- 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
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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Pauline Aranas
USC Gould School of Law
- FACULTY DIRECTORY
- LECTURERS IN LAW DIRECTORY
- EXPERTS DIRECTORY
- FACULTY IN THE NEWS
- SCHOLARSHIP AND PUBLICATIONS
- DISTINCTIONS AND AWARDS
- + CENTERS AND INITIATIVES
- CENTER FOR DISPUTE RESOLUTION
- CENTER FOR LAW AND PHILOSOPHY (CLP)
- CENTER FOR LAW AND SOCIAL SCIENCE (CLASS)
- CENTER FOR LAW, HISTORY AND CULTURE (CLHC)
- CENTER FOR TRANSNATIONAL LAW AND BUSINESS (CTLB)
- INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM INSTITUTE (IRI)
- PACIFIC CENTER FOR HEALTH POLICY AND ETHICS
- SAKS INSTITUTE FOR MENTAL HEALTH LAW, POLICY, AND ETHICS
- + WORKSHOPS AND CONFERENCES

John Stauffer Charitable Trust Chief Information Officer Emerita and Law Librarian Emerita
Email: paranas@law.usc.edu699 Exposition Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90089-0074 USA
Last Updated: August 8, 2022
Pauline Aranas, the John Stauffer Charitable Trust Chief Information Officer Emerita and Law Librarian Emerita, retired from USC Gould School of Law in 2020.
A 1981 graduate of USC Gould School of Law, Aranas is a past Chair of the Association of American Law School's Section on Law Libraries and Legal Information, a past president of the Southern California Association of Law Libraries and a member of the American Association of Law Libraries.
Aranas holds a BA from the UCLA; a JD from USC Gould School of Law; and an MLIS from the UC Berkeley. She joined USC’s law library as a reference librarian in 1984 and served in a number of roles before being named associate director of the law library and adjunct associate professor of law in 1992. From 1994 to 2002, she served as director of Vanderbilt University Law School’s Alyne Queener Massey Law Library — later assistant dean for library and information technology — and associate professor of law. From 2002 to 2004, she was associate law librarian at the UCLA School of Law. From 2004 to 2006, she served as associate dean, chief operating officer for USC Gould. From 2007 to 2009, she served as associate dean, deputy director of the law library and adjunct professor of law. From 2009-2012, she was appointed associate dean, acting dean of library and information technology and adjunct professor of law. In 2013, she was appointed associate dean, John Stauffer Charitable Trust Chief Information Officer and director of the law library and served until her retirement in 2020.
FACULTY IN THE NEWS
Politi Fact
May 23, 2023
Re: David B. Cruz
Professor David Cruz was recently interviewed about a controversial bill that was passed in Connecticut. "Paying even modest attention to the bill’s definitions should make it clear beyond doubt that it will not be the source of protections based upon the age of people to whom one is attracted or with whom one has sex," Cruz said.
RECENT SCHOLARSHIP
Jonathan Barnett
April, 2023
Comment Letter from Law Professors, Economists, and Business School Professors to the Federal Trade Commission on Proposed Non-Compete Clause Rule, Jonathan Barnett (co-lead author, with Adam Mossoff and Ted Sichelman), April 19, 2023.
Robin Craig
April, 2023
"Survival Equity and Climate Change Triage: How to Decide Who Lives and Who Dies," presentation as part of Adapting to a Warming World: Perspectives from the Environmental Law Collaborative, Hubbell Environmental Law Initiative, University of Iowa School of Law, Iowa City, IA, April 14, 2023.
Robin Craig
April, 2023
Robin Craig's recent research on tribal water rights and COVID-19, comparing the Navajo Nation and the Klamath Tribes, was featured on NPR's "Academic Minute" on Monday, April 17, 2023.