USC law graduate returns to lead Career Services Office

Since graduating from USC Law in 1991, Melissa Balaban has had far-reaching legal career. She has worked as a public interest attorney, an adjunct law professor, an associate in a private law firm and as a consultant to a national employment consulting firm -- not to mention her roles as a wife and a mother of two young girls.

This spring semester, she will take on yet another title: assistant dean at USC Law. Dean Balaban will be responsible for running the Career Services Office, including the internships and externships for academic credit. She served as acting director of career services for six months while the former director, Eden Kusmiersky, spent time on maternity leave. Kusmiersky resigned to devote more time to her family.

Stepping into her new position with gusto, Dean Balaban hopes her varied legal experience will benefit students, especially those seeking alternative legal careers.

"I want to continue to expand how law students think about their job searches," she says. "I want to make sure the students understand that the Career Services Office is here to serve all students, regardless of their interests."

Dean Balaban recalls her law school experience with great fondness. In fact, it's where she met her husband Adam Wergeles '91. "I loved law school," she says. "There's nothing like the intellectually stimulating environment of a university."

At the Law School, Dean Balaban distinguished herself by participating in the Hale Moot Court Honors Program, serving on the board of editors for the Computer/Tax law Journal, serving on the board of directors of the Public Interest Law Foundation and receiving a Shattuck Award for her potential contribution to the legal profession. Upon graduation, she worked as a fellow at Public Counsel, serving as directing attorney for its Child Care Law Project. She later joined a small employment law firm in Connecticut and, then, worked as a private consultant in employment law. She also served as an adjunct professor at Loyola Marymount University's MBA program, and is an active member of several national and local bar associations.