USC’s next law school dean is announced

The next dean of USC’s Gould School of Law will be Robert K. Rasmussen, an expert on corporate reorganization and bankruptcy law who teaches and has held high-ranking administrative posts at Vanderbilt University Law School, USC officials announced Wednesday. Rasmussen’s appointment starts Aug. 1.

Matthew L. Spitzer, the previous dean, stepped down last year, citing personal reasons, and professor Edward McCaffery has served as interim dean.

Before joining the Vanderbilt law faculty, Rasmussen worked at the U.S. Department of Justice, handling civil litigation in the U.S. Courts of Appeals and the Supreme Court. He earned a law degree from the University of Chicago.

His wife, constitutional law scholar and Vanderbilt professor Rebecca Brown, will join the USC law faculty next year.