Karen Skinner
USC Gould School of Law

Karen Skinner specializes in legal research as a Senior Law Librarian – Research Services at the USC Gould School of Law. She teaches the Legal Research component of Legal Research, Writing, & Advocacy I and II. She also teaches Legal Research to LLM students. Previously, Skinner was an attorney in the litigation practice group at Porter, Wright, Morris & Arthur, LLP in Columbus, Ohio. She is a member of the Illinois and Ohio bars.
 
Skinner received her BA in Criminology and International Studies from The Ohio State University in 1995. She earned a JD from Capital University Law School, in 1999, where she was admitted to the Order of the Curia. She also obtained an MS in Sport Management from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 2001 as well as an MS in Library Science from Indiana University at Bloomington in 2009. Additionally, Skinner is a member of the American Association of Law Libraries, the Southern California Association of Law Libraries, and Beta Phi Mu.

Articles and Book Chapters

• "The 'Shock and Awe' Approach To Legal Research: Helping Students Understand Their Research Deficiencies So That They Are Better Prepared To Learn Legal Research". 23(1) Perspectives: Teaching Legal Research and Writing (Fall 2014).
• "Effectiveness of Social Media: Does it Measure Up?" 19(3) AALL Spectrum (December 2014). - (PDF)
• "ALL-SIS Sourcebook for Teaching Legal Research." 33(3) ALL-SIS Newsletter 6 (Spring 2014)
• "Career Management from the Trenches: Some Suggestions from the AALL Economic Status Committee". 18(4) AALL Spectrum 21-24, with Lisa Junghahn, Patricia Scott, Cathleen Cochran, Kate Wilko, Elizabeth Scheibel, Julie Lim, and Melissa Bernstein. (February 2014). - (PDF)
• "A Law Librarian at the Internet Librarian Conference". AALL Spectrum Blog (December 19, 2013) - (www)
• "Gerontology and the Law – A Selected Annotated Bibliography: 2009-2011 Update". 86(6) Southern California Law Review 1389-1462, with Judy Davis (September 2013). - (Hein)
• "Seven Tips for a Successful Flip". AALL Spectrum hybrid article, with Cindy Guyer. (June 2013) - (www)
• Book Review of “Cosmic Constitutional Theory: Why Americans are Losing their Inalienable Right to Self-Governance,” by J. Harvie Wilkinson, III. 105 Law Library Journal 105-107 (Winter 2013). - (Hein)

FACULTY IN THE NEWS

LLM Guide
June 5, 2023
Re: USC Gould School of Law

Law schools have been adapting to the increase in technological advancements, especially with the increased need for attorneys with the creation of AI. “Attorneys work on the front end, conducting threat assessments to ensure that their clients’ systems and data are protected, and on the back end, to navigate any legal issues that may arise as a result of the attacks," Gruzas said.

RECENT SCHOLARSHIP

Robin Craig
April, 2023

"Fish, Whales, and a Blue Ethics for the Anthropocene: How Do We Think About the Last Wild Food in the Twenty-First Century?," 95:6 Southern California Law Review 1307-1343 (April 2023).

Robin Craig
April, 2023

"California Exceptionalism in the Colorado River: A Brief History and Implications for the Future."

Robin Craig
April, 2023

"Toward a Global Sustainable Development Agenda Built on Resilience" (with Murray W. Scown, Craig R. Allen, Lance Gunderson, David G. Angeler, Jorge H. Garcia, & Ahjond Garmestani), Global Sustainability (online publication April 2023).