estate covenants in the United States.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke ’56 was praised for a career of public
service “focused on the needs and education of children” and marked by “firsts”: She was the first
African American woman elected to represent California in Congress and the first to serve as chair
of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. She also has served as chair of the L.A. Federal
Reserve Bank and vice chair of the 1984 Olympic Organizing Committee and was named one of
America’s 200 Future Leaders by Time magazine.
54
USC LAW fall 2001
all the way to downtown Los Angeles. The food
was first rate - the best I recall at any of our
previous reunions. A big plus to the evening was
having new Dean Matthew Spitzer and his wife
Jean there. Dean Spitzer spoke to us about the
overall status of the law school, touching on a
number of matters, all to the positive. Our classmates in attendance were: Roy Aaron, who is
doing mediations and business consulting. John
Argue, Chairman of the USC Board of Trustees
and the Rose Hills Foundation. Orville Armstrong,
Associate Justice of the California Court of
Appeal, Second Appellate District, Division 5 in
downtown Los Angeles. Orville had an illustrious
career as a lawyer and a partner in two large law
firms in downtown Los Angeles, he was President
of the State Bar, and Judge of the Los Angeles
Superior Court before being elevated to the appellate court. Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, Los Angeles
County Supervisor. Before her election to the
Board of Supervisors, Yvonne was elected to the
House of Representatives, where she served her
district with distinction for a number of years. Matt
Byrne, Senior Judge, U. S. District Court, Central
District of California. Matt was honored last
November at a dinner at the Biltmore Hotel with
over 1,000 judges, lawyers, law clerks, friends, etc.
in attendance. It was held to commemorate Matt’s
30 years as a judge of the U.S. District Court and
to praise him for a distinguished career in law.
Dewey Falcone, Los Angeles Superior Court
Judge sitting in Norwalk. Dewey has been a bench
officer for a number of years and still enjoys doing
it. Irving Feffer, Judge of the Los Angeles County
Superior Court, sitting in a general civil trial department in downtown Los Angeles. Irv still enjoys
pistol shooting on a regular basis, still runs every
day with his running partner, and still enjoys very
much being on the bench. His step-son Andrew
Clavin is on the Stanford University football team,
even though Irv still remains a loyal Trojan. Paul
Geragos, is practicing with his sons, Mark and
Matthew, in downtown Los Angeles. Their practice
is divided equally between criminal defense and
general civil/business litigation. Les Gold is a
partner with Mitchell, Sibberberg & Knupp, on the
west side of Los Angeles. Allan Grossman, I have
a general civil litigation and appellate practice in
G R A D UAT E S
On the Honor Roll
Marshall B. Grossman ’64 was appointed to the
California Commission on Judicial Performance
by Gov. Gray Davis. Mr. Grossman is a senior
partner and business litigation specialist at the
Los Angeles firm of Alschuler Grossman Stein
& Kahan.
Encino where I have officed since 1974. Marcus
Kaufman, retired Associate Justice of the
California Supreme Court. Mark spent three years
on the Supreme Court and 17 years on the Fourth
District Court of Appeal in San Bernardino. It was
good seeing Mark and his wife Eileen. Mark noted
that they have been married for 50 years. Rusty
Lewis is a retired PANAM pilot and aviation lawyer.
Rusty was a World War II pilot and was shot down
over a small town in Germany and became a prisoner of war. He was astonished by how kindly he
was treated by the Germans on his recent visit
there. Bob Mitchell – he and his wife had just
returned from their honeymoon. “After wandering
in the jungles of semi-retirement for a number of
years I returned to full-time practice in Norwalk,” he
said. Bruce MacLachlan, is with the firm of Mugg
& Harper in San Bernardino, where, for the most
part, he does personal injury defense, as well as
doing some plaintiff’s work. Recently I called Bruce
to help me out with an appearance in the San
Bernardino Superior Court. He got one of the
younger people in his firm to do it and I sincerely
appreciated his help in that matter. Len Marangi
has been with Hahn & Hahn in Pasadena since
graduation. Len is now a senior partner in the firm
and a stalwart of the Pasadena bar. Bob Warren
also went from graduation to Gibson, Dunn &
Cruther where he has been ever since. Bob is a
senior partner in the firm, still trying major first
amendment cases, and is an active supporter of
the law school and the University. Lillian Worthing
Wyshak is practicing in Beverly Hills and also
works as a real estate broker. Lillian’s specialty is
tax law, and she states, “I’m a certified tax
specialist.” Robert Zakon, has been on the bench
for the past 20 years or so as a Los Angeles
Superior Court Commissioner hearing domestic
relation cases in the North Valley District, San
Fernando Court. Bob has no plans on retirement
from the bench. It is with great sorrow I report that
our beloved classmate Leon Leonian passed away
September 11, 2001. As you may know, Leon was
a very successful businessman in the medical field.
His corporation owned hospitals, nursing homes,
retirement homes, etc., all over the country. For a
number of years before his passing he volunteered full-time at an Armenian charity in Mission
Hills, the Ararat Home, where he served as vicechairman. He was loved by many and will be
greatly missed. Be well, and I hope to see all of
you, as well as our other classmates who were
unable to attend this function, at our 50th year
reunion.
Allan F. Grossman, Class Reporter
>
Class of 1957
The Law School Class of 1957 responded
admirably to the questionnaire for information for
this column. However, many responded that there
was no change with respect to where they lived or
worked, family circumstances, professional activities, travel and vacation activities, and community
services. Given the “maturity” of our class, the
adage “no news is good news” appears applicable.
Each member of the Class of 1957 received a
copy of a letter written to the Law School from the
2000-2001 recipient of the Class of 1957
Scholarship, thanking the School and our class for
it. The recipient, Ms. Jennifer Ybarra, graduated
Magna Cum Laude from UCLA in 1999. She
says: “When I applied to law school as an undergraduate, USC was my first choice. I can
remember receiving my acceptance letter and
jumping around my living room. Notice of the
scholarship eased my worries concerning the
financial demands that I was to incur in law school.
I hope to finish law school in another two years.
Because I am also pursuing a Public Policy
Degree at USC, my experience here will last for
four years. ... In closing I would like to say that I
appreciate the opportunity that you have provided
me to attain my goals and attain a law school
degree.” These reports make contributing to our
Class Scholarship Fund most rewarding. Now to
our classmates’ responses: Ralph I. Callen reports
CLASS NOTES
that he attended the International Square Dance
Convention in Anaheim, California, this past June.
Dan Cathcart (of Ferdinand Marcos fame) indicates that he is now “of counsel” to the firm of
Magana, Cathcart & McCarthy. He is currently
working part time as a court-appointed child advocate (CASA) volunteer. He continues to enjoy life
and time with his five grandchildren. Jack E.
Goertzen says that this past year he celebrated
45 years since the Class of ‘55 graduated. While
noting that he enjoyed a good time, he said that
everyone except himself looked a lot older than
they did in 1955. He did not explain why he was
attending the Class of ‘55 reunion when he graduated in the Class of 1957. I have been told that
age shows in ways other than changes in physical
appearance. He notes that he and his wife enjoyed
a cruise to Alaska and Canada this past year with
the International Academy of Trial Judges. In
closing he said, “It’s just nice to still be around to
send in one of these questionnaires.” Ray R. Goldie
reports that he has essentially retired from litigation, but continues to handle certain select
litigation in the fields of his certification (wills, trusts
and probate law). He adds that “the ‘old man’ of
the Class of ‘57 celebrated his 81st birthday on
April 1, 2001, and enjoys his activity in the field
of wills, trusts and probate law.” William S. (Bill)
Johnstone reports no additions to family or
change in professional activities. He and his wife,
Lynne, and, on occasion his two daughters, have
traveled both in summer and winter to their condominium in Snowmass Village, Colorado. In addition,
trips to the Tuscany area of Italy, Santorini, Greece,
and heli-salmon fly-fishing in Alaska have proved
to be enjoyable experiences. They intend to participate in next year’s Law School Mediterranean trip
on the Seaborn Goddess. As for continued
community services, Bill continues to serve as a
Director of the San Gabriel Valley Council of Boy
Scouts of America and as a member of the
Pasadena Tournament of Roses Football
Committee. He has been appointed Chair of the
Rose Bowl Management Committee effective
January 2002. Such Committee is responsible for
the overall management of the Rose Bowl game
on New Year’s Day. This year the game will be
played on January 3, and it will be the site of the
USC LAW fall 2001
55
G R A D UAT E S
CLASS NOTES
college national championship game. Arnold S.
Malter reports that he continues consulting, primarily in China-related activities where he is currently
the U.S. lawyer for the City of Shanghai, China.
Philip F. Marantz proudly announces that he is a
grandfather again for the tenth time, the lucky
young grandchild being Dorothy Childs. As with
many of our classmates, he indicates that he is
semi-retired. Dean R. Picl, in response to the
inquiry as to additions to his family, questions “at
my age?” As with others, he is semi-retired, but still
handles death penalty and life without possibility
of parole murder cases. Billy A. Robbins reports
the birth of a new grandson, Cole Ryder Robbins.
Cole was born during the last Ryder Cup match
– thus the middle name. I certainly hope the young
man will enjoy golf as he grows up. Billy indicates
that he is co-chair of the Marketing/Practice
Development Committee of the Los Angeles
office of his firm, Fulbright & Jaworski. He founded
and is currently president of the Technolink
Association, a 501(c)(6) association created to
assist startup and emerging companies by
providing needed resources for such companies.
Joseph A. Thomas reports that he concluded a
four-year term in February 2001 as a member of
the Board of Administration of the California
Public Employees’ Retirement System (the largest
public retirement system [non-governmental] in
the world). He reports that he just returned from
three weeks in Italy in April, and will be leaving in
October for a trip around the world with stops in
China, India and points West. William L. (Ted) Todd,
Jr. responds that he is still engaged part-time as
a private judge, handling mediation, arbitration and
some Superior Court support work. Insofar as
travel and vacation are concerned, he and his wife
traveled to Maui and Spain this year (spending two
weeks touring Northwest Spain with his Methodist
Church choir). Moreover, he directed a
$1,000,000-plus remodel drive for the church, and
continues as vice chair of the Board of Trustees at
the Claremont School of Theology (formerly the
University of Southern California School of
Religion). He continues as a board member of the
Pacific Media Ministry, and Sharp Rees Stealy
Medical Corporation. He plays golf as often as
possible at the La Jolla Country Club, and
8
56
USC LAW fall 2001
continues as an active member of the Todd
American Inn of Court. “Enough of this
semi-retired business”, says Arnold Wayne. He is
now fully retired from the practice of law.
Respectfully submitted,
Bill Johnstone, Class Reporter
wjohnstone@hahnlawyers.com
>
Class of 1960
Since the unfortunate phase out of Trial by Battle
and Trial by Ordeal when the class of 1960 graduated 41 years ago, the news is largely geriatric
whining these days. Ed Sokolski et.ux. Reneé
recently celebrated their 52nd wedding anniversary. Ed admits to having reached his 79th birthday
and still has an active Trademark & Tradename
practice. He has a son-in-law being groomed in
the wings to take over the practice. Ed is very
active in Rotary down Redondo Beach way. Orville
Marlett and Jeane live in Newport Beach. Orv
claims to be semi-retired and maintains his office
in his home. He reads and plays tennis a good
deal. Sadly, Paul Gergen’s wife Thelma reports
that Paul had a devastating stroke in January of
1997 and has been in a nursing facility ever since
that time. Bev Gore (Schneider) reports in from
Bratenahl, Ohio to say she and her husband travel,
travel, and do more traveling – Egypt, Morocco,
Ireland, South Africa, Vienna, Hungary, Spain and
Scotland. Bev has come to Southern California a
couple of times in the past year. She says she’s
“enjoying the good life.” Bob Bastien is in DuQuoin,
Illinois and is retired from his position as a Circuit
Judge for the State of Illinois. He and his wife
Verna have 3 adult children and 8 grandchildren.
Bob’s e-mail address is robertbastien@onecliq.net.
John Witt is still “of-counseling” in San Diego and
reports that the San Diego County Board of
Supervisors appointed him chair of the San Diego
County Campaign Finance & Control Commission
– in anticipation of an eventual County Election
Campaign Finance Ordinance. This, of course, will
require John to personally remove all hanging
chads from every ballot cast in San Diego County
for every election in the future. He became president of the Boys & Girls Foundation of San Diego
on July 1, 2001, and continues to sit on several
Moving? Keep us up to date by
filling out an address change form at
[ www.law.usc.edu/alumni ]
or by calling (213) 740-6143
boards, including The Armed Services Y.M.C.A., St.
Paul’s Senior Homes & Services, Inc., and the
Museum of Man. John admits spotting Ben
McKesson from time to time as Ben appears to be
enjoying retirement in Northern San Diego County.
Bob Robbins has retired and can now be reached
at bobandchar@attitude.com in Lincoln, California.
Bob’s doing pro bono work for the Placer County
Legal Aid and Roseville Senior Center. Ed Nance
and Betty are the proud owners of three new racehorses. He has sugarplum dreams of the Kentucky
Derby in 2002. Ed’s e-mail address is enaninja@aol.com. Your faithful Class Reporter, James
M. Sutton the Judge, just got back from a mid-July
judicial conference in Montreal, Quebec which was
extended with a 5-day stay in New York City to
do the usual tourist stuff.
Judge James M. Sutton, Jr., Class Reporter
jmsuttonjr@aol.com.
>
Class of 1961
Our 40th Year Reunion was held on June 16,
2001 at the California Club in downtown Los
Angeles. Those of you that were not able to attend
missed a great time. Phil Nicholson served as our
Master of Ceremonies and each member of our
class in attendance gave a brief comment on
current or past activities. Phil reports that he still
practices in Century City and enjoys in his leisure
time bicycling, motorcycle trips with his family and
studying music. Also in attendance was Jarrett
Anderson, who continues to practice in Glendale
with emphasis in litigation. He has 3 children and
3 grandchildren. Larry Bamberger is employed
by the State Compensation Insurance Fund with
offices in Glendale. He reports that he is happy
in his field and enjoys, in his leisure time, playing
tennis, skiing, travel and movies. Frank Gafkowski
has retired from the bench and moved to Palm
Desert. He serves the courts on assignment in San
Bernardino County and has received his Master’s
degree in Dispute Resolution. Harvey Gerber is
a member of the Rancho Mirage City Counsel,
where he lives on the 5th green of the Nicholas
Golf course. He is currently retired, but handled
a number of class action matters during his years
of practice. Judith O. Hollinger attended with her
G R A D UAT E S
husband, Glen, and has recently retired from the
bench. She reports that she is doing private
judging and has 5 children (one an attorney) and
1 grandchild. Just before the reunion, Judith and
Glen returned from a month trip to Europe – Paris,
Venice and Rome where they enjoyed a private
tour of the Sistine Chapel after it was closed to the
public. Gideon Kanner is a Professor of Law
Emeritus and a columnist for the National Law
Journal. He is a frequent guest lecturer at many
universities and places of higher education in
Europe. He serves as “of counsel” to a firm in
Santa Monica. Richard Norman is active in his firm
in Ventura and all 3 of his children are attorneys.
He enjoys golfing and traveling with his wife, Jean.
Everett Dickey has also retired from the bench, but
sets on assignment in Orange County. Donald
Loze is still engaged in the theatrical industry and
enjoys his leisure with his wife, Ann. He reports
that he is currently working on a play which he
hopes to have into production by this time next
year. Phil Rudnick still wears his cowboy boots and
hat and is engaged in practice as well as farming
in the Bakersfield area. Robert Schalk attended
from Santa Cruz. He and his wife have 3 sons and
a daughter. During his time away from the office
he enjoys traveling, golf and plans on a trip to
Africa in early 2002. Hodge Dolle practices land
use and condemnation law in Santa Monica. He
has 4 daughters and 6 grandchildren, the last of
which was born in June and weighed 10 lbs. He
travels, golfs and is an active supporter of USC. He
recently finished a term as a commissioner on the
L.A. Board of Zoning Appeals. Donald Yokaitis
lives in Rancho Mirage and enjoys boating. Your
humble reporter, Charles Whitesell, practices in
Glendale with emphasis on family law (child
custody), elder abuse (financial) and wills and
trusts preparation and litigation as well as a
general practice. He and his wife just celebrated
40 years of marriage, have 3 children and 3 grandsosn. Their leisure time is spent on traveling,
residing part-time at their home in Cabo San
Lucas and, of course, fishing. Others heard from,
but not able to attend the Reunion were: Ronald
Golan is a commissioner of the Palm Springs
Airport and has a civil trial and transactional practice. Robert Cleaves is active as CEO of the
CLASS NOTES
Grad’s battle to protect wildlife takes flight
When he witnessed his first migration of wildebeests and zebras through the Serengeti Plains, Robert
Cleaves ’61 was so awed that he became temporarily disoriented. He had to land his rented plane in
order to recover his sense of direction.
A former jet fighter pilot and 35-year veteran of the U.S. Air
Force, Mr. Cleaves landed the plane safely on a cattle trail near a
remote Masai village — but some might say that he never quite
recovered.
That 1968 flight — part of a safari vacation he took with his
wife, Emmy — ignited a passion for animals and for the African
wilderness that continues to intensify. As founder and CEO of the
Wilderness Conservancy, Mr. Cleaves has combined that passion
with his piloting skills and aircraft expertise to help preserve
wilderness lands in Africa and to stem the tide of poaching that
threatens the existence of some of the world’s most magnificent
animals and ecosystems.
His efforts began in full after he saw firsthand the devastaRobert Cleaves ’61, lower right, and an
armed parks official take a poacher
tion of poaching: During a canoeing trip in on the Zambezi River
into custody.
in Zimbabwe in 1986, he saw three black rhinos, slaughtered and
dehorned. He was horrified. “When the trip was over,” says Mr.
Cleaves, “I arranged to meet with the director of the Zimbabwe Department of National Parks
and Wildlife Management, and I asked what they needed to help combat the poaching. He said they
needed an airplane.”
Mr. Cleaves returned to the United States and began raising money for planes that would allow
wildlife agencies to search for poachers from the air. Soon, he’d sent five two-seater prop planes;
he continues to fly his own poacher-hunting missions there every year. By 1992, Mr. Cleaves had
retired from his successful civil law practice to dedicate himself to wilderness issues full time. He
founded the Wilderness Conservancy to generate support for conservation, environmental education and antipoaching programs. Thanks to his efforts, many poachers have been imprisoned and
the problem has been nearly eliminated in some areas.
“When you see animals in the wild you can’t help but want to preserve their world,” says Mr.
Cleaves, who has garnered numerous awards, including the 1997 United Nations’ Earth Day-Earth
Fair International Environment Award, for his work. “Baboons, for instance, are so family oriented.
So are elephants. There’s a feeling that we’re alike in some way. When you see them being killed
for their tusks and horns, you have to help them. And this is one way I can truly offer something, by
putting my legal and military and aviation experience to use in protecting them.”
Wilderness Conservancy and preservation of
endangered wildlife. He is a solo practitioner in Los
Angeles. Stanley Epstein is married to Renata and
has 2 children and 3 grandchildren. He still practices law in the Marina Del Rey area and serves as
an Arbitrator and Pro Tem. Paul Fegen practices in
Century City with emphasis in personal injury and
sexual harassment. Malcolm Levinthal is a solo
practitioner in Santa Barbara in the field of business and corporate law. Robert O’Brien is retired
from the bench but serves on assignment. He has
2 children and 2 grandchildren. Michael Sagar is
surfing in Laguna Beach and when not doing that
can be found in his office where he practices
general law. Randy Siple is retired and a farmer
in Ventura County. He spends his non-farming
USC LAW fall 2001
57
G R A D UAT E S
CLASS NOTES
time playing jazz and developing an organic certification business. Tom Vicelja lives in Hawaii. He
worked in the aerospace industry and retired in
1998. He teaches in the public schools. Sheldon
Sloan is also retired from the bench and is a
“legislative advocate.” He served on the Memorial
Coliseum Commission. He and his wife have 4
children. Walter Zifkin is CEO of William Morris
Agency, has a son attending Boalt Law School and
enjoys sailing. Donald Reisner lives in Sacramento
where he is a “legislative advocate.” He and Marilyn
have been married for over 40 years and have 4
girls and many grandchildren. Art Rozell is retired
and has “nothing to report.” Gerald Poirier is retired
and lives in Diamond Bar. Allen Neelley is doing
business as “The Manhattan Sportsman” in Utah
where he serves as a professional hunting and
fishing guide. Martin Weekes is retired from the
L.A. County Counsel’s office and has 3 daughters and 4 grandchildren. Jerome Janger does real
estate transactional and patent law. He has 3 sons
and 2 grandchildren. Let me hear about your
accomplishments, travels and other activities so
you can be included in the next report. Also, put on
your calendar to attend our 45th Year Reunion in
2006.
Charles Whitesell, Class Reporter
cwhitesell@earthlink.net
>
Class of 1962
Let’s start this edition of “Class Notes ‘62” with a
little math quiz: If college graduates start traveling
to the USC Law School from various
colleges/universities, the military and/or discarded
vocational endeavors in September 1959, when
will they arrive in September 2001? If you
answered 42 years, you are there. Now the difficult question: Where will they be and what will they
be doing in 2001? All of you know the answer –
but are reluctant to answer. The following winning
answers are being published and shared. Jerold
Cohn is toiling with the Worker’s Compensation
Appeals Board, where he is a judge. He and wife,
Nancy, have two daughters, Dana and Lisa, high
school cheerleaders who are starting to look for ”a
place to go to college next year.” Our “frequent
flyer,” Kent Froehlich, says he lives in Los Angeles
58
USC LAW fall 2001
On the Honor Roll
Candace D. Cooper ’73 received the Harriett
Buhai Center for Family Law Community
Service Award in recognition of her efforts to
promote gender and racial equality in the courts.
Justice Cooper also was appointed by California
Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald M. George
to head a new state panel on judicial service. The
panel will study the quality of the California
judiciary and identify best practices in benefits
and compensation issues in an effort to attract
and retain highly qualified judges to careers on
the bench.
but this may be one of those “residence vs. domicile” issues. He just returned from a three-month
sojourn to Russia, the Czech Republic, Belarus,
Poland, Finland, Norway, Sweden, France and
England. His next trip (by the time you are reading
this) will be to Scotland, Ireland and Wales. Living
in Upland, Fred Golles is enjoying the “Retired
Life” and would enjoy hearing from members of
the Class of “62.” Jerry Miller, wants to have our
“40th Class Reunion” during assize time so that
Marv Katz can re-enact his recital for (Professor
Henry Springmeyer in the case involving conditional
assault: ‘Were it not for assize time ... I’d run you
through. ... ‘ Marv will bring his sword and other
props.) The Law School sent a questionnaire
regarding the 40th Reunion. It looks like we may
have a theme and entertainment, thanks to Jerry
and Marv. Jim Perzik is still with the Lakers and
is sporting the most recent “NBA Championship
Ring.” His wife, Judy, is involved in the creation of
interactive CD’s and tests involving education and
the arts. Their son, Jordan, is a senior at Boston
University in the Film School. Jim is working parttime with large blocks of time for traveling. Their
last trip was a month in Australia. Gene Reardon
lives in Aspen, Colorado, with spouse Diana and
stepson Max where the family skis about 100
days a season. They also hit the powder in Vail and
Beaver Creek, Utah. Proud dad Robert Welbourn
reports on his three sons. Edward married Cary
Elliott (USC ‘95) in a ceremony at The Grand
Wauela Hotel on May 6, 2001. Sons Rob and
John are single. John, the football player, is the
starting left guard for the Philadelphia Eagles
(Number 76). A 33-year member of Rotary, Bob
enjoys scuba diving and is planning a trip to the
Humboldt Current (36 hours by boat from Costa
Rica) next February. I sadly report the passing of
our friends, Robert “Bob” Bergsten and Ward
Morris. Bob retired from Parker, Stanbury, et. al. a
couple of years ago and was living in the Palm
Desert area. Ward was living in Fort Lauderdale,
Florida, where he passed the bar exam in 1997,
after his retirement. Both were good “trial lawyers”
and both worked in defense firms where they
were partners. We will miss both of our colleagues.
“Ta Ta For Now.” Enjoy the sunrises and the
sunsets with those you love.
Judge John C. Woolley, Class Reporter
jwooley@superior.co.orange.ca.us
>
Class of 1965
Robert Kendall writes to say that he and his wife
Nelda live in Orange County where Bob is a
partner in a medium sized firm. When not working
they enjoy cruising on their trawler along the coast
and coastal islands. With four kids and three
grandchildren, work and play, they keep busy. Jim
Ukropina retired this last February. He and his wife
Lois took a Stanford trip along the Ancient Silk
Road in December. Had to work Stanford in
somehow and Jim’s trip was perfect. He is on a
number of corporation boards, so retired but busy.
Jim states that he runs into Hon. Dickran Tevrizian
once in a while and sees Mike Gless and his wife
Kathy for dinner on an annual basis. Chris Rolin
has relocated his office and home to the valley.
Now a sole practitioner and loving it. He and his
wife Debbie journeyed to Spain with ABOTA and
had a wonderful time. Gerry Gerstenfeld is also in
the valley and doing mediation and arbitration. Hon.
Richard Huffman is still with the Court of Appeal
and is Chair of the California Judicial Council
along with teaching at University of San Diego
Law School. His wife is a Special Advocate with
the Juvenile Court and his son, Richard, is with the
San Diego District Attorneys Office. Shannon
Trower has been retired since 1992 and is living
in Palm Desert, California. Another lucky one is
Edward “Ted” Kuhrau (Continued on Page 60)
G R A D UAT E S
FOCUS ON PHILANTHROPY
Choosing to be charitable in a tax-wise way with your IRA or qualified plan
By Gerald M. Yaroslow ’76
If, at the time of your passing, you could leave $100,000 to your favorite charity, or, from
the same $100,000, you could leave more than $70,000 to the taxing authorities and less
than $15,000 to each of your two adult children, what would you do? That is the choice
presented under current law to a relatively wealthy, unmarried individual who has at least
$100,000 in an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) or a qualified pension, profit-sharing
or retirement plan.
A married person can leave unlimited amounts to a surviving spouse without having estate
taxes imposed because of the marital deduction. However, upon the death of an unmarried
person (with a substantial net worth), all of his or her assets are subject to federal and state estate
tax at approximately a top marginal estate tax rate (in 2002) of 50 percent, unless those assets
pass to charitable beneficiaries. In addition, the IRA (or qualified plan) is subject to federal and
state income tax – potentially at approximately a 40 percent marginal rate (with a deduction
on the income tax return for the federal estate tax produced by the IRA) – when distributions are made to people or trusts for people. As a result, the overall taxes on the IRA could
exceed 70 percent. On the other hand, no federal or state estate or income taxes apply when
IRA or qualified-plan distributions are made to a qualified charitable organization.
At these tax rates, naming the two children as the beneficiaries of a $100,000 IRA allows
each to inherit only about $14,000 and gives the federal and state governments decision-making
authority to spend about $72,000. An inheritor of a large estate will not “feel” his or her inheritance being reduced by $14,000 or so, but the charity certainly will feel, and very much
appreciate, the benefit of the full $100,000 contribution.
New U.S. Treasury Regulations, issued in January 2001, now allow for a charity to be named
the beneficiary of an IRA or qualified plan without negatively affecting, as was previously the
case, the IRA owner’s or plan participant’s withdrawal schedule during his or her lifetime. Of
course, if the plan participant decides to name a qualified charitable organization as the beneficiary of the IRA or qualified plan, he or she should first seek professional advice about how
the overall estate plan is affected and whether the charity should be the beneficiary of a separate
IRA or a co-beneficiary of an IRA. In the latter case, the charitable portion should be separated
out no later than Dec. 31 of the calendar year following the owner’s or participant’s death.
While there is both an estate tax on the estates of unmarried people and an income tax
law, be aware of the impact these two tax systems have on IRAs and qualified plans and your
overall estate plan. The new federal estate tax law provides for a gradually increasing exemption
until 2010, when the federal estate tax law is scheduled, as of now, to be abolished – until 2011,
when, amazingly, it is scheduled to return with a $1 million exemption. During the
coming decade, we likely will see political debate regarding the estate tax law and, eventually,
some modifications.
In any case, by using an IRA or qualified plan, you can design a very charitable estate
plan without substantially affecting the people who would benefit from the rest of your estate.
If the estate tax law is indeed abolished, or the new exemption exceeds your net worth, you
always can revise your beneficiary designation. On the other hand, if either event occurs, you
may want to keep the charitable beneficiary designation because the rest of your net worth,
passing to your family members, will not be reduced by estate taxes.
Gerald M. Yaroslow is a California certified specialist in estate planning, trust and probate law and a fellow
of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. He is is a sole practitioner in Los Angeles.
USC LAW fall 2001
59
G R A D UAT E S
CLASS NOTES
who now lives on Bainbridge Island in Washington.
On the Honor Roll
Terry Bridges and his wife Sharon have been
married for 30 years and have three children and
four grandchildren. He practices in Riverside but
lives in Newport Beach. He is still representing the
franchiser in franchiser-franchisee disputes.
Walking tours of Europe are their vacation of
choice. Hon. Keith Sharrow is retired and now lives
in Yuma, Arizona. He and his wife will be celebrating 56 years together this November. Hon. Bill
Huss is very active in the arbitration field. He had
been elected to several international mediation
academies but the one I liked is the Worshipful
Company of Arbitration, a part of the London guild
system. Hon. James Harmon writes that he is in his
third term on the bench in El Centro. He just
finished up as presiding judge of the court and is
back to a trial calendar doing a variety of matters.
He and Mary are the proud parents of four children ranging from lawyer to 3rd grader. H. A.
Geisendorfer is retired and traveling a lot. Most
recent trip was China. Robert M. Martin writes to
say that he has learned that he is a part of the
greatest generation per Tom Brokaw and at 78 he
body surfs and golfs regularly. He, as all of us
seem to be doing, is enjoying his children and
grandchildren. Joe Nida and his wife Jill celebrated
their 13th wedding anniversary. Joe is an active
officer in several corporations and involved in
venture capital in the Santa Barbara area. Write.
It is always nice to catch up with each of you and
find out what you have been doing.
John A. Torribio, Class Reporter
torribiolaw@yahoo.com
>
Class of 1966
The Class of 1966 held its 35th Year Reunion on
June 2, 2001 and a good time was had by all in
attendance. It’s hard to believe it’s been thirty-five
years since we were all “launched into the legal
community” for good or bad. Dave Anderson
writes that he is now officially retired from the
practice of law and still living in Santa Barbara. I
think this is the second or third time Dave has
retired, so I wonder how long this one will last.
While Dave is not practicing law he still keeps busy
as the Co-Director of the Santa Barbara Museum
60
USC LAW fall 2001
Julie I. Bornstein ’74, California’s director of the
department of housing and community development, was named a 2001 Fannie Mae
Foundation Fellow of the Program for Senior
Executives in State and Local Government at
Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of
Government. Ms. Bornstein was one of 10
community leaders from around the country
to receive the honor.
of Natural History while leading an active physical life snorkeling, swimming, skiing, etc. Dave
sends his regrets to all those at the reunion as
he was unable to attend. James C. Bageman, who
was at the reunion, is also retired, living in Portola
Valley where he is now into real estate development – which he says beats practicing law.
Lawrence W. Campbell is the Senior Corporate
Attorney with Solar Turbines in San Diego. Larry
says that he is enjoying some of the “most interesting work of his life” and has no plans to retire.
Stephen Gooch has wandered all the way to
Texas where he is Senior Counsel for Santa Fe
International Corporation – a major international oil
and gas drilling contractor. Steve has traveled
extensively in his job, especially to the Middle East,
Southeast Asia and many other places where oil
and gas exploration occur. Another retired, but not
tired, member of our class is Brad Leonard, who
may have achieved a first for our group. He
became a great-grandfather in July 2000. If there
are others of you out there who have achieved this
rare distinction, I apologize for the oversight but it’s
probably because you never bothered to tell me.
Judge James Jackman is now retired from the
Orange County Superior Court and does alternative dispute resolution work to keep busy. Terry
McGaughey is still practicing law in Torrance,
California. Terry writes that both his son and
daughter are in “the law field.” His son is a practicing attorney and his daughter is in her second
year of law school. Another of our classmates who
is still “laboring in the trenches” is Dudley Muth.
Dudley is the Chief Compliance Officer and
General Counsel for Annuity Scout.Com. Dean W.
Weiner also still enjoys the practice of law in Mesa,
Arizona, and has managed to find time to travel
extensively. His travels include a recent ten-day
visit to China where he says the people were very
“friendly, honest and clean.” Dean also learned just
enough Chinese to “go beyond the usual tourist
corridors.” Last, but not least, John Westwater is
enjoying his semi-retirement from U.S. Trust
Company; John works half time. He and his wife
are enjoying their life in Pauma Valley, although his
golf game hasn’t improved the way he expected.
You need to completely retire for that to happen,
John. I am still sitting as a Superior Court Judge in
Los Angeles County and actually enjoy it very
much. In November 2000 I had the great privilege
to swear in our youngest daughter and some of
her friends as new attorneys. She works for a large
law firm in Orange County doing corporate and
transactional work. Thanks for the many
responses. Look forward to hearing from some
more of you in the future.
Judge Chris R. Conway, Class Reporter
>
Class of 1969
Gerald Collier wrote in from Lake Arrowhead to
say that he is retired from active practice and
spends most of his time playing duplicate bridge
around the U.S. He is a member of USC
Associates, a life member of Legion Lex and a very
generous supporter of our Class of 1969
Scholarship Fund. Thanks Gerry, and that is a not
so subtle hint to the rest of you (in my other
capacity as class representative to the Legion Lex
Annual Fund). Richard Dombrow reports that he
is still taking 16 weeks off each year to travel. In
addition, he tries to fly his airplane, a 250
Comanche, 3-4 times each week and has an
instrument and commercial rating. He flies doctors
to Mexico once a month for Flying Sams and other
organizations. He says that he will become an
“empty nester” in September 2001. Then he will
get some real time off. Mark Frazin has recently
been appointed to the Los Angeles Superior Court
Juvenile Court as an “as-needed Referee.” Steve
Galton continues at the firm of Galton & Helm, in
a specialized practice limited to the representation
of life, health and disability insurers in trials and civil
litigation matters. Steve is still married to Grace
G R A D UAT E S
(38 years) and is living in La Canada. He and
Grace enjoy traveling and have been to most
places in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Steve also
reports that the “Helm” in the firm, namely Hugh
Helm, went “of counsel” in January 2000 and
essentially retired from the firm. He is living on
Lido Island in Newport Beach, where he is
President of the Lido Island Homeowner’s
Association. In my years of acting as Class
Reporter, I have learned to try to squeeze the most
from the few responses that I get for each article.
Although I normally cull the information and editorialize, this one I think I better just quote verbatim.
My old friend Jay Gould reports: “I know you have
heard from the grapevine . . . that I haven’t worked
since 1991; that I have been sailing in the South
Pacific for the last 10 years; that I have been
adopted by a significant family in Vanuatu; and,
that I have clubbed to death several wild pigs as
part of their Grade Taking Ceremonies, and I am
now a middle level Chief within the country of
Vanuatu – for real! – I am a member of the Council
of Chiefs in the village of Labultamata, Pentecost,
Vanuatu. Now, what you haven’t heard is that I
have stopped sailing and sold my boat; that I am in
the process of divorce #3, that I now live in
Melbourne, Australia, and that I have a new
personal and business partner – Pauline Phuong
Truong – an Australian Vietnamese attorney who
left Vietnam during 1977 at the age of 3 in the
bottom of a fishing boat (she is one of the first
Vietnamese migrants to Australia); that we have
formed a company ... for the purpose of facilitating
introductions between Vietnamese businesses
and Western businesses in Europe and the United
States. ...” Jay, thank you for making this gig interesting. Jay is going to be in Los Angeles in
September 2001. I hope to meet with him and I
will report back to you in the next issue. I won’t
be taking my pet pig. Because I am doing this in
mostly alphabetical order, Don McNelley falls into
the “how do I follow that” position. Don is practicing
as a sole practitioner in Indian Wells. He has been
married to Lovelace since 1965 and has 3 children and 7 grandchildren ranging in age from 18
to 9. Will he be the first in our class to reach great
grandfather status? Don is a member of the Board
of Trustees of St. Margaret’s Episcopal School and
8
On the Honor Roll
Michele Anthony ’80 was one of 25 U.S. busi-
nesswomen honored by NOW Legal Defense
and Education Fund at “Aiming High: A
Celebration of the Power of Women,” marking
NOW Legal Defense’s 30th anniversary. She is
executive vice president of Sony Music
Entertainment.
a member of the Board of Directors of FIND,
Coachella Valley Food Bank. As to my inquiry
about retirement, he replied, “I thought about
retiring sometime soon, but somehow word got
out to my creditors and all opposing counsel. They
quickly banded together and got an injunction,
enjoining me from having any more thoughts of
retirement and ordering me to continue working
indefinitely.” Robert Schibel is living in Pacific
Palisades and practicing as a certified family law
specialist in Santa Monica. Ben (“Bunky”) Schuck
reports from Ventura that he got married in
December 2000. Sounds like a match made in
heaven as his wife Lani likes to surf, fish and ride
with Bunky on his Harley. He is still working hard,
with 3 kids in college now and 2 more to start
soon. However, he still has time for his numerous
community service activities and to hunt with Dick
Dombrow at least once a year. Pete Williams indicates that he has slowed down considerably in his
law practice and plans to travel a bit more when his
kids leave the nest. His daughter Katie has already
done so, turning down Stanford among others to
attend USC as a Trustee Scholar at the Marshall
School of Business. Of course, Pete still has plenty
of time for golf and notes that he just spent more
money on 2 new golf clubs for his wife than he
spent on his first car. No big deal Pete, I remember
that car. Maybe he is playing cupid as well. I know
he has a regular USC golf game with Tom Walley
and Trav Wood (Joe Jaconi, too). Pete reports that
Tom is “set to tie the knot with a beautiful new
lady” and I know Trav is planning to get married
soon as well. Sorry, but with Gould, Schuck, Walley
and Wood, this is turning into a matrimonial report.
As for me, Bob Rosenberg, I am still practicing
mostly real estate as a sole practitioner in Beverly
Hills. My son Todd just started in the MBA program
CLASS NOTES
at USC, and my daughter Allison (who is an advertising executive) just moved into a new house with
her husband. My wife Jackie has just been interviewed by the Los Angeles Times for a feature
article on her business, “Babies First Class”.
Hopefully, that is my retirement.
Bob Rosenberg, Class Reporter
rir@jwdb.com
>
Class of 1971
First of all, for those of you who were not able to
attend our 30th Year Reunion – we missed you!
It was a wonderful event and a great opportunity
to renew old acquaintances. Lynn D. Feiger
attended with her husband, John A. Woodruff
(“Woody”). They have one son, Joshua, who is old
enough to stay home and watch himself while
Mom and Dad are off gallivanting around. Lynn has
resided in the Denver, Colorado, area since graduating Law School. Her practice concentrates on
employment and civil rights problems. I was
pleased to learn that she tried the first sexual
harassment case under Title VII in the United
States. Congratulations, Lynn! She and Woody are
avid sailors and enjoy cycling, skiing, traveling and
fixing up old houses. Barbara Gordon, whom this
reporter has not seen in almost 20 years, came
down from Kentfield, California, to enjoy the
evening. She has three sons, Benjamin, 21 years
and her 18-year-old twins, Charlie and Michael.
She was formerly a partner at Howard, Rice, Nemo
et al. but withdrew after the birth of the twins. We
can all imagine what life must have been like with
three small children at home! Her specialty is
commercial law and bankruptcy. Rumor has it that
she may be moving to one of the Southern
California beach cities in the near future. We look
forward to seeing you, Barbara. I had a wonderful
time at the reunion sharing the evening with
Edward R. Gilda and his wife Karen. Ed maintained a practice in Monterey, California for many,
many years and commuted daily from Big Sur. But
as things would have it two more people moved
into the Big Sur area and he felt it was becoming
a little too crowded. So, he and the family picked
up sticks and moved north to Petrolia, California.
Ed is no longer practicing law. He and his wife own
Moving? Keep us up to date by
filling out an address change form at
[ www.law.usc.edu/alumni ]
or by calling (213) 740-6143
USC LAW fall 2001
61
G R A D UAT E S
CLASS NOTES
and operate the Lost Coast Lodge. I understand
that they have a lot more breathing room. It was
great renewing my relationship with Ed and Karen.
Barry A. Currier, who was not able to make the
reunion, called and asked me to extend his special
regrets. Barry recently resigned as Dean of the
Cumberland School of Law at Samford University
in Birmingham, Alabama. He has accepted an
appointment as Deputy Consultant on Legal
Education at the American Bar Association. The
A.B.A. is the national accrediting authority for legal
education. In his new position, among other things,
Barry will work on issues improving the quality of
legal education. Barry and his wife, Marilyn, now
live in downtown Chicago and commute to their
getaway in Sonoma, California, as often as
possible. They have one daughter, Christine, who
is a special education teacher in Minneapolis and
a son who is currently an executive in the technology industry in San Francisco, California. They
have one grandchild, Wesley. Keep up the good
work Barry. A special guest at the reunion was a
Black graduate of the Law School Class of 1946,
Judge James Reese (retired). Paul Morantz is
currently writing a book on the organization
Synanon. Paul has spent his life working to bring
to court such cults and brainwashing organizations
that kidnap people. Because of his investigations
Paul has feared for his life and he has been under
police protection three times during his career.
ShowTime is producing a movie based on his life
and book. Interestingly, Lance Spiegel shared with
all of us his experience in trying his very first case.
It was before Judge Reese and Lance won. We
were all pleased to have one of the Class of 1971
Scholarship Fund recipients, Mr. Timothy Becker,
as another guest that evening. Professor Michael
Shapiro has not lost that wonderful dry sense of
humor and sharp wit. He was definitely a plus that
evening. In closing, I would like to thank a most
special guest, Dean Matthew L. Spitzer. Dean
Spitzer is a brilliant conversationalist and was an
outstanding guest speaker. We all wish him much
success as he leads the USC Law School into the
21st century. Have a wonderful New Year. See you
in the spring.
Joseph E. Porter, III, Class Reporter
Porter3law@home.com
62
USC LAW fall 2001
>
Class of 1972
My usual trolling letter and questionnaire to our
classmates were casualties to two real estate
transactions during the weeks before the article
deadline. We sold a historic Center City Philadelphia
building to a Swiss insurance company and a new
hotel in Andover, Massachusetts, to private
investors. So I took to the telephone instead and
had some enjoyable conversations, which I recount
here. Neil Bahan was in New Zealand in July on
vacation with his daughters. He visited Australia
and Maui with them before returning to his Irvine
office. Neil resides permanently in Ketchum, Idaho,
but he practices law in Irvine and typically spends
the business week there. It goes without saying
that Neil is also a private pilot. Dick Davis
commented from his Pasadena home that he
considers himself to be the all-time luckiest person
in the world despite a recent hospital stay caused
by pneumonia. Dick has been widowed many
years and reminded me that when he graduated
from Stanford only one of our first-year professors
had been born. In other words, law was Dick’s
second career. He speaks fondly of Tom Harney
with whom he has maintained a bi-coastal friendship over the years. Tom practices in Atlanta at a
large firm, Kilpatrick Stockton, which I encounter
in my land development activities there. When we
spoke, Tom said that he and family have resided in
Atlanta since graduation. He speaks with the same
deliberate pace today as he did in 1972. Mark
Fredkin has practiced law in San Jose with the
same firm for over 25 years and specializes in
complicated civil litigation. He completed three jury
trials this year. Mark’s partners are friends with
whom he attended Stanford as an undergraduate.
He is married with two daughters, one of whom
is a second year law student at UCLA. Mark spent
eight years as City Councilman and Mayor of his
hometown, Montesereno, enough politics for a lifetime. The Fredkins enjoyed a vacation in Santa
Fe this summer. John Johnson, a Los Angeles
Superior Court Commissioner, spoke to me from his
chambers to report a recent transfer in responsibilities. He presides over an Early Disposition Court
which has been created to respond to the 1-day, 1trial rule for jurors in California. Because of the rule,
jurors are at a premium and the system is
responding in Compton with John’s hearings to
resolve felony cases by stipulation prior to trial. This
“worker bee of the judicial system” will enjoy a
week of vacation with his wife Robin and their
daughter in Washington, D.C., this summer. Robin
is a clinical professor at the USC medical campus.
John is a close friend of Rick Edwards who has
been encouraging him to seek appointment as a
Superior Court Judge. Rick had just returned from
a July vacation in St. Petersburg, Russia, where he
is building a dacha in his wife’s village! Russ
Kidder spoke to me from his Newport Beach
office about his financial consulting business,
Quadrille Corporation. He has been in business
over seven years providing investment financing to
small companies. Sometimes he consults on how
best to take a company public. Other times he
procures financing for a small public company in a
growth mode. Either way, his sources in Europe
provide the dollars and an opportunity for Russ
to spend time abroad on business and pleasure.
Russ enjoys his work and has no plans to retire.
He says the flexibility that he enjoys could not be
improved. He plans a Colorado trip to visit a son
and daughter who both live there. Russ mentioned
that the exploits of Tom Gasparini on the golf
course at Cota de Casa merit my recording them
here. I will give Tom a rebuttal in the next column.
Ellen Kehr is a Deputy Attorney General in Los
Angeles, the same office where Earl Plowman
works. She has been in the job since graduation
and enjoys writing appellate briefs enough to have
just finished a 300-page response in a death
penalty case. She is also a passionate quilter and
hopes to enter the Los Angeles County Fair
competition this year with one of her best. Ellen
resides in Los Angeles with her husband, also an
attorney, and two daughters. Her older daughter
will graduate from USC Law School next June,
exactly 30 years after us! Whew! Ellen mentioned
seeing Frances Noble at a recent book signing
and commented on how well she looked. The
conversation with Ellen reminded me of the potential for a Class of 1972 Reunion next year to mark
30 years after our graduation. I hope to see
everyone then.
Jack Baker, Class Reporter
jbaker@brickstone.com
G R A D UAT E S
>
Class of 1977
Fantastic trips, professional achievements, and
kids seem to be the themes of your responses to
this year’s questionnaire. Before updating you on
our individual classmates’ activities, two class-wide
pieces of news. First, believe it or not, next June
will mark the 25th anniversary of our graduation.
By the time you read this, plans for a 25-year
reunion should be well underway. Please participate in the event planning to the extent that you
are able and, most importantly, do come to the
reunion party. The 20-year reunion was much
more enjoyable than many of us thought it would
be and, with good planning and a big turnout, this
one can be even better. Second, I am happy to
report that the recipient of the Class of 1977
Scholarship this year is Mr. Sachin Mehta, a
second-year student, who graduated from UCLA
in 1999; he is interested in medical malpractice
and insurance law. On to the news about our
classmates: Bill Banning practices with Banning
Micklow Bull & Lopez LLP in San Diego. Started in
1998, the firm specializes in representing plaintiffs
in catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death
claims and insurance bad faith cases. Bill reports
that he his having more fun and making more
money that when he was a partner in a big firm. He
and his wife have three daughters and two sons.
Dan Beharry has left private practice in
Connecticut after 23 years, with a brief interlude
at an in-house position. He is now in a more business-oriented position with Chardan Ventures,
located in Solana Beach. He has been married to
his wife Paula since 1974 and they have two
daughters, Sarah, age 18, who is off to college this
fall, and Meghan, age 12. Jeff Carlisle continues in
insurance coverage work at Lynberg & Watkins
and is the Managing Shareholder of that firm. He
just survived one of those milestone birthdays that
shall always pass unmentioned in this column. His
eldest son Kellen is off to college, his son Brandon
is a junior in high school, and daughter Chelsea
is in sixth grade. Dolores Cordell continues her
solo employment law practice, advising small and
medium-sized businesses. Both of her children are
on their own now, allowing her new freedom.
Dolores recently spent a week of English Country
Dancing in Mendocino and has been attending a
lot of costume balls; she reports that she owns 20
evening gowns, including re-creations of 19th
century gowns, with metal boning, hoop skirts, and
the lot. Mary Ann Galante continues to work in the
Riverside County Public Defender’s office and
focuses on death penalty cases. She recently won
a not guilty verdict in a first-degree murder case,
after the jury deliberated for only two hours. She
has also been promoted to a management position in her office, supervising felony trial attorneys.
Eric Goldner practices family law, including divorce
and adoption. Married in 1998 to Kathleen Hall,
Eric goes to Maui as much as possible and raises
money for cancer research through a group called
the Concern Foundation. Susan Grode heads the
Entertainment/IP/New Media practice at Katten,
Muchin & Zavis. Under her leadership, the department has grown from 6 to 25 lawyers. Susan is
the grandmother of twins and continues to serve
on the Board of the Center Theater Group at the
Music Center, among other charitable and pro
bono activities. She recently spent a month in
Tuscany with family and friends, living in a farm
house in the middle of a working vineyard. Nancy
McClelland chairs the Labor and Employment
Practice Group at Gibson Dunn & Crutcher. She
and her family recently returned from a trip to
Japan and she is planning to explore Cuba in
November. Nancy and her husband have been
married for 37 years and lived in the same house
for 24 years. Her daughter Kamen now lives in
Walnut Creek and daughter K.C. recently returned
to L.A. from Boston. Rob Nau practices in Century
City with Alexander, Nau, Lawrence & Frumes and
lives in Beverly Hills. Rob Owens still practices and
also co-owns the Provo Angels minor league
baseball team. The team is the Pioneer League
affiliate of the Anaheim Angels and Rob promises
free tickets to any class members who go to Provo,
as well as discounted rates at a hotel in Provo.
He encourages people to check out the team’s
website at www.provoangels.com. Linda Pethick
practices in Irvine and sends her best to everyone.
John Holmes Serrano practices personal injury
and criminal law in San Diego. He is happily
married with five sons, ranging from 8 to 28. He
works with the Boy Scouts and his church and also
CLASS NOTES
had a recent unspeakable milestone birthday. Matt
Spitzer reports that what he does professionally is
adequately described elsewhere in this magazine.
He has now been married 28 years; he and Jean
have a 14-year-old daughter, Amanda, and a 3year-old dog. They are looking forward to a cruise
in June 2002. Commissioner Bobbi Tillmon was
kind enough to host several high school students
on a tour of her family law courtroom in Santa
Monica last fall; by random chance, the group
included your class reporter’s daughter Alexandra.
Mark Van Brussell chairs the labor and employment department of the Sacramento office of
Seyfarth Shaw. He has a case pending before the
California Supreme Court. He and his wife have
been married 27 years and have three kids, ages
14-20. They recently had a three-week trip to
Europe. He also reports that he enjoyed working
as co-counsel on matters with classmates Bob
Evner and Dwight Armstrong. Ed Walton
continues to practice in San Diego. The ever lovely
Noreen teaches at Poway High. One of their sons,
Luke, was captain of Cal’s undefeated national
championship crew team and was named twice to
the All-Pac-10 team. Your reporter continues to
practice at the Los Angeles office of White &
Case, where he heads the litigation department
and has deeply enmeshed in energy litigation this
year. He and Katie just returned from a vacation in
Scotland. Michael Yuskis is a realtor in Newport
Beach, specializing in apartment sales and investment properties. He divides his time between
Newport Beach, Palm Desert, and Maui. Please
feel free to send me any information about yourself or any of our classmates any time throughout
the year. Stay in touch.
Dan Woods, Class Reporter
>
Class of 1981
Sincere condolences to Ron St. John on the
untimely death of his stepson, Jordan, in April
2001. Jordan was a promising football player at
Orange Coast College and died in a head-on automobile collision just three weeks before his 18th
birthday. There is a memorial website at
http//jordanconnolly.netfirms.com. Trudi Foutts
Loh is actively involved in politics. She is currently
USC LAW fall 2001
63
G R A D UAT E S
CLASS NOTES
the National Chair of the Women’s Leadership
Forum of the Democratic Committee. She is also
a founding Advisory Board Member of the
Women’s Vote Center and served as a member of
Al Gore’s Finance Council in the last presidential
election. She has been married for 17 years to
Dr. Irv. Loh and has two middle school-age daughters who are involved in music and volleyball. David
Dick is a partner at the recently formed San Diego
firm of Hogan, Guiney & Dick, LLP. He primarily
represents developers and specializes in real
estate and business transactions. He has also
been married for 17 years to Mary Alice Godfrey
and has four children, a boy (12) and three girls
(10, 7 and 4). They live in Point Loma near married
classmates Michael O’Halloran and Margaret
Mann. David has served as a member of the San
Diego Housing Commission since 1984 and has
been active in local politics. Kevin Marcy lives in
Malibu with his fiancé Abigail and their two
Arabian horses. Kevin is currently executive
producing the biopic of Jackie Gleason titled “The
Great One” for HBO. Classmate Paul Levine is
negotiating his deal.
John B. Jameson, Class Reporter
>
Class of 1985
Despite the fact that I am currently lounging on a
spectacularly clear aquamarine Maui beach, with
my ever incredible wife and two handsome and
talented boys (who are presently utilizing their
talents to drown one another) (“Scott, please stop
pouring sand in your brother’s snorkel while he’s
trying to look at the fish!”), I am so dedicated to
you, my classmates, that I am spending part of my
vacation writing this article in order to beat the
publishing deadline. Not. “Another Mai Tai, please.”
[TWO WEEKS LATER] I’m now back at work. But
Hawaii was great! I’d suggest we have our next
reunion there, but Todd Anderson has a better
idea: Apparently after building 13 million square
feet of warehouses, Todd needed a new challenge,
so he purchased a 300-year-old Italian villa,
complete with its own church, houses, wine
making facilities, and 300-year-old plumbing. Todd
has offered it up for our 20th reunion so long as
we promise to bring a wrench, some spackle, and
64
USC LAW fall 2001
On the Honor Roll
Phyllis Shibata ’81 was named a commissioner
of the Los Angeles County Superior Court,
presiding over a misdemeanor criminal calendar
court in West Covina. She previously served as
a deputy public defender in Los Angeles and
Riverside counties.
plenty of TP. He decided to buy it after the last
annual summer get-together with the Paul Smith,
Ted Moreton, Tom Myers, Lou Raymond, and Pat
and Rhea [Caras] Rendon families resulted in 21
kids!!! running amuck around his yard. Paul is
personally responsible for SIX of them (he added
one since the last article, just to make sure he was
mentioned this time); Todd is up to four with his
new child. And speaking of one of my favorite
subjects – other people’s babies – rumor has it
that Sam Kraemer has surrounded himself with
women, adding a third daughter and a female dog
to his family; and Stuart Tochner and his wife Betty
are expecting twins in the fall. Thanks to Sandra
Kossacoff for the news, though how she has time
for her classmates with her busy schedule is
beyond me. Consider this: Sandra spent her 40th
birthday in London, then on safari in Kenya; she
followed this with some quick scuba lessons for
a trip to Florida where she visited sharks (I don’t do
Lawyer Jokes), before heading off to the Great
Barrier Reef to visit more sharks (I still don’t do
Lawyer Jokes) and plan her winter ski trip which
will coincide with her attendance at the 2002
Olympic games in Salt Lake City. Can a visit to an
Italian Villa be far behind? AND NOW FOR
SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT: Don’t
you love hearing about how some of us are doing
things outside the law? Like Larry Vanden Bos’s
food business and Todd Anderson’s development
business? Well how about this: Rob Yarin, who
used to commute to D.C. every week for two years
producing “Chris Matthews’ Hardball” on CNBC, is
now a “consultant” with Frank Magid Associates,
“one of the world’s premier media and entertainment research and consultation companies” (at
least according to the web site). I still don’t know
what Rob does, but I’m sure his three sons are
grateful for the change in commute. (Thanks to
Number One Field Correspondent and Permanent
Winner Of The Something Completely Different
Award Amy Trask for the head’s up.) Donald
McConnell left lawyering ... but did not get very far.
A future Chris Stone, Donald is now an Assistant
Professor at Trinity Law School in Santa Ana
where he teaches something that sounds way too
much like the incomprehensible (I mean “incomparable”) LL&E: “Legal Institutions and Values.”
After ten years helping to build Nextel
Communications into a national wireless company,
perpetual entrepreneur Joe Deni founded
Nextgen Power Systems, now “a leading supplier
of on-site power reliability systems” (huh?), with 10
offices nationwide and $50 million in annual sales.
(I’ll have to ask our other Energy Dudes, Alan
Waskin [Indeck Energy], John Lamb [Enron Wind]
and Phil Schnorbach [now with Texas
Independent Energy in Dallas] what the heck this
means. Sounds good, anyway.) I’m not sure what
Jim O’Brien is doing, but based on his cheesy
website photo, it can’t involve too much stressful
law because he doesn’t seem to be aging. Check
it out . (Hint: he’s the guy with no tie.) Thanks to
Steve Vining for the excellent internet sleuthing
(i.e., blame Steve, Jim, if you get a bunch of spam
e-mail after this is published.) WE ARE VERY
COOL: This new category is to celebrate
Catherine (Batson) Bauer’s entertaining and
insightful article in a Bankruptcy Reporter about
the meaning of life ... from the perspective of an
unemployed future judge. Really. You can find it
in Lexis’ “Bankruptcy Law Newsletters” library by
conducting the following search: “hideous and
suicidal and (‘got a package’ w/20 vacation) and
“great looking in-house attorney” and (lifemates
w/3 “freak out”) and (laid w/5 “good thing”) and
fistfight.” (Thanks to Teri (Groves) Paul for the tip,
though I’m proud to say I figured out the search
logic all by myself.) By the way, did you see the
reports on Pam Koslyn’s major $14.3 million
verdict ($10 million in punitives) against Death
Row Records and Suge Knight? Quite the story.
Congrats, Pam. CLASSMATE SITINGS: Jill Lifter
went to court to argue a summary judgment
motion in “an intriguing sexual assault case” and
found herself face to face with ... Marc Sherman.
Scarey. Ty Posser surfaced recently ... in a sushi
G R A D UAT E S
line ... in front of Amy Trask (who gets mentioned
twice because she sent me some good stuff for
this article). Ty, reportedly “looking distinguished
and prosperous” (are you sure it was Ty, Amy?) and
living with his wife and two children in “swanky
Oakland Hills” is a real estate partner with the S.F.
office of Baker & A Ton Of Other Attorneys
Around The World. Speaking of Amy, she was
seen recently on the witness stand in an L.A.
Superior Court, quietly reminding herself why she
left the law to join pro football’s elites. In the small
world department, the L.A. Times reporter
covering the trial turned out to be “best of friends”
with our own Mark Werksman. Verdict, shmerdict,
Amy, it’s time to play football! QUICK UPDATE:
Terry Gill is now with the really big Denver firm of
Sherman and Howard ( but no cheesy photo). I
invite you to stop by and visit Terry ... during the
winter ... with your skis. John Gottes has figured
out how to avoid those pesky client calls in the
middle of the night ... he now represents the dead
(conservatorships, trusts and decedents’ estates if
you want to get technical). (Actually, John still gets
contacted, just not by phone. Ooooohhhh.) With
over 30 jury trials under his belt, David Carothers
is now the managing partner of the San Diego
office of Carlton, DiSante & Freudenberger (check
out his cheesy photo at www.cdflaborlaw.com). But
he must have caught the Todd Anderson bug
because he is spending most of his time (and
money) fixing up his recently-purchased 100year-old house. (Dave, take heart, your plumbing is
200 years more modern than Todd’s!) Gary Ross
has entered himself in the Cheesy Photo contest,
with an EXTREMELY strong showing at
www.rossandmorrison.com. Gary is a featured
speaker at this fall’s CEB “Fundamentals of
Employment Law” seminar. Speaking of irony, I like
Frank Liberatore’s tag line on his website at
www.Jacksonlewis.com: “All we do is work.” Your
Faithful Scribe is doing the same old stuff:
mediating, teaching (negotiations and mediation)
at the Law School, litigating, writing important
articles like this, being a dad, and just trying
to be a good human. Keep in touch ... please.
’Til next time,
Mike Young, Class Reporter
On the Honor Roll
John W. Heilman ’82 was elected to his fifth term
as mayor of West Hollywood in April. His
accomplishments as mayor include establishing
the West Hollywood Community Housing
Corp. and helping to create the city’s recycling
program.
>
Class of 1986
Forget President Bush and Governor Davis, we’ve
got our own politico right here in the Class of
1986. Steve Del Guercio was the top vote-getter
in the La Canada Flintridge City Council election
and is serving a four-year term. Of course he
couldn’t have done it without the indomitable help
of Armen Hairapetian, Sam Balisy, and your
intrepid Class Reporter. Another government legal
eagle is Pat Hanly, who is an Assistant United
States Attorney in Sacramento, where he fights
crime on a daily basis putting narcotic and white
collar criminals behind bars. Billie Jan Goldstein,
on the other hand, keeps the government in check
as an Assistant Public Defender in Miami, Florida
and in her first case overturned the 7-year
sentence of a 19 year-old defendant. Closer to
home, Anthony Miera, is Deputy City Attorney, Civil
Liability Division for the City of Los Angeles. Tony
married Kimberly Dawn Phillips in September
1999. Apologies to Lance Gams – he’s not a
district attorney in Santa Monica. Lance, who left
his partnership in Downtown after 14 years of
fond memories and incredible litigation experience,
is Deputy City Attorney for the City of Santa
Monica. In his free time, Lance “chills” with the
likes of Chris Kanjo, Tom Larkins, and Phil Ewen.
Brian Cohen is President of Farmers Financial
Solutions, LLC, and also serves as Chairman of the
Board of the Wellness Community, West Los
Angeles, which is devoted to providing free
psychological support to people fighting cancer.
Brian and his wife are raising their two children,
Sarah and Claire. Andrea White is in charge of
Strategy, Policy & Governance for Toyota’s
eBusiness group. Congratulations to Michael
DaSilva who received the California State Bar’s
Wiley Manuel Award for Pro Bono Service for
CLASS NOTES
2000. David Voss and his wife Allison are
expecting their first child and, when he’s not practicing law at his firm, Dave races sailboats and
spends time at vacation homes in Cabo San Lucas
and at June Lake. So, Dave, can we use the Cabo
place over Spring break? David Olson is practicing
at Agapay, Levyn & Halling and also plays for Stern
Punishment, a lawyers league softball team
comprised of Scott Foraker , Fred James, Mark
Kitabayashi, Bob Mitrovich, and Lance Gams. The
name represents the team’s single-minded
purpose of defeating a competing team led by
Marc Stern. Keith Robinson recently won a trial
that imposed crushing punitive damages on the
other side. Congratulations to Robert Chavez and
wife Christina who welcomed their third
child, Chloe Anne Roberta, in June, and to
Melissa Cohen who is expecting her second child
in August.
C. Dana Hobart, Class Reporter
HobartD@HBDlawyers.com
>
Class of 1987
Lisa Kloppenberg has recently been appointed
Dean of the University of Dayton School of Law.
Lisa is one of only 25 women nationwide who
serve as the dean of a law school and she is one
of the youngest law school deans in the country.
Donald C. Miller and his wife, Beth, recently celebrated their 17th wedding anniversary. The Millers
live in La Canada Flintridge and have two children—Buckley (age 7) and Haley (age 4). Don is a
civil litigator, with an emphasis on general business
and real estate matters at Sandler and Rosen, LLP,
in Los Angeles. Allison Hope Weiner reports that
after a few years of free-lance writing she has
accepted a position as a staff writer at
Entertainment Weekly. Although she is officially
out of the practice of law, many of her stories
involve legal issues. Allison is also completing work
on her second book, which is in development at
“Showtime.” Lisa F. Hinchliffe is still trying to solve
the work-family balance mystery by dividing her
time between her part-time Of Counsel job, her
family (sons are 9 and 5 years old) and volunteer
activities. Lisa is still practicing labor and employment law at Baker & Hostetler LLP (14 years in
USC LAW fall 2001
65
G R A D UAT E S
CLASS NOTES
one place!). Pegine E. Grayson has accepted the
position of Executive Director of the Western
Center on Law & Poverty. Pegine can be reached
at pgrayson@wclp.org. Harmon M. Kaslow is
President of Kismet Entertainment Group. He is
the Executive Producer of “Night of the
Werewolves.” Harmon and his wife, Vivian, have
three boys Aharon (10), Arthur (3), Ben (1) and
are expecting their fourth child. Jordi Stringfellow
reports that the last decade has included ten years
as a television business affairs executive and
raising her two children, Stevie (11) and Samantha
(8), with her husband of 17 years, Dean. Jordi’s
volunteer efforts have ranged from Cub Scout
leader to a member of City of Hope’s “Campaign
Genetics” Committee where she has spoken at
several events regarding her successful fight
against breast cancer. Sandra J. Harris is the
Associate Regional Director, Enforcement for the
Securities and Exchange Commission. Earlier this
year, she addressed representatives from over 20
countries at the International Organization of
Securities Commissions’ Conference on Market
Manipulation in Beijing, China. Susan M. CarterSooHoo divides her time between her job as
Assistant Claims Counsel at LandAmerica and
family life with husband Jon and their three boys
– C.J. (8), Dalton (5) and Tanner (1 1/2). Thomas
J. Pierry, III and his wife, Suzanne, are the proud
parents of Daniel, their one-year-old boy. Tom has
modestly avoided reporting the success of his
argument before the United States Supreme
Court (Rambo v. Metropolitan Stevedore). That
case extended injured longshoreperson’s rights to
possible future worker’s compensation. James N.
Bianco taught a course in Criminal Procedure at
the Law School last fall and will teach the same
course this year. Jim received the Byron Appleton
Pro Bono Award from the Santa Monica Bar
Association earlier this year. John M. Espar has
moved to his hometown, Michigan City, Indiana,
and opened a general practice law office. John
also serves part time as a County Prosecutor and
the City Attorney. Lorraine M. Daly continues to
serve as the General Counsel at Axium. Last year
she bought a home in Redondo Beach where she
continues to pursue her favorite hobby, road
cycling. Lorraine’s cycling has included three trips
8
66
USC LAW fall 2001
On the Honor Roll
Deborah S. Thoren-Peden ’82 was awarded the
California Bankers Association’s 2001 Robert
Frandzel Award for providing superior legal
assistance to the state’s banking industry. Ms.
Thoren-Peden serves on the association’s regulatory compliance committee.
to France to partake in the most challenging
mountain rides in that country. While his wife works
as a CPA, Nicolai Anikouchine has left the practice of law and works entirely in music. He has a
professional group, a college group, a high school
group and a church gig. Touring with these groups
has taken Nicolai to Russia, Finland, Hungary,
Austria, Czech Republic and Hawaii. The Russian
Government recently confirmed that before the
revolution, the Czar granted the noble title of
Prince to the Anikouchine family.
Jon Robertson, Class Reporter
>
Class of 1989
Thanks to those who replied to the most recent
questionnaire. If you have not responded recently,
please take a few minutes to e-mail
(Jzarian@fogzlaw.com) or write me in care of the
Law School, any time, so I can include your
updates in future columns. ... Darren Aitken and
Rich Cohn are partners in practice with Darren’s
father, Wylie Aitken. Their firm, renamed Aitken,
Aitken & Cohn specializes in plaintiff’s tort litigation. Rich is president of the Orange County Trial
Lawyers Association, while Darren serves on the
boards of the Constitutional Rights Foundation
and the Public Law Center. ... Matt Cavanaugh is
now with Akim, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld LLP
(Los Angeles), following the recent merger of his
law firm. Matt reports parting with a significant
other, but has picked up a dog and a rabbit and
claims to be “way ahead.” Matt also reports that
Michael Baranov has an office in the same
building. ... Turner Swan has accepted a position
as General Counsel of Causeway Capital
Management LLC (Los Angeles), a start-up investment adviser firm to mutual funds and institutions.
... Judith Seeds Miller is a name partner in the San
Moving? Keep us up to date by
filling out an address change form at
[ www.law.usc.edu/alumni ]
or by calling (213) 740-6143
Fernando Valley law firm of Davis, Miller &
Neumeister, specializing in immigration and naturalization law. She reports regular contact with
Patsy (Wright) Stout and Sharon Bryan. ... Warren
Hodges is now Of Counsel to the Pasadena law
firm of Bensinger, Grayson, Ritt, Gee & Botterud,
which specializes in employment and business litigation. Warren was married last year (Audrey), and
the couple welcomed their first child (Natalie) in
2001. ... Maryann Kelly was also recently married,
in November of 1999 (Michael Martin), and
welcomed a son (Loyal Seamus) last year.
Maryann is a financial advisor and partner on a
Wealth Management Team at PaineWebber,
focusing on cash management and personal
investing strategies. ... Adding to the list of nuptials,
Hope Mortimer was married last year on New
Year’s Eve (Stephen Pilch) and honeymooned in
Brazil. She reports that Christine (Lang)
MacMahan (Charlotte, NC), Karen (Goldberg)
Dinino and Theresa Patzakis all attended her
wedding. Hope has joined Gap, Inc. (San
Francisco) as Senior Director, Real Estate Strategy
for Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy stores. ...
Kurt Bridgman has joined the law firm of Low, Ball
& Lynch (San Francisco) and continues to practice
litigation. ... Brad Kuenning now maintains offices
in Pasadena and Woodland Hills. ... Lisa Mead was
promoted to Associate Dean of the Law School in
July 2001 and is now responsible for student
advising, student counseling and the clinical
internship program. ... Deborah Cantrell is stepping
down as executive director of the Western Center
on Law and Poverty to join the faculty at Yale Law
School. ... Howard Teichner is Vice President of
Great West Egg Industries (Los Angeles), packers
of fresh and frozen egg products. ... Renata Turner
continues to practice law in Atlanta, Georgia, and
is counsel for the Domestic Violence Program for
the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation. ...
Weighing in with a most colorful news item, Brett
Williamson, who is still with O’Melveny & Myers,
recently was a finalist in Parker Bros.’ annual
MONOPOLY® tournament in Sarasota, Florida.
... And I remain a partner in the law firm of
Friedemann, O’Brien, Goldberg & Zarian LLP (Los
Angeles), specializing in complex business, intellectual property and commercial litigation. Showing
G R A D UAT E S
early symptoms of a mid-life crisis, I climbed White
Mountain Peak (14,250 ft.) this summer. ... Please
keep sending your updates!
Best regards.
John N. Zarian, Class Reporter
>
Class of 1990
BBQ HIGHLIGHTS: Well, we could not have
asked for nicer weather for our first Reunion BBQ.
It was great to see everyone again and to meet
some of the children and spouses whose names
have appeared in our articles. The young kids
ruled, and kept busy with the monkey bars,
bubbles, s’mores and swings. We would like to
thank Bruce Lathrop and Christine Lawton’s
husband, Curt Wilson, for keeping the BBQs
going, and send out a special thanks to Delia
Swan and her daughter Jenny Meyer for setting
up the croquet court. Bruce attended the BBQ
with his wife Justine, daughter Lindsay and son
John, who was resting comfortably in utero. (John
was born just 3 weeks later!) Other classmates
in attendance were Christine Lawton (with Curt,
and daughters Eleanor and Audrey), Sue (Odell)
McGinnis (with husband Matt, and twins Nicole
and Luke), Doug Emhoff (with son Cole and
daughter Ella), Lori Loo (with daughter Delaney
and son Quinten), Mark Feldman, Amy (Del Pero)
Hoff (with son Alec), Dorit (Rubinstein) Saines,
John Nantroup (in from Simi on his Harley, with
college-bound daughter Jennifer), and Greg Nylen
(in from Topanga, with wife Mary Ann Frericks).
THOSE REGRETTABLY MISSINg: Of course, we
missed all of you! Living out-of-town prevented
many classmates from attending the BBQ, and
birthday parties and travel kept a few more of you
away. We received regrets from Marc Goodman,
who was attending a toddler party with son
Alexander at Chuck E. Cheese, and Chris Olsen
and Cheryl (Wright) Olsen, who were busy in
Valencia with back-to-back birthday parties for
their two girls, Carly and Olivia. Matt Koart was in
England with his family of 5. Alexandra (Day)
Montgomery was at Stanford Sierra Camp on
Fallen Leaf Lake with her beau Sidney and his two
sons, Evan and Kendall. (This was Alexandra’s
15th trip to the Camp, and the 3rd trip for Sidney
CLASS NOTES
ALUMNI BOOKS
Why Our Drug Laws Have Failed and What We Can Do About It
Judge James P. Gray ’71 has spent much of his career observing how our
nation handles illegal drug use. He has fought for change in America’s drug
policies on more than 100 radio and TV shows, as well as at numerous
nationwide drug forums. Now, drawing on his extensive experience as a
federal prosecutor, criminal defense attorney, and congressional candidate, Judge Gray — of the Superior Court in Orange County, Calif. — has
written a scholarly book hailed by both critics and colleagues. With a sometimes stinging portrayal of America’s failed war on drugs, Judge Gray
presents arguments for why a new and more effective national drug control
policy is needed — and how that policy can be created.
Divorce and Finances: Know Your Rights Clearly and Quickly
This 72-page book is a quick and easy read that defines what someone
should know before beginning to negotiate a marital settlement agreement.
A family law attorney with the Los Angeles law firm of Nachshin &
Weston, Stephanie I. Blum ’94 hopes Divorce and Finances, Know Your
Rights Clearly and Quickly is the first of many such books. “Most people
going through a divorce overlook many financial details that later come
back to haunt them,” Blum explains. “I’ve taken particular interest in
helping people circumvent long-term disappointment and to also help
them understand their most basic rights as they move through the divorce
process.”
The Situe Stories
The Situe, or Arab grandmother, ties together the 11 short stories in this
collection published by Frances Khirallah Noble ’72. Drawn from Ms.
Noble’s own experience and the tales told by grandmothers, aunts and other
female relatives, The Situe Stories tell of immigrants torn between two
cultures, the lure of capitalist success versus the cost of assimilation, marital
and parental tensions, youth and age, innovation and tradition. With this
collection of tales about an extended Arab family in 20th-century America,
Ms. Noble proves to be a deft and accomplished novelist. A lawyer and
writer, Ms. Noble lives in Santa Monica with her husband and two children
and is at work on her next novel.
— Elina Agnoli
USC LAW fall 2001
67
G R A D UAT E S
CLASS NOTES
and his boys.) Pete Block was in Hawaii on a
much-deserved vacation (see Promotions and
Shuffles below), Mark Huang was out of the
country, and (Paul) Kevin Wood was out of town.
FAMILY BUSINESS: Laura Forbes and husband
Mike Huntley (MBA ’95) welcomed twin boys
Blake Cabot Huntley and Mitchell Louis Huntley
on November 28, 2000. The twins join big
brothers Nicholas (5) and Christopher (3?).
Anthony Rayburn and his wife, Cassandra Shivers,
have a 2-year-old daughter, Maureen Rose
Rayburn, and are expecting another child in
November. Shirley Paine discovered the man of
her dreams, Rowan Morrigan, at a workshop at
Esalen (in Big Sur). After trips to France and
Hawaii, the couple has settled in Bel Air, and
Shirley has transferred to Foley & Lardner’s Los
Angeles office. Shirley is a partner in the firm’s
Health Law Department, co-chair of the Health
Care Provider Law Practice Group and a member
of the Long Term Care Practice Group. PUBLIC
SERVICE: James Bozajian was re-elected to a
second, 4-year term on the Calabasas City
Council, and the Office of the U.S. Attorney in
Santa Ana can now count Robert Keenan among
its ranks. PROMOTIONS AND SHUFFLES: Lions
Gate Entertainment Corp. has named Peter Block
as President of Home Entertainment, Acquisitions
and New Media. In his new capacity, Pete will
direct a home video operation encompassing
three wholly-owned brands – Trimark, Studio and
Avalanche – each with a distinct product line. Pete
will also oversee various aspects of the TV
licensing department, including Pay-Per-View and
video on demand, especially as it pertains to
Internet venture CinemaNow (i.e. cinemanow.com).
Leah DeLancey has been elected to the Baker &
Hostetler partnership. Leah will continue to practice in the area of Tax, Personal Planning and
Employee Benefits in the firm’s Long Beach office.
Sherry (Maxwell) Du Pont has returned to
Southern California as Senior Counsel in Cox,
Castle & Nicholson’s Irvine office. You may recall
that Sherry left the Cox, Castle firm back in 1997
to work in Dallas, Texas, in the law department of
The Archon Group (a wholly-owned subsidiary of
Goldman, Sachs & Co.). Tod Devine, who had
spent some time at a Disney subsidiary, has
68
USC LAW fall 2001
On the Honor Roll
Stephen A. Del Guercio ’86 was elected to the La
Canada Flintridge City Council in March. Mr.
Del Guercio practices health and business law in
Los Angeles with Demetriou, Del Guercio,
Springer & Francis.
returned to The Walt Disney Company, where he
will rejoin the Technology Law Group. Gary
Sommerstein has left his in-house position at
Andrew Solt Productions for a corporate and
entertainment practice at Christensen, Miller, Fink,
Jacobs, Glaser, Weil & Shapiro, where he is Of
Counsel. (It should be noted that Christensen,
Miller was founded by USC Law alum Terry N.
Christensen ’65, and now includes O.J. Simpson
defense attorney Robert Shapiro among its partners.) SEEN AROUND TOWN: Jonathan Berger
graced The Shubert Theatre (Los Angeles) for a
performance of Dame Edna: The Royal Tour. And,
your class reporters joined Garry Marshall and
Jack Klugman for Charlayne Woodard’s In Real
Life at the Mark Taper Forum. Wishing you and
yours a fabulous Fall!
Mary Ann Soden, Class Reporter
masoden@hotmail.com
Molly Hansen, Class Reporter
mhansen@d2.com
>
Class of 1991
Ten years! Ten years since we sat and pondered
LL&E, torts a la Bice, contracts with the Cras and
life with Erwin ... ten years! For those of you who
enjoyed the reunion, and for those of us whom life
kept away, here are the latest sharings: Leslie
Davis, lesdavis@nvcourts.state.nv.us, writes from
the Nevada State Courts that she and husband
Pierre Picart have an 11-month-old son, Nathaniel.
Leslie asks us to overlook the fact that she isn’t
a better correspondent! Bill Scarff, reunion planner
extraordinaire, writes that and his family have
moved to Laguna Niguel. Wscarff@home.com.
Angela Ball writes in from San Francisco that her
son Zachary just turned two and “already he’s a
very stubborn boy.” She is still with Alameda
County, working as a research attorney assigned
to the Appellate Division and civil writs.
Aball@sct.mail.co.alameda.ca.us. Misty Scranton
reports in that she has a baby boy and is doing
well. Claire Sophia (Gyongyi) Bardos,
ClaireSophia@aol.com, finally reports in from the
mountains of New Mexico, and a cybercafe in
Brazil to tell us she legally changed her name to
Claire Sophia – although “anyone who can spell
and come close to pronouncing my Hungarian
name is welcome to continue using it!” She lives in
the mountains of New Mexico and is taking a
sabbatical from the law “to do the writing I’ve
always wanted to do.” Elizabeth Webb has taken
herself to Sussex, England, is divorced “happily”
and now owns a 27- bedroom hotel in Eastbourne
England – “a tourist spot on the Channel south
of London.” She writes, “I love it here in England
being a hotelier.” For those of you planning visits:
zbethwebb@aol.com. Cindy Aronberg, caronberg@earthlink.net, reports in as Deputy State
Controller for Boards & Commissions, sits on the
State Lands Commission and other boards and
commissions and notes that the most insightful
comment she heard about the presidential election “is contained in Justice Stevens’ scathing
dissent.” She also reports that Yelena Yeruhim is
successfully practicing real estate transactional
law. The Gregster (Greg) Burnight announces that
he and wife Shannon “are blessed with a
wonderful happy son, Hayden Gregory,” born in
January. He writes that he is in regular touch with
the class princes: Bill Scarff, Jeff Parker, David
Rosen, Tom Croke, Strohe LaCroix, Bo Kaemerle,
Bill Butler, Dennis Wilson, Jeff Coyne, Paul
Murphy, Diron Ohanian and Doug Feick . From
New Mexico, Shawn Boyne reports that she will
be attending the University of Wisconsin this
summer to focus on comparative criminal law
studies, and was recently on a Court TV documentary, “Death in the Desert.” She has also
written an article for the University of New Mexico
Law Review on important developments in New
Mexico law. George Phillips, GPhillips@astorphillips.com writes that he left O’Melveny & Myers
to work at Astor & Phillips, a 12-lawyer firm in
downtown L.A. He is a partner with his brother
(USC Law ’85) which he notes “can be chal-
G R A D UAT E S
lenging at times” (um hum). He spends half his
time on business litigation and the other half in
estate planning and general business law representing closely held companies. Todd Bloomfield
announces a second baby is expected any day
now and that he “has not bumped into David
Armstrong in the Santa Monica Courthouse for
several months.” Allison Dolgas Cato announces
the birth of Kara to join 4-year-old Kyle. She is still
partner at Procopio, Cory in San Diego but is now
enjoying an “alternative work schedule.” She
describes being eight months pregnant and
defending a large clothing/licensing company and
its CEO. By contrast, a later trial involving a publicly
traded corporation in a stock option case seemed
tame. Adc@procopio.com. John Douglas, writes
that he is now defending clients in Mental Health
Court. Jdouglas@co.la.ca.us. He reports seeing
Greg McCambridge, Los Angeles County Public
Defender’s office, and Spencer Hart, L.A. City
Attorney, in the Criminal Courts building downtown. Pam Rosenthal Reynolds, preynolds
@mgm.com, says that it’s “old news” that she
married a wonderful man, David Reynolds, a film
composer. But the new news is baby boy Jack,
born in October, “is the light of our lives.” She
recently accepted a position as Vice President,
Business & Legal Affairs at MGM in the Home
Entertainment Division and will be leaving
Paramount Pictures. Pam writes that Stephanie
Schroeder (now there is a name I’ve not heard in
a long time) has been at Paramount the past few
years in the Theatrical Legal Affairs department,
doing well and “still great fun!” Stephen Z. Starr
moved laterally to Paul, Hasting, Jonofsky &
Walker, continuing in bankruptcy law, but in their
New York office. He writes that he won’t be able to
make the reunion, but would be glad to hear from
other classmates who are in New York, or passing
through. Stephenstarr@paulhastings.com. Derrick
Nguyen (another name I’ve not heard in a long
time), vietlaw@flash.net, writes in from Uem H. Do
& Associates in Westminster, Calif. He reports that
with trade normalization between the U.S. and
Vietnam, he is traveling to Vietnam, working on
various projects. He was successful on an appeal
involving a case of first impression, but doesn’t give
us any more facts. He shared an office with Joel
On the Honor Roll
Kelley P. Meehan ’90 was selected unanimously
by the New Orleans City Council as director of
its utilities regulatory office. Mr. Meehan’s
responsibilities as director will include overseeing the council’s utility consultants and
handling regulatory issues related to the
telecommunications industry.
Margolis (USC Law ’90), shares cases with John
Hamilton (what’s he up to?) and occasionally talks
to Mike Avila (ditto). Ted McNamara has a new
address in Sherman Oaks, Calif., and reports that
“after sitting at a desk all day, it’s nice to be able to
go home and work on my hillside garden.”
Elizabeth “Lili” Shaver Duquette writes in from
Illinois that she is now teaching Evidence and
European Union Law at DePaul, Northwestern
and the University of Chicago. Esduquette@stanfordalumni.org. She reports that she and Joanne
Guzman-Hays, Ed Hays (USC Law ’92), Lee
Yang, Lise Anderson, Laurie Wilson Espinosa and
Patty Campbell had their own reunion in Las
Vegas and are “quite the craps team!” Apparently,
Patty was the coach. Adam Wergeles,
adam.wergeles@quisic.com writes in from Santa
Monica, Calif., that he is still general counsel of
Quisic. Melissa Balaban, wergeles@home.com,
also reports in from Santa Monica that she is still
working with Employment Practices Solutions as
a human resources consultant doing sexual
harassment, diversity training, employee complaint
investigations and policy development. She
confesses that “due to his ridiculous work
schedule” she only occasionally sees her husband,
Adam Wergeles. They are celebrating their 10th
anniversary in Bali with their two daughters. Lisa
Litwiller, llitwill@chapman.edu, announces she is
now assistant professor of law at Chapman
University School of Law in Orange, Calif., and is
working on a scholarly project examining the
continued viability of diversity jurisdiction. Jeff
Parker, jparker@SMRH.com, writes “same place,
same stuff,” – except that he made partner at
Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton (master of
understatement, he — congratulations, Jeff!). Also
that he and his wife now have Connor, 6, and Julia,
CLASS NOTES
3. He reports seeing Dave Rosen in federal court
in Santa Ana “doing a fabulous job explaining why
all the money the government was trying to take
from his client had ‘disappeared.’” David Hoover
announces from Japan his marriage last year to
Yasuyo Hirai, personal manager at the law firm
where he works. dhoover @ssd.com. His law firm
merged last summer with a Cleveland-based firm
of about 675 lawyers worldwide, 16 of those in
Tokyo. He recounts that Tom Moglovkin was in the
wedding party – held on the hottest day of 2000.
(It would be wonderful to see you again, too, Dave.
Congrats!) Chad Coombs, coombs@GTE.net,
writes that he joined the accounting firm of
Grobstein, Horwath & Co. as a principal and works
in the firm’s tax department. He earned his Master
of Business Taxation degree from USC last year
while working full time as a bankruptcy and tax
lawyer (whew!). He notes it took a little over three
years to complete, and he made the Phi Kappa Phi
honor society (congrats Chad!). Ten years ago, he
published an article in American Bankruptcy Law
Journal regarding original issue discount in bankruptcy cases, “which was cited – and followed – in
In re ICH Corp.” Andy Kerr, akerr@yahoo.com
writes that since graduation he has lived and practiced in Washington, D.C., Asia and the Silicon
Valley, currently inhouse at Intel. He reports that he
doesn’t get to L.A. as much as he would like,
but still follows USC’s sports teams and the news
about the Class of ’91. And on that note, take
care all!
Terri Villa-McDowell, Class Reporter
tvillamcdowell@hrc.co.la.ca.us
>
Class of 1992
Almost 10 years have passed since our USC Law
School graduation, and the collective headline is
“Kids, Family & Kids”: Sean Luner and Margaret
Bair have two children, Jonathan (3) and Rebecca
(1), and should have a new baby by the time we
get to print. Ed Hays is a partner at Rus, Miliband
& Smith in Irvine with two kids, Eddie (6) and Emily
(4). Ed, along with Ed Castro and Bill Flevares,
registered to run in the October Marine Corps
Marathon in Washington, D.C. Karen Feld
continued to swim competitively after law school
USC LAW fall 2001
69
G R A D UAT E S
CLASS NOTES
and was named an All-American for 4 years
before she had her son (now 4 years old). Karen
says Erik Howell is a distinguished school board
member for a district in the Central Coast, and
Marcus Bastida is working on a DVD project. Gail
Cecchettini Whaley is living in Elk Grove, Ca., and
has a daughter Madison (6), a son Jack (3 ?) and
she and her husband Doug are expecting their
third child soon. Brian Silikovitz and Alice AndreClark married last year and should have a baby girl
by the time you read this. They live in Boston while
Alice pursues her Ph.D. at Harvard (Alice previously got a Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard
and Brian got an LL.M. in Taxation from NYU).
Sheri Porath married Marshall Rockwell 3 years
ago, is on a respite from practicing law while
tending to their son Jacob (2), and is Vice
President of her synagogue. Antoinette Carter and
Stephen Ardis have two children and are planning
on adopting a third (or more) in December. While
Terri Keville is busy at Manatt Phelps in L.A., her
son Jordan just graduated from law school.
Elizabeth (Evans) Snyder returned from Chicago,
is now living in San Clemente, working in Newport
Beach and keeping busy with her son Evan (2 ?)
and daughter Megan (1). Jill Bronfman has a son
Joey (1). Leslie de Moraes has two new grandchildren, Jordan (1) and Ethan (6 months). Leslie
and her husband Ron generally split their time
between Massachusetts and Colorado, but will be
in Salt Lake City as Ron directs the opening and
closing ceremonies for the 2001 Winter Olympics.
Raymond Kim and his wife Yonnie have two sons,
Noah (5) and Evan (2). Raymond is at Greenberg
Traurig and has been working on a big case with
Larry Jones who is at Fogel Feldman, etc.
Kathleen Lacey recently took a family vacation
(with her 3 daughters) to Paris, Prague, Vienna &
Budapest. Harvey Silberman is a single father to
his son RJ (8), heads the domestic violence unit
for Neighborhood Legal Services in Pacoima and,
for the fourth year, teaches Family Law at USC.
John Berglund and his wife Stacy have a daughter
Hannah (1) and are living in Redding, Ca. John
serves as the supervising attorney of the Shasta
County D.A. Family Support Division. Eric Blum
and I have two sons, Brian (2) and Kevin (9
months). Eric started his own practice in Newport
70
USC LAW fall 2001
On the Honor Roll
Eve H. Karasik ’91 is the first woman to serve
on Stutman Treister & Glatt’s three-member
executive committee, which directs the firm’s
day-to-day operations. Ms. Karasik, who is also
secretary-treasurer of the Women Lawyer’s
Association, has been with the Los Angeles
bankruptcy firm since 1991 and made partner
in 1997.
Beach this year, is a judge pro tem in Orange
County Superior Court and an arbitrator for the
Better Business Bureau; I still am at Jones Day
in Irvine. Laura Fry and Scott Altman have two children, Benjamin (6) and Rachel (7 months).
Reynolds Cafferata and his wife Becky have two
children, Taylor (8) and Henry (4). Reynolds is at
Riorden & McKinzie working in Tax Exempt
Organizations. Gregory Lee and his wife Dana are
running two casinos and living in Las Vegas with
their son Graham (2) and daughter Katie (1). Greg
sees Mike Alonso on his trips to Las Vegas and
sees John Antoni when Greg visits Southern
California. Abel Lezcano and his wife Tracy Pumilia
have a son Lucas (3) and daughter Maggie (1).
Abel is a partner at Del, Shaw, etc., a boutique
entertainment firm. Anne-Marie (Funk) Reader
and her husband Scot Reader (Class of 1993)
have a son Nicholas (3) and should have a new
baby girl by the time you read this. Anne-Marie and
her family went to New York in January for the
wedding of Marlane Melican. Lisa (Rubin) Stein
and her husband Scott Stein (Class of 1991) have
a daughter Natalie (2 ?). Dianne Costales married
Matthew Haines earlier this year and is a partner
at Dale, Braden & Hinchcliffe in L.A. Arnold Woo is
a partner at Hill, Farrer & Burrill in LA. Tim
Shattuck is a partner at Woods, Fuller etc. in Sioux
Falls, S.D., doing civil litigation. Daniel Hayes was
a partner at Manatt Phelps in L.A. and this year
joined Selverne, Mandelbaum & Mintz as a partner
representing bands such as Tool, Linkin Park and
Xzbit. Jay Smith is working at Steptoe & Johnson
in L.A. Andrew Cowan is having a great time as
a federal prosecutor with the U.S. Attorney’s Office
in LA. Raj Tanden is a tax associate at Morrison
& Foerster in LA. Valerie Salkin married Alan
Shuman in 1998 and loves working in the L.A.
County D.A.’s Office. Valerie says Belynda
Bridgeland Reck is the new president of California
Women Lawyers and Lisa Shukiar Newnan is the
proud mom of daughter Kayla. Susan Matsui is
at Sheppard Mullin in Orange County and should
be a new bride, married to Russell Matsuda, by the
time you read this. Mark Fall is now at Jones Day
in L.A., still happily married to Jane and living in
San Gabriel. Sylvia Virsik is newly engaged and
is on the Planning Committee for the Bet Tzedek
Justice Ball. Sylvia ran into Steve Winters this
summer at a Starbuck’s in Century City. Steve is
playing in a band and living in Washington. Audry
Rohn was the Ventura County Deputy District
Attorney of the Year in 1998, is a nationally recognized expert on elder abuse law, and authored
elder abuse legislation regarding Evidence Code
§ 1109 (signed into law on 7-7-00). As you can
tell, we’ve all been busy during the past (almost)
ten years!
Michelle (Nuszkiewicz) Blum, Class Reporter
mblum@jonesday.com
>
Class of 1993
Do I have news for you! Our newlyweds: Marty
Brownstein married Kari Ann on June 10. Andy
Douglas wed Jean Shin, a Class of 1989 USC
undergrad, on July 15. David Reiner was Andy’s
best man and Kelly Allegra Weil and Lisa Hatton
Harrington were also in attendance. If you wish to
congratulate him, Andy is now with Stroock &
Stroock & Lavan in Los Angeles in its Financial
Services Litigation Practice Group. Perry Hughes
will marry Jennifer Nichole Flores on September
8. Our new parents and parents-to-be: Phil Baker
and his wife Tina welcomed Chloe into the world
this past winter. Now Phil Baker, Jr., who is two
years old, has a new playmate. Marla Smith
Chabner is the proud mom to Benjamin Oliver,
born May 22, weighing 4 pounds, 14 ounces and
measuring 17 1/2 inches. It was such a thrill for
me and my husband Mitchell to get to meet
Benjamin before Marla was released from the
hospital. Patricia Byars Cisneros and her husband
David had their third child, Patrick David Cisneros,
in January. Given its flexibility, Patricia highly
G R A D UAT E S
recommends her job as a research attorney for the
Fourth District Court of Appeal, Division Two, in
Riverside, particularly for those classmates with
children. David Lawson’s third son was born on
June 18. David is living in Reston, Virginia, working
for Cooley Godward, practicing in the area of
commercial lending for banks and technology
companies. Philip Large McKay is a daddy. His
daughter, Savannah Jane, was born on June 15,
weighing in at 8 pounds, 9 ounces and measuring
22 inches long. Phil reports that baby and Mom
Lynette are doing well. When not changing
Savannah’s diapers, Phil is busy at his firm
Gunnson, McKay & Hodgson in Monterey, developing patent portfolios and strategies for new and
existing Silicon Valley and Monterey clients,
camping and hiking in the Monterey and Big Sur
area, serving on the Board of Directors for the
Monterey Vista Neighborhood Association, and
keeping busy with the Monterey First Presbyterian
Church. Stephanie Stenger Montgomery sent me
a picture of her new adorable baby boy, Walker
Kerry, born on June 14, weighing 8 pounds, 14
ounces and measuring 22 inches. So that Walker
and brother Luke have plenty of room to play,
Stephanie has moved to a new home in
Springfield, Missouri. Nora Manjikian Simonian
gave birth to her second child, Lorie Suzanne, on
December 15, 2000. Jennifer Wright Tucker has
a new daughter, Lea Tucker, who joins big sister,
Maia Tucker, who is two years old. For now,
Jennifer has elected to take a very extended leave
of absence from the employment law department
of Davis Wright Tremaine in Seattle to care for her
girls. Todd Valdes’s son, Alexander James, was
born on April 20, 2000. At birth, Alexander
weighed 9 pounds, 2 ounces. Ann-Marie Villicana
and her husband Robin are expecting in late
February 2002. However, Ann-Marie hasn’t
slowed down a bit. She still continues to sell residential real estate with Dilbeck Realtors in
Pasadena, along with coordinating through her
husband’s restaurant outside events for the Rose
Bowl, including Galaxy soccer games, New Year’s
activities, and NSYNC concerts. For fun this
summer, she and Robin, who love to sail, took a
cruise on Royal Caribbean through the Bahamas
and sailed the America’s Cup sailboats in a recre-
ated racecourse. If you want to see Ann-Marie
pregnant and live in Adelphia Cable territory, she
appears regularly on two talk shows hosted by Bill
Rosendahl, “Week in Review” and “Local Talk.” Our
Latest Partners: Phil Baker is a partner with Mitch
Mulbarger at Baker Keener & Nahra in Santa
Monica, formerly Baker Silberberg & Keener. Phil
also serves as a Commissioner on the Los
Angeles Department of Transportation and a
Director on the Association of Southern California
Defense Counsel. Bill Berner made partner at
Weston, Benshoof, Rochefort, Rubalcava &
MacCuish in Los Angeles in February. Lee
Hejmanowski became a shareholder of Seltzer
Caplan McMahon Vitek in San Diego in January,
where he has worked since graduation. Lee’s
practice involves complex business litigation, real
estate litigation, and high net-worth marital dissolutions. David Wang made equity partner at Lyon &
Lyon in Irvine, where he specializes in patent litigation, licensing, due diligence, and prosecution. (I
don’t know where he finds the time, but David is
also a real estate agent at First Estates in Corona
del Mar.) Elayna Youchah became equity partner
in June with Schreck Brignone Godfrey in Las
Vegas. Other Noteworthy Career Moves: In
October 2000, Monica Arboles became Vice
President of Human Resources and Assistant
General Counsel for Luminent, Inc., a fiber optics
components manufacturer in Chatsworth. In this
capacity, Monica is responsible for the company’s
human resources, administrative, and employment
law, contracts, and intellectual property matters.
Although working hard, Monica reports that she is
having great fun being on the executive management team and deciding which law firms to hire.
Ken Barnett is now Vice President and Managing
Attorney for Singer Asset Finance Company. If you
are ever in New York, you should check out a new
play by Doug Field titled “Down South” that the
New York Times described as “a cheerfully
raunchy satire of the strait-laced Middle-American
values” that is “far more interested in giddy innuendo and sexual slapstick than genuine social
criticism.” Furthermore, the Times critic writes, “Mr.
Field is a prolific and reasonably clever doubleentendrist as well as a gleeful vulgarian, and there
are moments when anyone but a Puritan might be
CLASS NOTES
forced to yield to a giggle and a blush.” Can’t wait
to visit my parents in New York so I can see Doug’s
play. Steven Gal is Vice President and General
Manager of the Marketing Solutions Group at
HNC Software in San Diego, providing marketing
solutions to some of the largest bank card issuers
in the world. Randy Gray has joined Bradford &
Barthel in Fresno and recently filed a writ with the
Fifth District Court of Appeal on behalf of Walmart
in an employment law dispute. After the court
accepted the writ, the case settled for 75% less
than the plaintiff’s previous demand. In his spare
time, Randy also handles pro bono cases for
elderly clients. Kathy Soll Goldstein is a stay at
home mom, busy raising Jake (5) and Jenna (2),
participating in the School on Wheels Tutoring
Program, and taking parenting classes. Elizabeth
Gregory joined Bass, Berry & Sims in Nashville
and has expanded her entertainment law practice to include country music clients. Howard
Levkowitz is a Portfolio Manager and Principal
with Special Value Investment Management in Los
Angeles, an affiliate of Tennenbaum & Co. Lee
Lubin started his own firm, Leach, Lubin &
Associates in Woodland Hills. Gadi Navon
confirmed that he is at Brobeck, specializing in
intellectual property transactions for companies in
the high tech and life sciences industries. David
Pendleton is in his third term in the Hawaii House
of Representatives and is now seeking an appointment in the federal executive branch. Don Pool
moved to a new firm in Fresno, representing creditors throughout central and northern California.
Scot Reader left his job with Alcatel in July to start
two new businesses – a patent consulting firm
and Patentrithms, a company which is developing
software tools for financial institutions, patent law
firms, and other organizations with patent assets.
David Reiner is a businessman and attorney in
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, where he lives with his wife
Bolorma and their daughter Sarnai. Does David
hold the record for living the farthest from USC?
Don Rory moved to Santa Monica from Oakland
for his wife Lemise, who has been accepted into
the UCLA’s Master of Fine Arts program for
screenwriting. Don continues to work in-house at
Korve Engineering and has transferred to its Los
Angeles Office. Welcome back, Don. After making
USC LAW fall 2001
71
G R A D UAT E S
CLASS NOTES
partner at Lyon & Lyon, Sheryl Silverstein decided
to go in-house and joined Structural GenomiX in
San Diego, where she can be on the cutting edge
of biotechnology patent law. So that’s the scoop
this time. Thanks again for all your good material
and helping me write this article. Please continue
to keep in touch and to share your news.
Diane Arkow Gross, Class Reporter
Diane.Gross@EEOC.gov
>
Class of 1994
More change for our class. Many are thriving at law
firms. Adam Calisoff became a partner at
Wildman, Harrold in Chicago, specializing in
mergers and acquisitions and corporate law. Adam
is in training for a triathlon. Dana Treister, who is at
Munger, Tolles, and Toi, has three daughters, Olivia,
Natalie, and Alexandra. They attended the
wedding of Dan Ayala to Nancy. Tom Walsh is with
Woolley & Russell litigating maritime and commercial matters. He and Staci have a daughter, Thea.
Michael Tomasulo is with Lyon & Lyon. Greg
Shanfeld is practicing in bankruptcy and collections/creditor rights at Price & Associates. Greg
and Stephanie have a son, Ethan. Mark Beckman
is working in New York at Kaye, Sholer. Vincent
Herron is with Latham & Watkins and he and his
wife purchased a home. Cammy and Robert
DuPont bought a house and became parents of
twins, Claire and Miles, who join big brother Kieran.
Cammy recently moved to Arter & Hadden. Lee
Kolodny is at Akin, Gump. William Tebbe is with
Musick, Peeler, and he and his wife have two
daughters. Michelle Elig Gillette is practicing IP
litigation with Coudert Brothers. Betty Ann
Downing is with Smith Kaufman, a political and
election law firm, and has a daughter, Shoshana.
Eric Hoffman is with O’Melveny & Myers in
Newport Beach after spending a year in the Tokyo
office. Leigh Combs Dundas is Of Counsel at
Brobeck, Phleger, was recently married and had
a honeymoon in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji.
Terry German is with Livingston & Mattesich.
Several of us are pursuing legal careers in the
entertainment industry. Sylvia Smith-Huber is now
associate counsel with HBO. Sylvia married Glenn,
an orthopedic surgeon, and honeymooned on
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USC LAW fall 2001
Bora Bora. Adam Glick is with Warner Bros.
Television, serving as Director of Business Affairs.
Adam and Lisa now have two daughters, Madeline
and Zoe. Jenny Park is with the Writers Guild and
has a son, Joshua. Erik Toulon joined Katten
Muchin as a partner in Entertainment/Media
Transactions. Ted Russell is the Vice President
of Litigation in the Fox Group Legal Department.
Stevie Pyon is the Assistant General Counsel for
DirecTV. Vaughn Gill, who has his own entertainment practice, and Antoinette, just had their
second baby, who joins sister, Lauryn. A number of
us have our own practices. Paul Rahimian specializes in construction and real estate, and is
engaged to Hava. Alex Perez and his brother,
Roland, have a practice specializing in criminal
defense, business litigation, bankruptcy and immigration. Alex highly recommends the Holland
America Caribbean cruise he just completed. Eric
Ho has his own IP practice. Lance Entrekin also
has his own practice and is engaged to marry
Kathryn. Dara Caplan Marias is happy in Vegas
with Kenny and their daughter, Molly. Dara is practicing in the areas of contract and corporate law,
securities and estate planning. Many of us
committed to government careers. Dawyn
Harrison, a Senior Deputy County Counsel,
bought a house, and is engaged to Lee. Mike
Garcia is with the PD’s Office in San Diego and
married Tisha. Mike thanks everyone who sent
warm wishes. Congratulations, AUSA Teresa
Mack, and Tony, on your daughter, Gianna, who
joins Anthony and Gabriel. A number of classmates moved to jobs in-house. Neal Rubin is the
Senior Litigation Manager for Cisco Systems, Inc.
in Northern California. Neal and Amy have two
daughters, Ella and Sophie. John Slusher is in
sports marketing for Nike in NY. John, Christine
(Carr) and their kids, Samantha and Alexander, are
moving back to Portland. Todd Durbin is in NY
working for Major League Soccer and is married
with two children. Elizabeth Moore became the
general counsel of Women.com Networks, and is
getting married to Paul. Elizabeth also just bought
a house and went on a two-week safari to Africa.
A couple of us have left the practice of law, for
now. Did you hear about Richard Rosenblatt?
Unbelievable! Richard is now with drkoop.com,
serving as co-chairman and CEO. Richard and his
wife have two boys. Richard was also recently
added to the Law School’s Board of Councilors. I
(Lorna Hennington) left my position as Senior
Counsel at Foley & Lardner to start a children’s
activity and enrichment center, Child’s Play, scheduled to open in September.
Find happiness,
Lorna Hennington, Class Reporter
lornadh@pacbell.net
>
Class of 1996
Those who attended our 5th year reunion had a
blast! Much thanks to all those who put it together.
Please notice how two themes dominate this
column. If you are the first to tell me the two
themes, I’ll take you to dinner – seriously! (Here’s
a hint: M and H.) Charles Djou is on the fast track.
He married Stacey Kawasaki in August of 2000,
was elected to the Hawaii House of
Representatives in November, and is considering
a run for Lt. Governor of Hawaii in 2002! Jill Rohlfs
is working at Gunderson Dettmer in Menlo Park.
Many, many thousands of thanks to Jill’s law firm
for touching off the salary wars last year from
everyone still practicing law ... but especially from
myself and my new compadre, John Rosati, who
just joined me as an attorney recruiter at Alan
Miles & Associates. John tells me that Tim Lee is
engaged to Mandy Dunnigan, whom I heard is a
“real dog” (really!). In stark contrast to Tim, I am
engaged to a beautiful woman somewhat younger
than I (I share Jacob Stein’s preference for
“robbing the cradle).” We will be honeymooning
in Hawaii, where Paul Roman honeymooned after
getting married in April. Gretchen Corbell and
husband just had a little girl, Brigitte, on August 24,
2000. Chris Scheithauer is taking care of business behind the Orange Curtain at McDermott,
Will & Emery in Irvine. Further south, Chris Aitken
is living in San Clemente with his wife and son. He
recently got his first quote in the newspaper down
there regarding one of his cases, and bought
tickets to a U2 concert in Ireland on E-bay. Haleh
Rahimzadeh Jenkins, who was married to Robert
Jenkins two years ago, reports that Chris Healey
and Tony Christopoulos are getting married: Chris
G R A D UAT E S
in August, and Tony in October. Jeremy Naftel is
toiling away at Carlton, DiSante & Freudenberger
in Sacramento (any politcal ambitions, Jeremy?).
Cristina Marko is enjoying the desert sun at Glover
& Van Cott in Phoenix. Allyson Sonenshine and
husband are on the move. They had their first baby
last year, took him to Israel to meet family, and
moved from Hancock Park to Newport Beach.
Allyson is back at McCutchen, Doyle after a
wonderful maternity leave. Lisa Shaw Roy married
Christopher Roy two years ago. They are moving
to the Southeast, where Lisa will teach Contracts
at the University of Mississippi Law School, and
Chris will continue his work with the NLRB, in the
Memphis Region. Lisa reports Tanisha (Woodson)
Souza is practicing in Hawaii, where she just
successfully defended a $3 million arbitration.
Chris Knauf is suing the LAPD for disability
discrimination ... and loving it! Steve Vaughan got
engaged to Ellen Waggoner — also an attorney,
and needs a vacation (how about a honeymoon in
Hawaii?). Suzanne Havens Beckman just celebrated the first anniversary of her marriage to
David Beckman and moved into their new house.
Lorin Fairchild is still at Columbia Pictures. She
and her husband just bought a home in Manhattan
Beach. Their neighbors are now Tim Lee and Julie
Giacopuzzi. She regularly has lunch with Wayne
Kazan (’95), and her phone bills are outrageous
due to calls to Meg Lomenzo in Chicago. Stephen
Harris is still trying to learn how to play golf, and is
planning a trip to the Caymans or Hawaii later this
year (better go to the Caymans Steve – too many
sickeningly cute honeymooners in Hawaii). He
says he’s seen John Morning spending every
Wednesday and Sunday night at the Law School
basement playing NBA Jams. (Gee, I wonder how
Steve knew that?) Stephen Hollingsworth runs
his own law practice in Santa Monica, and is
promoting/managing/training a Tae Kwon Do
athlete whom he hopes will compete in the 2004
Olympic Games. Laura (Braunwald) Finkelstein
and husband Mark Finkelstein (’94) are having a
ton of fun with their son Zach, who is 1 ? year old.
Laura works only two days per week to spend time
with Zach. Laura (Blint) Withrow and husband J.P.
are moving to Boston. They will make a 3-week
road trip vacation out of the move. Ellen Wiseman
8
On the Honor Roll
John Peterson ’95 was selected to represent the
Law School on USC’s Alumni Association board
of governors. Glenn Sonnenberg ’80 serves on
the board as an at-large alumni representative.
is working at Shearman & Sterling in New York,
and will be getting married in August. She recently
moved to Long Island. Ellen included a picture
of several apparent USC alumni holding
signs supporting Charles Djou in his successful
election bid for the Hawaii State House. If
you have comments you’d like included in
the next column, please e-mail me at trojanlawrecruiter @yahoo.com or contact USC Law School.
Bill Vochoska, Class Reporter
>
Class of 1997
A Business Reference Manual (USC Law School
Class of 1997) sponsored by Sheppard, Mullin,
Richter and Hampton is being prepared and will be
ready for distribution shortly. A complimentary copy
of the manual will be sent to each 1997 class
member and will be updated annually. We are still
tracking down some of our class members and
hope to have a complete and accurate contact list
in the near future. Since most of the responses
to our inquiry this time around focus on marriages
and new births, this edition will identify
spouses/significant others and children of our
classmates (who made this information available
to me) and include other interesting tidbits. Peter
Afrasiabi and Janeen Afrasiabi have 2 “awesome”
sons, Brennan (3) and Aiden (1); Craig Alexander
is married to Shannon Hunt Alexander (both class
of ‘97) and works for New Line Cinema in L.A.;
Michelle Bedrosian-Froelich and Kenneth
Froelich have a son named Austin; Kimberly
Berkley Ungar is married to David Ungar, and
together they run a private franchising/ecommerce business in addition to practicing law;
Katherine Blackmon-Solis is married to Gabriel
Solis and lives in Arkansas; Ronald Bowling practices law in Irvine; Claudia Damy Brown and Clark
Brown have a 16 month old baby named William;
Roger Buffington and Debora Buffington have a
CLASS NOTES
daughter named Laura and a son named
Jonathan; Gloria Castro is a Deputy Attorney
General with the California Department of Justice;
Scott Chaney is training horses in Pasadena;
Stephanie Chase does litigation in L.A.; Adam
Collier practices employment/labor law in Oregon;
Nancy Conroy lives in L.A.; Greg Cordrey and
Stephanie Cordrey have a daughter named Skyler;
Seth Cowell is with the military; William D’Angelo,
III works for Capital Insight, Inc., a venture capital
firm in Irvine; Richard Davies does corporate law
in New York; Joshua Davis does business litigation in L.A.; Sona De practices law in New York;
Chris Delson has a real estate practice in New
York; Jeffrey Dennis and Jill Dennis were married
in September ’99; Kevin Ehrhart and his wife
Heather Blanche are expecting their first child in
October; Tara Fallon-Alpin and Jason Alpin have
a baby due Oct. 1; Amber Faunt LeRoy has a
corporate practice in L.A.; Cristina Felix-Carrasco
and her husband, Bernie, live in L.A.; David Ferreria
practices law in Santa Monica and plays bass in
the rock band Pushover; Linda Ferry has a real
estate/corporate practice in Arizona; John
Filippone and Cassandra Hennigan Filippone live
in L.A.; Michael Fischer does commercial litigation
in L.A.; Jason Fox is a transactional attorney in L.A.;
Scott Gartner does M&A work in L.A.; David
Givner gives tax advice in L.A.; Mark Goldman and
Alanna Goldman had their 1st baby, Ryan Everett,
in June ‘01; Micah Green married Vardit Afriat
Green in August ‘00 and recorded his first record;
Craig Harbaugh does criminal law in Texas; Derek
Haskew is a lobbyist on energy issues in
Massachusetts; Karen Howard is married to
Matthew Ferreira; Miles Hunter has a real
estate/corporate practice in New York; Ayano
Ichida and Willy Eberlein have a 4 year old (Miya)
and a 2 year old (Sophia); Trevor Ingold and
Kimberly Bell live in L.A.; Diana Iketani is training
for the 2002 L.A. Marathon; Wendy Imatani
Peloso and Sterling Peloso have a son and are
expecting a daughter in September; Brandi
Iwafuchi Hamer married Spencer Hamer (class of
‘95); Sharon Jackson does business litigation in
L.A.; Jason Kaplan is a wealth counselor of high
net-worth individuals and families in L.A.;
Wendy Keller does labor/employment law in L.A.;
Moving? Keep us up to date by
filling out an address change form at
[ www.law.usc.edu/alumni ]
or by calling (213) 740-6143
USC LAW fall 2001
73
G R A D UAT E S
CLASS NOTES
Tongeun Kim does M&A/capital market transactions in Hong Kong; James Kousoulas is married
to Demetra and has a real estate practice in Irvine;
Joyce Chiang Lee is married to Andy Lee and has
a corporate practice in Chino; Christopher Lipp
is VP and general counsel for eUniverse, Inc.;
Monika Loya is with the L.A. County District
Attorney’s Office working out of Long Beach;
Lauren Mayo-Abrams is married to Bud Abrams
and does employment law in Beverly Hills; Michele
McCormick-Beilke and Jared Beilke have a baby
boy named Riley Daniel; Kristen McMichael and
Rol Williams (both class of ‘97) plan to marry in
November ‘01; Allen McNamee does real estate
and employment litigation in L.A.; Heather McNeill
and her husband, Craig Guenther, had a baby girl,
Quinn Alexandra, in December ‘00; Todd Moore is
married to Lisa Moore and does litigation in
Pasadena; Eric Mueller has a business litigation
practice in L.A.; Brian Mulherin does securities
and business litigation in L.A.; Benjamin Nazarian
is married to Hedyeh Nazarian; Tricia Ornelas
Greenlee and Ken Greenlee have a daughter
named Emma Kathryn; Christopher Pisano does
real estate litigation and municipal law in L.A.;
Kelley Poleynard and Thomas Dupuis are enjoying
ocean views with a small firm in Santa Monica
along with Julie Ruhlin and Cheryl Madden; Brian
Schar is married to Anne Marie Schar and has a
patent law practice in Newport Beach; Adrienne
Shimonishi married Rick Elkind in July ‘00 and
lives in Hawaii; Karina Sterman is married to
Joshua Goode and does employment law in
Beverly Hills; Christa Stern Eilers is married to
Eric Eilers and does real estate law in Wisconsin;
Adrienne Sung lives in Van Nuys; Tiffany Tai and
Andrew Dodge have a baby girl named Charlie
Hsing Dodge; Bradley Taylor practices law in
Long Beach; Roger Tefft is married to Lesley D.
Young (class of ‘95), published a coffee table
book, and is expecting a baby in December;
Christina Tusan is with the Attorney General’s
Office in L.A., specializing in consumer protection
issues; Anthony Ventura is married to Melanie
Ventura and practices law in San Jose; John
Vetterli and wife, Sarina, live in New York and are
expecting their first child in December; Mark
Watkins and wife, Jennifer, live in Costa Mesa and
74
USC LAW fall 2001
have a 1-year-old son named Joshua; Rol
Williams does corporate securities work in Palo
Alto and plans to marry Kristen McMichael (also
class of ‘97); Sandra Williams-McDonough and
husband, Mark, are expecting their first child in
October; Billy Wright and Kerry Garvis married in
May ‘01 and practice law together in L.A.; Captain
Robert Yale is with the Army Trial and Defense
Service in Texas; Julianna Yasinski does employment defense litigation in L.A. and recently retired
as the class reporter (thanks, Julianna, for a job
well done!); and Vahan Yepremyan practices law
in Glendale. Thanks to everyone who responded.
If one of our classmates is not listed above
and you know their whereabouts, please call
me at (714) 424-8228 or forward their
telephone number or email address to me at
mwatkins@smrh.com.
Mark Watkins, Class Reporter
>
Class of 1998
This time around some of our long missing classmates emerged to let us know what they have
been up to. For example, Zeeshan Ahmedani got
married last year, is the proud father of a new baby
boy, and is working at Latham & Watkins in
Orange County. Debbie Appel is working with the
Support Network For Battered Women in
Mountain View, CA. Todd (I’m really starting to look
like a father and attorney) Bates joined White &
Case as a litigation associate in June. Dawn (I’m
not trying to catch up with Patrick) Bittleston is
practicing commercial and business litigation for
Klein, DeNatale in Bakersfield. She says her kids
Conner, Jared and Sydney are doing fine. Petra
Brando is living in London as legal counsel for Fox
Kids Europe. Christina Checel is practicing labor
and employment law with Morrison & Foerster in
L.A. She is also working with the ACLU on
Williams v. State of California representing children
who attend substandard public schools. Bill Chase
is with Poe & Chase in the town of Mayberry. OK,
it’s not Mayberry but it is a small mountain town 30
minutes from Asheville, North Carolina. Patrick
Collins is still doing financial planning as Collins
Financial Services. He specializes in personal,
business, tax, and investment planning. Mark
Foster got married in June, is living in Irvine, and
practicing real estate law with Allen Matkins. Steve
Goldstein is living in Hawaii working with Dwyer
Imanaka. Mark Gustafson joined several of our
classmates at White & Case as a litigation associate. Francesca Harewood is with Wilson Sonsini
in Palo Alto, riding out the IPO slowdown working
on M&A, public company work and venture financings. In September on the lovely island of Maui, Kia
Harris is going to make an honest man out of
longtime beau, Corey Birdsong. In the meantime
Kia is keeping busy as an assistant D.A. in San
Francisco litigating domestic abuse and hate
crimes. John Hindman is vice president of
communications at TVG. Hey John, what does
TVG do? Janet Hurdle is practicing product litigation at Snell & Wilmer in Irvine and is getting
married in November. Christopher Lal is working
with O’Melveny & Myers in Newport. In April Kara
Lanham moved to McKenna & Cuneo’s employment practice. Patrick Lee completed his federal
clerkship in Texas and is starting with Gray Cary in
San Diego. David Lunn married Deborah Powell in
August 1998, and promptly added daughter
Katherine December 8, 1999, and is expecting
another child in September. David is with Gallagher
& Kennedy litigating commercial, product liability,
and general liability cases. Rashel Mereness is
riding high as the Director of Business Affairs for
Fox Broadcasting. William F. Mulholland II is with
Snell & Wilmer in Phoenix. Ramon Pack is laying
down the law with the SEC in L.A. Chas
Rampenthal is at Testa, Hurwitz in Boston. Gus
Resendiz and wife were blessed with son
Nicholas Justin on April 4, 2001. Jon Rodrigue
is with Pillsbury Winthrop in San Diego and now
has son, Thomas Michael (June 16, 2001), to join
him in shooting golf with Chuck Davenport and
Doug Detleras (‘96). In proper Trojan fashion Jon,
Chuck, and Doug led their respective golf teams
to a five under, three-way tie at the Paiute golf
course in Las Vegas. Rumor has it that Rodrigue
and Davenport fell to the more senior Detleras in
the tie-breaker – a “boat race drink off.” It was
noted that Detleras left the drinking to his teammates as he sat on the sidelines. Davenport was
reportedly playing from the women’s tees.
Jacqueline Rodriguez is working on PG&E’s
G R A D UAT E S
corporate insolvency case with Levene Neale in
Century City. If you’re in Punta Mita, Mexico in
September look her up at the Four Seasons hotel.
Cristina Rodriguez-Rios is returning from exile
in Santa Barbara, and will be spending more time
in L.A. working with Nada & Maloney. Maria
Ronchetto is doing fine at White & Case in L.A.
Sue Won So is doing transactional work with
White & Lee in Menlo Park and spends her spare
time being an auntie, traveling, and hosting
engagement and birthday parties. Wayne Song
is happily married and living in Torrance, while
practicing law with Milbank Tweed. Keith Wurster
finally did the right thing and married Melissa
(Harper) Wurster last September. Keith is practicing IP litigation at Baker & Mckenzie in Palo
Alto, while Melissa is practicing business litigation with Berg & Parker in San Francisco.
Regretfully, we received news that fellow classmate Nii Ayikwei Tagoe passed away in April
2001 due to choking incident in Africa. Apparently
the last update contained an error in my
e-mail address. The correct address to e-mail class
updates to me, or just to chat, is patrickc@earthlink.net.
Patrick Collins, Class Reporter
>
Class of 2000
John Hayashi recently won a trip anywhere in the
world in a contest sponsored by Lexis. Let’s help
him pick a destination, okay? First stop, Fresno
to visit Jason Hamm who works at Lang, Richert
& Patch. Then, head east to visit Kirsten Doolittle
who lives with her husband Pat in Bethesda,
Maryland, and practices union side labor law at
Dickstein, Shapiro, Morin & Oshinsky in D.C. Also
in D.C., Luis Guzman works at OFHEO (Office of
Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight). Luis gets
every other Friday off, so he’ll show you around.
Then, up to New England. First stop, Stamford,
Connecticut, where Michelle Riordan is working at
Jackson Lewis Schnitzler & Krupman. Then,
Boston, to see Diana Dresser who will begin work
at Testa, Hurwitz & Thibeault once she finishes her
clerkship with the Supreme Judicial Court. Or,
catch up with Lorna Lowe-Streeter who is set to
embark from Cambridge on an international tour.
This fall, Lorna begins filming “FIRE!” a documentary on violence against women and gender
biased law. Lorna will shoot in South Africa,
Belgrade and Poland. Once abroad, meet up with
classmates who finished their clerkships and are
traveling before starting “the firm.” Justin Farar, in
between the Ninth Circuit and O’Melveny and
Myers, will visit Turkey, Greece, Italy and Spain.
You’ll find Lindsay Dinn in Spain, Greece, Italy,
Prague, Amsterdam, Paris and London between
her District Court clerkship in Chicago and
Kirkland & Ellis in Los Angeles. Vanessa
Eisemann, between her District Court clerkship in
Orange County and Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, will
visit Kenya and Tanzania. Finally, catch the smooth,
soulful sounds of Eric Wang, who is currently a
smash in Taiwan, sort of. In 1995, Eric wrote a
song for the L.A. Boyz, a Taiwanese band. Recently,
his song was sampled by a new Taiwanese boy
band. Because Eric didn’t get credit, make this a
legal mission and help a classmate out. Of course,
the best thing for you might be a trip up the
California coast. In Sacramento, Dave Topp works
at Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich. When at his
office, look at pictures from his September 23,
2000, wedding to Moira Topp and make interoffice
calls to Jeff Solomon at the San Diego office. Wit
Ashbrook would be a fun NoCal to party with. He’s
a tax consultant in the Personal Financing
Counseling practice at Ernst & Young in San
Francisco and loves the city life. Also up north,
Julie Wilkinson works at Sheppard Mullin and
volunteers with Camp Sunburst, a camp for children with HIV/AIDS. But, John, because you’re
based in San Diego, L.A. is the spot for you. While
here, check out local boxing sensation Justin
Sanders who recently won the Golden Gloves
boxing competition, read about the victory and his
boxing legacy at http://cyberboxingzone.com
/boxing/w52x-jm.htm. Or, you could witness the
incredible skills of Chris Milligan at Meserve,
Mumper & Hughes. As opposing counsel in a
grueling ERISA case, I personally witnessed
Milligan’s legal acumen. Then, golfing with David
Wang who works in the Corporate Finance department at Paul Hastings. For business, meet with
Chris Curry who provides for all your financial
services and needs at Prudential Securities. Next
CLASS NOTES
up, Frances Campbell of Rossbacher &
Associates who is still busy protecting consumers
from unscrupulous business people. Frances
could help you see some classmates as she
lunches with Wendi Frisch of Hughes, Hubbard
& Reed and Gabriela Garcia Kornaweig of Fried
Frank. Leon Altman of Latham & Watkins recently
bought a house. Other classmates to visit this fine
city are Anita Lim, Arter & Hadden; Natalia M.
Greene, Garrett & Tully; Lissete Garcia, Law
Offices of Ronald Richards & Associates; Jennifer
Ohrenberger, Keesal, Young & Logan; Charisse
Smith , Best Best & Krieger; Jamila Berridge,
McDermott, Will & Emery; Jonathan Reiter,
O’Melveny & Myers; Alex Guerrero, Callahan,
McCune & Willis. Finally, stop off in Irvine to visit
John Bowerbank at Sheppard Mullin and Anthony
Taylor who jumpstarted his practice in municipal
law by switching firms to the Irvine office of Burke,
Williams & Sorensen. Finally, John, back to your
office at McKenna & Cuneo; it’s time to open up
the world for the newly engaged and newly wed.
Sandra Benlevy is getting married in the fall while
Bobby Benjy recently got engaged with Sheryl
Riumehr and the two plan on marrying in March of
2002. In June of 2001, Monica Goel married Gil
and Monica Sach (Boostanfar) married Dr. Joel
Sach. Congratulations to all.
Matthew Matzkin, Class Reporter
Matthew.Matzkin@kmz.com
USC LAW fall 2001
75
G R A D UAT E S
IN MEMORIAM
In Memoriam
Robert G. Bereman ’49
Leon H. Berger ’35
George T. Callanan ’49
Charles E. Donnelly III ’60
Harry M. Dougherty ’36
David M. Durst ’55
Robert M. Fisk ’49
John A. FitzRandolph ’64
Leonard Mendelsohn ’34
Samuel C. Moore Jr. ’57
Milo V. Olson ’31
Donald A. Reed ’68
Gary T. Rowse ’73
Nii A. Tagoe ’99
Gerald S. Tarlow ’66
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USC LAW fall 2001
G R A D UAT E S
IN MEMORIAM
Patent attorney, USC supporter Ashley S. Orr ’47
A successful patent litigation attorney and an ardent lifelong supporter of his alma mater, Ashley
Stewart Orr ’47 passed away in his San Diego-area home July 9 at the age of 83.
Mr. Orr was in his first year at the USC Law School when World War II began. He interrupted his education with two tours of duty as an Army Air Corps bomber pilot in the Pacific
before returning to USC to complete his degree. He graduated in 1947 with an LL.B. and
began working with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, specializing in government condemnation cases.
One of his projects was the government land purchase that paved the way for construction
of Lake Isabella reservoir in the Sierra Nevada mountains. He later worked for a Pasadena
law firm and then became a partner at Kendrick, Netter, Orr & Bennett in Los Angeles. He
specialized in patent litigation.
Though he retired to San Diego Country Estates nearly 20 years ago, his lifelong affiliation with the University of Southern California remained strong. He served as president of
the USC General Alumni Association in the ’60s, served on the USC board of trustees and was
involved with the San Diego alumni chapter of the university during his retirement. He helped
the Law School establish a chapter of its Legion Lex fund-raising organization in San Diego.
Mr. Orr passed along his commitment to USC to his son, Ronald Orr ’72, who has also served
with both the alumni association and the university’s board of trustees.
“Throughout my term as dean, Ash remained a loyal supporter,” said Professor Scott Bice,
dean of the Law School from 1980 to 2000. “He was also a defender of the Law School as it
moved from a regional training institution to a national-class teaching and scholarship one. He
shared the vision of what the Law School could become.”
Mr. Orr is survived by his wife, Nancy, his son, and two grandchildren, Hailey and Justin.
Law School external relations assistant, E.J. Safirstein
Eliot J. Safirstein, external relations assistant to Associate Dean Karen Lash of the USC Law
School, died July 31 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after suffering complications from heart
surgery. He was 39.
“The Law School was truly privileged to have tapped his savvy, intelligence, talent and
wonderful demeanor,” said Dean Lash. “What we'll miss most, though, is his extraordinary
kindness and gentleness. I have never known someone so thoughtful and empathetic.”
Born Sept. 28, 1961, in Hartsdale, N.Y., Mr. Safirstein earned a bachelor’s degree from
Vassar College in 1983 and a master’s degree in playwriting from the University of Washington.
His play “Waterworks,” published by Samuel French Inc., won the John Cauble Short Play
Award in 1988 and was performed as part of the American College Theater Festival at the John
F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Last year he wrote an episode
(“Generations”) of the CBS-TV drama “Family Law.”
Mr. Safirstein moved to Los Angeles in 1991 to pursue a writing career and joined USC
in 1993. At the Law School, he assisted Dean Lash in handling the Law School’s public and
media relations efforts. He was a familiar and friendly face at the school for eight years, and
students, staff, faculty, administrators, alumni and news reporters alike respected and appreciated his hard work, close attention to detail and dedication to the Law School.
Mr. Safirstein is survived by his wife, Liz Safirstein Leshin, of Los Angeles; parents, Jack and
Sue Safirstein, of Hartsdale, N.Y.; sister, Julie Massey, her husband, Kent Massey, and their sons,
Scott and David Massey, of Philadelphia.
USC LAW fall 2001
77
Professor Brietta Clark ’99, pictured above with a Loyola student, says her interaction with students is her favorite aspect
of being a professor at Loyola Law School.
Four grads head back to
campus for positions
at the head of the class
78
USC LAW fall 2001
LaVonda Reed-Huff, Brietta Clark and Lisa Shaw
Roy (left to right) are connected by more than
profession: Professor Clark was a student in
Professor Reed-Huff’s legal writing section at
USC, and Professor Roy was Professor ReedHuff’s mentor through the Black Law Student
Association. Professor Tom Griffith sees another
serendipitous connection among these young
professors’ achievements: “Diversity is so important in the teaching profession,” he said, “so I find
it particularly gratifying that all three of these
incredibly talented African-American women
have become professors.”
Back to School
Lisa Shaw Roy’s first months as a law school
professor are giving her a bit of déjà vu.
“I feel like I’m going through my first year
of law school again,” she said with a laugh.
Fortunately, she added, “I have really fond
memories of my first year at USC.”
Professor Roy is among an unusually large
crop of USC law graduates who recently
accepted tenure-track teaching posts around
the country. Four recent graduates began
teaching this fall: Eric Claeys ’94 at St. Louis
University School of Law; LaVonda ReedHuff ’97 at the University of Louisville School
of Law; Brietta Clark ’99 at Loyola Law
School (in Los Angeles), and Professor Roy
’96 at the University of Mississippi School of
Law. Although many USC law graduates have
joined the ranks of academia over the years,
this year’s group sets a record for the number
of graduates receiving tenure-track appointments in one year.
“I think it demonstrates the strength of the
student body and the institutional commitment to helping students find great careers,”
said Professor Tom Griffith. Professor Griffith
worked closely with Professor Roy and
Professor Clark as they prepared for their job
searches. “I think teaching is a wonderful
career, so when I see a student who is qualified
to teach and who wants to teach, I do everything I can to help. It’s one of our duties as
professors to help students get great jobs, and
teaching is the best job you can get.”
Indeed, many professors at the Law School
provided advice and encouragement to
these students as they pursued academic
positions and prepared “job talks,” presentations of research that prospective professors
are required to give during the interview
process. “I really do feel like I owe this
to the people at ’SC who helped me out,”
said Professor Clark. “The library staff, the
G R A D UAT E S
administration, the faculty — everyone was
wonderful to me.”
But, after a short conversation with any
of these new professors, one is convinced that
it was sheer talent and determination that
landed them in their dream jobs.
Professor Clark said she had always wanted
to teach. That desire was confirmed when she
taught legal writing as a student at the Law
School and when, as a first-year associate with
Sidley & Austin, she helped start a spring
semester tutoring program for first-year law
students at USC. She came to campus every
week to coach students on their writing and
studying skills for their Constitutional Law
class. “Several of those students who struggled
during their first semester received honors
grades during second-semester exams,” said
Professor Griffith. “Brietta is one of the nicest,
most dedicated people I’ve met.”
When Professor Clark expressed her
interest in teaching, Dean Matthew Spitzer
offered her a summer fellowship at the Law
School, enabling her to focus on preparing a
paper for her job talk. “The faculty set up
mock interviews for me and they let me circulate my paper and gave me very detailed
feedback,” she said. “They helped me at
absolutely every point. Given how well
known they are and how respected they are, it
was incredibly helpful.”
After completing clerkships on the 9th
U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S.
Supreme Court, where he clerked for Chief
Justice William H. Rehnquist, Professor
Claeys was invited to spend a summer at the
Law School as a fellow of the Center in Law,
Economics and Organization. He, too, used
the summer to prepare himself to “go on
the market” for a teaching position, having
had a taste of the academic life as a lecturer
at the University of Chicago Law School.
While at USC, he presented a work in
progress and talked to a wide range of
professors about his teaching interests and
his research.
“It was very helpful to get reacquainted
with my teachers as I put together my own
research agenda,” he said. “Now that I was
preparing to go on the job market myself, I
saw the faculty in a very different light from
when I was a student. I came away very
impressed at how everyone on the faculty, no
matter what specialty, agreed about what it
took to write successful articles and develop
a promising research agenda.”
Professor Reed-Huff settled on an
academic career after completing a clerkship
in the U.S. District Court in Philadelphia and
after a three-year stint at Paul, Hastings,
Janofsky & Walker in Washington, D.C., and
Atlanta. “I really enjoyed being a student,” she
said. “I liked the theoretical and intellectual
aspects of law school.
“I enjoyed my practice,” she added, “but
clients aren’t interested in paying an attorney
to think at great length about tangentially
related issues. Largely, you focus narrowly on
what the client has requested.”
Professor Reed-Huff was in Atlanta when
she decided to pursue a teaching job. She
contacted some of her former professors
at USC — Associate Dean Karen Lash,
“
ALUMNI PROFILES
heard her talk, I knew she was going to get a
job,” said Professor Griffith.
Professor Roy first thought about a
teaching career as a second-year law student.
“I found I had a deep interest in scholarly
issues,” she said. After completing a two-year
clerkship with the U.S. District Court in
Tampa, Fla., Professor Roy returned to Los
Angeles to marry her Law School sweetheart,
Christopher Roy ’96. She also accepted a position with the law firm of Knapp, Marsh, Jones
& Doran in Los Angeles. She enjoyed her
practice, but her interest in an academic job
continued to grow.
She contacted Professor Griffith for advice,
and soon he and his wife were providing feedback on her job talk, which focused on
student-initiated religious speech in schools.
She also came to campus to teach a mock class
with a handful of USC law students to
prepare for an interview at one school that
required applicants to teach a 20-minute class.
“There were a lot of people at USC who
were very helpful,” says Professor Roy, noting
that Professors Elyn Saks, David Cruz and
Ronald Garet each offered advice and feedback on her research.
duties as professors to help students get great
jobs, and teaching is the best job you can get.
It’s one of our
”
— USC LAW PROFESSOR TOM GRIFFITH
Professor Noel Ragsdale, Professor Griffith —
and was roundly encouraged to go for it.
Matthew Spitzer (now dean of the Law
School) offered advice on her job talk,
and Professor Griffith and his wife,
Professor Linda Beres ’87 (a Loyola
Law School professor) listened to Professor
Reed-Huff ’s job talk via speakerphone
and offered feedback.
“We had some helpful hints, but after I
Getting an academic job can be a long,
arduous task — but the thrill of being in a
classroom makes the work worthwhile, said
Professor Roy. “I love teaching,” she said. “It’s
the most challenging thing I’ve ever done as
a lawyer — probably the most challenging
thing I’ve ever done — but I love it. I learn
so much from the students. Hearing their
comments, how they synthesize the information, it keeps it really fresh.”
USC LAW fall 2001
79
F E AT U RE S
CLOSER
Lessons from high school – 30 years later
by Erwin Chemerinsky
The following is excerpted from a speech
Professor Chemerinsky gave to the Class of
2001 at his alma mater, University of
Chicago High School.
When I was asked to speak, I realized that I
graduated exactly 30 years ago as part of the
Class of 1971. But then I realized that this
means you look at me the same way my class
would have looked at someone from the Class
of 1941. That’s a really scary thought.
Hopefully, I reassure you when I tell you
that a good deal of what I learned, or didn’t
learn, at U-High didn’t matter much after
high school. For instance, I am pleased to be
able to report that not being able to do a single
thing in high school gymnastics has not
adversely affected my life. Similarly, for those
of you who, like me, struggled with high
school math, I can report that there is virtually
no instance since 1971 when I have used a
single thing I learned in four years of math
classes. Actually, I exaggerate just a bit; living
in Los Angeles for the past 18 years, I’ve valued
having learned the concept of logarithms
because the Richter Scale for earthquakes is
based on them. Living in L.A., it is very
important to know the difference between a
5.2 and a 6.4 on a logarithmic scale.
In reflecting upon it, I realize that what I
learned at U-High was invaluable; not for the
facts or formulas I memorized, which long
since have been forgotten, but for the skills
and broader lessons that I learned. I, like you
I am sure, learned how to think, how to critically examine an issue. More than I realized
then, I learned how to write and how to
speak. I learned how to research. Everything I
do professionally — teaching and writing and
advocacy — is very much based on the
wonderful foundation I received here.
I learned about fighting for change and
how it is worth the fight even if it ends up
ILLU ST RATION BY RANDY PALM ER
80
USC LAW fall 2001
being unsuccessful. I was the president of
student government here my senior year. We
had a new principal that year who had been
away from high schools for over a decade and
undoubtedly found a high school in 1970
quite different from those of the 1950s that
she remembered. We fought the entire year.
She kept saying that the role of student
government was to plan sock hops and movie
parties, and we kept pushing for changes in
the rules, such as to allow students from all
four years to go off-campus during the school
day. I think that every single proposal made by
student government was rejected that year.
I learned a great deal from this. I learned
the importance of speaking out and fighting.
I learned that the status quo wins most battles,
but at the very least one can make those in
power squirm and feel uncomfortable when
they’re doing something that seems wrong.
I’m still proud 30 years later that my high
school principal did not shake hands with me
as I walked across this stage because it was a
result of my speaking out for things I cared
about. Over the past few years, I have had
public and heated battles with the mayor of
Los Angeles and, most recently, its police chief
over issues that I care deeply about. The
lessons I learned here in student government
have served me well.
The importance of committing to goals
larger than oneself and working to achieve
them, no matter how elusive the achievement
seems, is a lesson I’ve continued to learn. I was
in high school from 1967 to 1971, years of
tremendous student activism. There was a real
sense that people had power and that change
could happen if we worked for it. This shared
sense was empowering.
Now, 30 years later, I realize how difficult
it is to bring about change. Almost 50 years
have gone by since Brown v. Board of
Education, and public schools are more segregated than ever. More than 30 years have gone
by since Lyndon Johnson declared his War on
Poverty, and the wealth gap between rich and
poor in this society is larger than ever.
I think that this makes the task for the
Class of 2001 more difficult than it was for us.
You understandably have reason to be more
skeptical about the system and whether it can
be changed in meaningful ways.
As I speak to you 30 years after my graduation, I can tell you that while change is
harder than my class ever could have imagined, I still deeply believe it is possible and
that you, individually and collectively, can
make an enormous difference. Student
protests ultimately did turn the tide and end
the Vietnam War. In recent years, student
protests at colleges across the country caused
universities to stop having their apparel made
in sweat shops and by slave labor. Just this
year, a student sit-in at Harvard forced the
university to agree to pay its employees a
living wage. Activism need not take the form
of protests; it is anything you can do to make
things better. While in college, in graduate
school, in your careers, you can find ways to
dedicate yourself to causes greater than yourself and to use your tremendous talents and
education to improve your community and
society. And whether you succeed or fail in
your ultimate quest, you will have the satisfaction that can be gotten only from pursuing
a cause greater than yourself.
Commencement 2001 was
celebrated in May with appropriate
quantities of pomp and circumstance
– and some laughter thrown in for
good measure. Actor and attorney
Ben Stein, top right, delivered an
irreverent (and hilarious) keynote
address. Story on Page 17.
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