USC Gould School of Law

What USC Gould School of Law does

USC Gould School of Law is a private academic law school operating as a wholly owned unit within the University of Southern California, founded in 1896 as the first law school in Los Angeles and Southern California. The school delivers a portfolio of professional legal education programs including a three-year Juris Doctor (JD), a Bachelor of Science in Legal Studies, multiple Master of Laws (LLM) specializations (Business Law, International Business and Economic Law, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Media and Entertainment, Privacy Law and Cybersecurity, AI and Technology, and Sports Law and Negotiation), a Master of Comparative Law (MCL), a Master of Studies in Law (MSL), a Master of Dispute Resolution (MDR), and joint degrees including an Accelerated JD/MBA with USC Marshall and a new MS in Data Science and Law with the USC School of Advanced Computing.

The school's intellectual and experiential infrastructure includes the USC Child Interviewing Lab (forensic interviewing research funded by NIH, NSF, DOJ and NICHD that has informed U.S. Supreme Court amicus briefs), applied clinics (International Human Rights, Housing Law and Policy, Small Business, Post-Conviction Justice), and dedicated research centers including the Saks Institute for Mental Health Law, the Donna and Spencer Gilbert Global Justice and Human Rights Center, and the Center for Sports, Entertainment, Media & Technology Law. Online MSL and Executive Education delivery platforms (including an inaugural AI in Law course) extend the school's reach beyond the on-campus JD experience.

USC Gould's business model is dominated by tuition across degree programs, supplemented by executive education and CLE revenue, corporate billing and employer reimbursement for sponsored cohorts, a $75 LLM application fee (auto-waived before the February 1 priority deadline), and philanthropic major gifts (e.g., the $5 million Donna and Spencer Gilbert gift in 2025). Distribution combines direct self-serve online applications via gould.usc.edu, an inside-sales admissions team (one-on-one Calendly appointments), event-driven recruitment including the annual Institute on Entertainment Law and Business and Asia alumni events (Tokyo Send-Off), and channel partnerships with bar associations (Taipei Bar Association, Beverly Hills Bar Association) that feed qualified attorneys into LLM and MSL programs.

Name

USC Gould School of Law

Legal name

USC Gould School of Law

Website

https://gould.usc.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1896

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

USC Gould School of Law is a private nonprofit academic law school within the University of Southern California, founded in 1896 in Los Angeles. It delivers JD, LLM, MSL, MCL, and joint degree programs to U.S. and international students, supplemented by executive education, CLE, applied clinics, and research centers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Education (Professional Graduate)

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

ABA-Accredited JD-Granting Law Schools (EDAHAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

LLM & Post-JD Graduate Law Programs (EDAHAIAC), Online / Hybrid Law Schools & Programs (EDAHAIAE)

Keywords

• Legal education
• Juris doctor program
• Master of laws
• Continuing legal education
• Legal studies degree

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition (degree programs): Primary revenue from tuition across JD, LLM, MCL, MSL, MS in Data Science and Law and undergraduate (BS in Legal Studies) degree programs; students enroll semester-to-semester over multi-year programs.
2. Executive Education & Continuing Legal Education (CLE): Revenue from online Executive Education courses (e.g., 'Artificial Intelligence in Law') for working professionals and from USC Gould CLE conferences across entertainment, business, tax, estate planning and IP.
3. Corporate & Custom Education Partnerships: Corporate billing and employer reimbursement options; customized education partnerships with companies sponsoring cohorts.
4. Application fees: $75 LLM application fee, with automatic waivers for applicants who apply before the February 1 priority deadline; reported as a transactional revenue line.
5. Philanthropy and major gifts: Major donor gifts and annual fund (e.g., $5 million Donna and Spencer Gilbert gift to establish a Global Justice and Human Rights Center; Marshall B. Grossman Mentorship Program; Gold Honors Scholars program).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion5 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

USC Gould School of Law delivers professional legal education through degree programs (Juris Doctor, Master of Laws with multiple specializations, Master of Comparative Law, Master of Studies in Law, Master of Dispute Resolution, Bachelor of Science in Legal Studies, and joint degrees including an accelerated JD/MBA and a Master of Science in Data Science and Law). Layered on the degrees are experiential clinics, executive education, continuing legal education conferences, and graduate certificates, supported by a research-active faculty and dedicated centers.

Product overview

USC Gould School of Law, located in Los Angeles, operates a portfolio of educational programs and research centers rather than a single unified software product. The core academic offering is the three-year Juris Doctor (JD) Program, surrounded by a platform of graduate degrees including the Master of Laws (LLM) Programs (with specializations such as AI and Technology Law, Sports Law and Negotiation, Media and Entertainment Law, Privacy Law and Cybersecurity Law, International Business and Economic Law, Business Law, and Alternative Dispute Resolution), the Master of Comparative Law (MCL), the Master of Dispute Resolution (MDR), the Master of Studies in Law (MSL) — offered on-campus, online, and as a specialized MSL in Sports Law and Negotiation — the Bachelor of Science in Legal Studies, and joint degrees such as the Accelerated JD/MBA Program and the new Master of Science in Data Science and Law offered with the USC School of Advanced Computing. Layered on top of these degrees are Experiential Learning offerings including Clinics and Practicums (e.g., International Human Rights Clinic, Housing Law and Policy Clinic, Small Business Clinic, Post-Conviction Justice Project), the Executive Education Program for working professionals (inaugural course on AI in Law), Continuing Legal Education (CLE) conferences, and Graduate Certificates. Research and convening activities are anchored by dedicated Centers such as the Center for Sports, Entertainment, Media & Technology Law and the Donna and Spencer Gilbert Global Justice and Human Rights Center. Together, these degree programs, experiential offerings, research centers, and professional education products form the integrated academic portfolio of USC Gould.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• USC Gould Center for Sports, Entertainment, Media & Technology Law: Interdisciplinary center giving students an advantage in sports, entertainment, media and technology law industries, directed by Jeff Schneider.
• Donna and Spencer Gilbert Global Justice and Human Rights Center
• USC Child Interviewing Lab
• Saks Institute for Mental Health Law, Policy and Ethics
• USC International Human Rights Clinic
• Housing Law and Policy Clinic
• Post-Conviction Justice Project (PCJP)
• Center for Transnational Law and Business
• Center for Law and Philosophy

Products and services

• Juris Doctor (JD) Program Three-year primary professional law degree preparing students for U.S. bar admission and legal practice; includes concentrations, clinics, externships, moot court, and the Hale Moot Court Program.
• Master of Laws (LLM) Programs

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% overall employment rate for JD Class of 2025 (described as a record)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship / core and minor.

• Bielefeld University (Center for Interdisciplinary Research)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026Prof. Marcela Prieto (USC Gould) was awarded a grant from Bielefeld University's Center for Interdisciplinary Research, shared with Philipp Gisbertz-Astolfi (Univ. of Göttingen) and Susanne Burri (Univ. of Konstanz), to create a fully funded interdisciplinary research group on the regulation of war (2026–2029).
• USC School of Advanced Computingflagship / coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026Joint graduate degree: Master of Science in Data Science and Law (32 units). Now open for enrollment. Designed to apply data science and machine learning methods to legal problems involving data, privacy and regulatory environments. The degree does not qualify graduates to sit for a U.S. bar exam or practice law.
• Clooney Foundation for JusticecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2025Partnered with USC's International Human Rights Clinic to produce the Malawi report documenting gender-based violence and human rights violations in southeastern Africa.
• Taipei Bar AssociationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 October 2025Formalized partnership under which qualified Taipei Bar members become eligible for scholarship to the LLM program at USC Gould.
• Warner Bros. Motion Pictures (Michael De Luca, keynote speaker)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 October 2025Michael De Luca, Warner Bros. Motion Pictures CEO, delivered the keynote conversation with Bruce Ramer at the 2025 Institute on Entertainment Law and Business in Town and Gown at USC.
• Law School Admission Council (LSAC)coreOthers · 1 September 2025USC Gould's Associate Dean David Kirschner was appointed chair of LSAC's Schools and Candidates Committee, placing him in a leadership role on one of LSAC's most significant standing committees.
• Nozomi Sogo Attorneys at Law (Japan)minorOthers · 1 September 2025Hosted Dean Franita Tolson and Prof. Steve Yamaguchi at its offices during the annual Tokyo Send-Off; hosted by Daisuke Yuki (LLM 2010), a Gould alumnus.
• National Diet Library of JapanminorOthers · 1 September 2025Hosted Dean Tolson and Prof. Yamaguchi during the Tokyo Send-Off; hosted by Yosuke Onodera (LLM 2015), a Gould alumnus.
• USC Marshall School of Businessflagship / coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Launched an Accelerated JD/MBA program leveraging expertise of the law and business schools. Described as the first such degree on the West Coast, offering an accelerated pathway, specialized coursework and mentorship opportunities.
• Beverly Hills Bar AssociationcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Co-hosts the annual Institute on Entertainment Law and Business with USC Gould. The 2025 institute explored AI in entertainment, global record trends and industry shifts, with Michael De Luca (Warner Bros.) as keynote and honored Bruce M. Ramer for his career.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Stanford Law School: California-based T3 law school competing with USC Gould for top JD applicants and corporate/tech law placements. Stanford's strength in technology law and Silicon Valley adjacency makes it a direct peer for USC Gould's AI/Tech Law and JD/MBA offerings.
• Northwestern Pritzker School of Law: Strong peer in the upper T14 with similar focus on JD outcomes, sports/entertainment offerings, and accelerated joint degrees. Northwestern's Chicago location makes it a non-geographic direct competitor for USC Gould's top applicants and entertainment law candidates.
• Cornell Law School: Another T14 law school offering JD, LLM and MSL-equivalent programs with a strong international applicant base. Cornell competes for the same cross-border LLM and tech-law candidates as USC Gould.
• Georgetown University Law Center: One of the largest U.S. law schools with comparable LLM and international programs. Georgetown competes with USC Gould for international LLM candidates and offers overlapping specializations including technology, international and entertainment-adjacent law.
• UC Berkeley Law: Top California public law school competing with USC Gould for the same JD applicant pool and Bay Area/Northern California placements. Berkeley Law offers a similar JD/MBA joint program and an LLM, with strong IP/tech law and public interest profiles.
• Columbia Law School: Top New York-based T14 law school competing for JD and LLM applicants globally. Columbia's LLM portfolio and corporate law placement rates overlap with USC Gould's international and corporate specializations.
• NYU School of Law: Top national law school with a similar broad JD/LLM/MSL portfolio and strong international LLM enrollment. NYU is a primary competitor for USC Gould's international graduate programs and corporate law placements on the East Coast.
• UCLA School of Law: Direct Los Angeles peer and fellow California law school. UCLA Law competes for the same JD applicant pool, shares California bar-track candidates, and overlaps on entertainment/media and public interest law — the most direct geographic and market competitor to USC Gould.

Regional players

• Loyola Law School (Los Angeles): Los Angeles-based law school competing with USC Gould for JD applicants who want to practice in California. While lower in national ranking, Loyola offers an LLM and shares the LA market for entertainment, IP and tax law candidates.
• Pepperdine Caruso School of Law: Southern California-based law school with strong entertainment law and dispute resolution programs that overlap USC Gould's specialization areas. A regional competitor for LA-area JD applicants and entertainment law LLM candidates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/usclaw
• Facebookfacebook.com/uscviterbi
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/uscgouldgip
• Instagraminstagram.com/uscgouldlaw
• Xx.com/USCGouldLaw

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about USC Gould School of Law