- 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.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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Career Counseling
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 JD career counselors are available to meet with you to discuss issues such as:
- Self-assessment/career exploration
- Résumé and cover letters
- Job search strategy
- Interview preparation
- Mock interviews
- Decision-making and negotiation
Career Counselor Profiles
Robin Apodaca
Associate Dean and Dean of Career Services

Robin Apodaca is the Associate Dean and Dean of Career Services. With over 18 years of industry experience, Dean Apodaca has extensive knowledge of law school career and professional development. Prior to joining the USC Gould School of Law, she provided invaluable career planning assistance to law students at Southwestern Law School, the University of La Verne College of Law, and at Chapman University Fowler School of Law. In addition to her leadership positions at several law school career services offices, she is also an active member of the National Association of Law Placement where she is an elected member of the Regional Leadership Council. Though born in Germany, Dean Apodaca has spent the majority of her life in sunny Southern California and holds a BA from California State University, Fullerton.
Rachel Kronick Rothbart, Esq.
Director

Rachel Kronick Rothbart joined the Career Services Office at the end of 2009. She is responsible for counseling students, administers the office's rich array of educational programming, and is the USC Gould's public sector careers specialist. Admitted to the state bars of Florida and California, she practiced family law at the Legal Aid Society in Miami and the Harriett Buhai Center for Family Law in Los Angeles. While at the Harriett Buhai Center, she served as an attorney and director of Legal Services, supervised volunteers and staff, revised the center's handbook on domestic violence, gave presentations and conducted trainings, worked with public interest groups, and participated in the planning of local and statewide legal trainings. She served on the executive committee for the Family Law Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. Although a military brat during the early part of her life, she calls Charleston, South Carolina, her hometown because of her family's strong roots to the community. She earned a BA in politics and history from Brandeis University and her JD from University of Miami School of Law.
Ronald Han, Esq.
Assistant Director

Ron Han graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, and earned his JD from the Georgetown University Law Center. He is responsible for counseling students and alumni in career planning and job search strategies, with an emphasis on small & mid-sized law firms, the Orange County & San Diego legal markets and diversity, equity & inclusion programming. He also recently served as the Vice-President of the Los Angeles Area Legal Recruitment Association. Han joined the Career Services Office in 2011 after working in the Career Development Office at Pepperdine University School of Law. Prior to that, he practiced as a litigation attorney representing a broad range of clients in state and federal court in the areas of intellectual property, complex commercial litigation, real estate, and labor and employment.
Lynn Yang, Esq.
Assistant Director

A native of Southern California, Lynn Yang graduated as a Phi Beta Kappa member from Brown University with a degree in Economics and was selected as a Fulbright Scholar. She then went on to earn her JD from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Prior to joining USC Gould in 2014, she was an estate planning attorney assisting clients with estate planning, asset protection, probate and estate administration and, more recently, worked in-house with the real estate law department for the parent company of a premier restaurant group.
Andrea Chen Ayvazian, Esq.
Assistant Director

An alumna of USC Gould, Andrea Chen Ayvazian returned to the law school in March 2016 to join the Career Services Office. She counsels students in all aspects of career development and job searches, and also advises candidates with their judicial clerkship applications. Prior to joining USC Gould, she counseled students at Southwestern Law School and previously handled legal placement for the Los Angeles office of a national legal recruiting agency. She has also practiced family law for a nonprofit law firm and represented small businesses in various civil litigation matters for a boutique law firm. She received her BA in English from Pomona College in Claremont, California, where she fell in love with Southern California after having grown up in Saudi Arabia.
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