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Meet future Trojan lawyer Chris Pineda

Learn some quick facts about one of our current first-year JD students

November 29, 2018 By USC Gould School of Law
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Chris Pineda is earning his JD at USC Gould.

Learn some quick facts about one of our current first-year JD students

CHRIS PINEDA (first-year JD student), an Angeleno who created Rhymes with Reason, a platform utilizing hip-hop to teach educational lessons

HOMETOWN: Los Angeles

UNDERGRAD INSTITUTION: Brown University

COLLEGE MAJOR: Public Policy & American Institutions

PROUDEST ACHIEVEMENT: I am the first person in my extended family to attend law school.

WHY USC GOULD? When applying to law school, USC Gould was at the top of the list for many reasons. Attending USC was a childhood dream at a young age. My mother has worked at USC since the 1980s, so I grew up as part of the Trojan Family. As a first-generation student, I was drawn to Gould’s First Generation Professionals program.

AREA OF INTEREST: Intellectual Property Law/ Entertainment Law/ Music Law

STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS: I am a member of Latino Law Students Association, Music Law Society, Entertainment Law Society, Aim 4 the Heart, First Generation Professionals program

PROFESSIONAL GOALS: I would like to serve as general counsel to Spotify or Apple Music after practicing at a big firm for several years. At Gould, I have a desire to build a strong network of black and brown lawyers dedicated to investing in diverse and underserved communities in Los Angeles. I believe there is a need for this kind of network in spaces that severely lack diversity such as entertainment.

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