Franita Tolson

Franita Tolson is an American lawyer and law professor. She is the dean and George T. and Harriet E. Pfleger Chair in Law at the USC Gould School of Law. Tolson was previously a faculty member at the Florida State University College of Law from 2009 to 2017.

Life Tolson completed a B.A. in history, cum laude, at the Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri, in 2001. She earned a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School in 2005 and was a member of the University of Chicago Law Review. She is the George T. and Harriet E. Pfleger Chair in Law at the USC Gould School of Law.

Effective April 1, 2024, Tolson became the dean of the USC Gould School of Law, while holding the George T. and Harriet E. Pfleger Chair in Law. She is the first Black dean in the 123-year history of USC Gould School of Law and the first woman to hold the position in over four decades.

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