- 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.
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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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Karen Skinner
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

Senior Law Librarian, Research Services, and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Law
Email: kskinner@law.usc.eduTelephone: (213) 740-2615
Fax: (213) 740-7179
699 Exposition Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90089-0074 USA Room: 210
Last Updated: August 5, 2021
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).