Sydney M. Irmas
Sydney M. Irmas, who helped found the golf tournament that today bears his name, was a beloved friend, alumnus and supporter of the USC Gould School of Law.
Upon his graduation from USC Law in 1955, Irmas formed a law practice with classmate William Rutter that lasted through 1975. He then practiced in the firm of Irmas, Simsky, Chudos, Green, Lasher & Hecht before retiring in 1985.
Among the prominent clients represented by Irmas were Lenny Bruce, in a First Amendment case; Patty Hearst on a criminal charge of robbing a Los Angeles sporting goods store; the family of a stunt man killed during the filming of the movie Twilight Zone; and famed attorney Melvin Belli.
Irmas was a member of USC Law's board of councilors and Legion Lex, serving as its president from 1979 to 1980. A former president of the Law Alumni Association, he was also the first chairman of the Law School Fund, which raised money for construction of the school's current building. In 1980, he was a member of the school's dean search committee.
Always referring to his enrollment in the USC Law School as "one of the best decisions I ever made," Irmas was involved with the school for more than four decades. His family, and particularly his wife, Audrey, remain ardent and generous supporters of the school, with a special focus on the area of public interest law and public service.
In 1990, the couple created the Audrey and Sydney Irmas Public Interest Endowment to fund the efforts of USC law students engaged in public interest law.
In 1997, the Audrey and Sydney Irmas Charitable Foundation established at the law school the Sydney M. Irmas Chair in Public Interest Law and Legal Ethics.
