- About
About USC Gould
USC Gould is a top-ranked law school with a 120-year history and reputation for academic excellence. We are located on the beautiful 228-acre USC University Park Campus, just south of downtown Los Angeles.
- Academics
Academics
Learn about our interdisciplinary curriculum, experiential learning opportunities and specialized areas.
Student Quick Links:
- Admissions
Admissions
USC Gould helps prepare you for a stellar legal career. You can pursue a JD degree, one of our numerous graduate and international offerings, or an online degree or certificate.
- Students
Students
Participate in an unparalleled learning experience with diversity of people and thought. Get involved in the law school community and participate in activities that enhance your studies.
Student Quick Links:
- Careers
Careers
We work closely with students, graduates and employers to support successful career goals and outcomes. Our overall placement rate is consistently strong, with 94 percent of our JD class employed within 10 months after graduation.
- Faculty
Faculty
Our faculty is distinguished for its scholarship, as well as for its commitment to teaching. Our 12:1 student-to-faculty ratio creates an intimate and collegial learning environment.
- Alumni and Giving
- Admissions

JD Student Career Services
USC Gould School of Law
- JD CAREER SERVICES
- + JD STUDENT CAREER SERVICES
- CAREER COUNSELING
- CAREER EVENTS AND RESOURCES
- EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
- EMPLOYMENT STATISTICS
- FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
- ALUMNI SERVICES
- + CAREER INFORMATION FOR EMPLOYERS
- RECIPROCITY POLICY
- CONTACT US
Our USC Gould JD Career Services Office is dedicated to providing students and graduates with the information and tools necessary for successful career development and advancement.
We believe in a proactive approach to helping you find not only a job practicing law but a job that fits your particular area of interest. Our counselors don't wait for you to come to them, they reach out to you, and they reach out to potential employers on your behalf.
We assist you in your pursuit of careers in a wide variety of settings — including large and small law firms, public interest organizations, government agencies, corporate and business environments, academia, judicial clerkships and JD Advantage careers.
From the beginning of your legal studies, the Career Services Office works with you to tailor an individualized plan in preparation for your transition to the practice of law. In October of your first year, a career service counselor will sit down with you, begin a conversation focused on your individual career path and help you build an action plan. Your counselor will work with you to build a résumé, refine your interviewing skills and define what type of law and in what environment you may want to practice. Then together, you will begin the process of building a target employer list.
Through an extensive array of services such as individual counseling, informational and skill-building workshops, mock interviews, mentor lunches, written and online resources, job-posting databases, numerous on- and off-campus employment fairs, and a substantial alumni network, the Career Services Office helps educate you for a lifetime of successful career management.
![]()
Career Services is an office of advocates. We meet with you to help you create and execute a career plan and walk with you on every step of your career journey. We connect you to employers and opportunities and provide strategic programming to prepare you to be the kind of nuanced candidate that stands out and makes it all the way through the interview process to being hired.
Robin Apodaca
Associate Dean and Dean of Career Services
![]()
My career counselor was awesome! Ever since first year, she was always available. She sat and talked with me, not just about the options out there, but about the people she could connect me with, and, if I was interested, she made the connection. She emailed me about new opportunities she discovered.
Jenecia Martinez, JD 2016
![]()
The Career Services Office really focuses on and helps every student. They read every student's cover letter and résumé and send them comments and corrections. They provide individual help. As a first-year student, I became very close to my counselor, who helped me decide what kind of law I wanted to go into. The office also helps you through every application process you would need. My counselor helped me apply for an externship after my first year.
Avalee Statner, JD 2017
RECENT NEWS

USC Gould Law Library showcases ‘rejuvenating power of music’
June 2, 2023
Performances feature LA Philharmonic concertmaster, saxophone quartet

‘The Best Beloved Thing is Justice’
June 1, 2023
New book by Gould alum Lisa Kloppenberg celebrates life of Judge and former Dean Dorothy W. Nelson

USC Gould Title IX trailblazer works to put more women in leadership roles
May 30, 2023
"If we can continue moving forward, the future is very bright," says Associate Dean Nickey Woods