Leana S. Taing
USC Gould School of Law

Leana S. Taing practices dependency law as a deputy county counsel for the Los Angeles County Counsel. In 2017, Taing contributed to dependency case law in California on the issue of language access through In re J.P., 14 Cal.App.5th 616 (2017). The appellate court reversed the trial court's decision and quoted the arguments made by Taing as trial counsel in its published decision. The case ensures that parents have the right to meaningful language access in the disposition of their dependency cases.

Taing earned her JD from UCLA School of Law. She specialized in Critical Race Studies and Public Interest Law & Policy. Taing earned her BA in Political Science from University of California, Berkeley and was honored with a distinction in general scholarship.

Taing is admitted to practice in the State of California. She is committed to public service and mentorship. Taing is a past president of the Asian Pacific American Women Lawyers Alliance and continues to serve on the board of governors as the co-chair of APAWLA’s mentorship committee. In 2020, Taing created the APAWLA Trailblazer Speaker Series to inspire and mentor AAPI law students and lawyers through conversations with AAPI women leaders. Taing also serves as the co-chair of the access to justice committee for Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles and the President's Task Force on Racial and Social Justice for Los Angeles County Bar Association (LACBA). She is a fellow of the American Bar Foundation.

Taing is the first in her family to go to law school and become an attorney. Her family fled the Cambodian genocide and their experiences compelled her to become a public interest attorney and dedicate herself to public service. As a part of her legal journey, Taing assisted the office of the co-prosecutor in the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia to prosecute Khmer Rouge leaders for crimes against humanity and genocide. She interned for the United Nations in Phnom Penh, Cambodia as a part of the international team and was the only international member with Cambodian heritage.
  

FACULTY IN THE NEWS

Annenberg Media
September 19, 2023
Re: Thomas Lenz

Thomas Lenz was quoted by Annenberg Media about the United Automobile Workers union ready to go on strike. "Strikes affect the livelihoods of those who choose to stop working. To the extent those persons aren’t earning money to spend that means stores, restaurants, and other businesses might not be as busy. If a strike lasts a long time bills might not get paid as easily, if at all," Lenz wrote.

RECENT SCHOLARSHIP

Mugambi Jouet
August, 2023

“Guns, Mass Incarceration, and Bipartisan Reform: Beyond Vicious Circle and Social Polarization,” 55 Arizona State Law Journal 239 (2023).

Edward McCaffery
August, 2023

"The Curiouser and Curiouser Case of Carried Interest" (with Darryll K. Jones), Arizona Law Review (Spring 2024).

Scott Altman
August, 2023

"Are Parents Fiduciaries," 42 Law and Philosophy 431 (2023).