SCLR WINS ABA AWARD

NEW USC GOULD BOARD OF COUNCILORS MEMBERS

KARINE AKOPCHIKYAN (JD 2015)

Karine Akopchikyan is a litigation associate at Allen Matkins LLP, having previously worked in the business litigation practice group of Stubbs Alderton & Markiles LLP, and in commercial and insurance coverage litigation at Lathrop & Gage. After obtaining teaching credentials, she pursued her interest in law, starting at Loyola Law School, later transferring to USC Gould School of Law. Akopchikiyan is serving a two-year term as a member of the Board of Councilors while serving as president of the USC Gould Alumni Association. Akopchikyan volunteers as an attorney proctor for the Los Angeles Superior Court’s Teen Court Program, which focuses on rehabilitating juvenile offenders. Her husband, Ovsep Akopchikyan is an administrative law judge in the California Office of Tax Appeals.

AMBER FINCH (JD 2002)

Amber Finch is managing partner in Reed Smith LLP’s Los Angeles office and is a member of the firm’s insurance recovery group. Before joining the firm in 2011, she was a senior associate at Howrey LLP in Los Angeles and practiced at Brown, White & Osborn LLP and at Sheppard Mullin LLP, also in Los Angeles. Finch is a past president of the nonprofit Black Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles, and is on the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles board of directors. From 2007-08, she was an adjunct professor in legal writing, research, and advocacy at USC Gould School of Law. While a law student, she was a semi-finalist and board member of the Hale Moot Court Honors Program and a judicial extern for a federal judge. She earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Stanford University.

DAVID TAGHIOFF (BS 1995)

David Taghioff is CEO of Library Pictures International, LLC, a film investment company. He has extensive experience working in the global media and entertainment industry, with an emphasis on emerging markets. Previously, he was the co-head of global client strategy and executive of corporate development at Creative Artists Agency. He earned a bachelor’s degree in planning and development from the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy in 1995 and his JD in 1998 from Santa Clara University, with a focus on intellectual property law. His daughter, Allana, is in the music industry program at USC Thornton School of Music.

HARRY E. SLOAN

Harry E. Sloan is a founder, public company CEO and investor in the media, entertainment and technology industries. He is former chairman and CEO of MGM Studios, Inc. Over the past decade, Sloan and partner, former CBS President Jeff Sagansky, have raised aggregate gross proceeds of over $5 billion in public market SPACs (Special Purpose Acquisition Companies) to invest in emerging businesses with innovative thinking and business models. As chairman and CEO of Eagle Equity Partners LLC, Sloan has taken public seven companies including DraftKings in 2020 and Ginkgo Bioworks, in a record deal valued at $17.5 billion in 2021. Sloan is a director of both public companies. In January 2022, Sloan and his partners launched Screaming Eagle Acquisition Corp with $750 million in proceeds. Screaming Eagle is the largest IPO of a public acquisition vehicle since March 2021. Sloan, chairman and CEO of MGM Studios from 2005-2010, previously founded and led two public companies in the media arena, New World Entertainment in Los Angeles, and SBS Broadcasting, S.A., one of Europe’s largest broadcasters. Currently, Sloan is a member of the Lions Gate Entertainment board of directors. Sloan is also a board member for the Pacific Council on International Policy, an independent organization committed to building the capacity of Los Angeles and California for impact on global issues, discourse, and policy.