George Washington University JD Program Viewbook Guide

GW Law School Overview

The George Washington University Law School stands as Washington DC’s oldest law school, operating for more than 150 years in the heart of the nation’s capital. Located at 700 20th Street NW on GW’s Foggy Bottom Campus, the law school occupies a nine-building complex featuring modern classrooms, three fully equipped moot court rooms, multiple student lounges and conference rooms, and comprehensive WiFi access throughout. With more than 32,000 alumni practicing in every area of law worldwide, GW Law has built an extensive network that provides graduates with unmatched professional connections and career opportunities.

What truly distinguishes GW Law from virtually every other law school in the country is its extraordinary proximity to the centers of American legal power. The campus sits just four blocks from the White House, directly across the street from the International Monetary Fund and World Bank headquarters, two blocks from K Street where the nation’s most prestigious law firms maintain their offices, and three blocks from the U.S. Department of State. Metro access provides quick connections to the Supreme Court, the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Environmental Protection Agency, and dozens of other federal agencies that offer externship and career opportunities found nowhere else.

The school hosts more than 400 events annually, bringing high-level government officials, practicing attorneys, judges, and policy experts to campus for lectures, panel discussions, and networking opportunities. This constant flow of legal luminaries creates an educational environment that extends far beyond the classroom, giving students regular access to the leaders who are actively shaping American and international law.

JD Program Structure

GW Law offers its Juris Doctor program in two formats to accommodate different student needs and circumstances. The full-time JD program is a traditional three-year track designed for students who can dedicate themselves entirely to legal study. The part-time JD program extends over four years and is supported by an Evening Law Student Association, making legal education accessible to working professionals who cannot attend full-time.

The first-year experience at GW Law is structured around the innovative Inns of Court system, where incoming students are organized into six cohorts that provide a sense of community, enrichment programs, formal and informal mentorships, and structured support for determining and pursuing individual career paths. This cohort system ensures that even within a large law school, every student has a close-knit group of peers and dedicated faculty mentors from day one.

Central to the first-year curriculum is the Fundamentals of Lawyering (FL) course, an innovative program designed to equip 1L students with the skills that legal employers desire most. FL covers legal research and writing, client problem-solving, creative thinking, sound judgment, and self-directed learning. Together, the Inns program and FL course support students’ professional identity formation by exposing them to the skills, traits, and values expected of practicing lawyers. Students can begin participating in pro bono work as early as the second semester of their 1L year.

For students interested in broadening their education, GW Law also offers joint degree programs with four other GW schools, allowing students to combine their JD with graduate degrees in fields such as public policy, business, or international affairs. This flexibility reflects the law school’s understanding that modern legal practice increasingly requires expertise that extends beyond traditional legal training.

Curriculum and 18 Program Areas

GW Law boasts one of the most extensive course catalogs among American law schools, with more than 275 elective courses organized into 18 distinct program areas. Some of these program areas offer more than 60 individual courses, providing students with extraordinary depth in their chosen specialization. The curriculum is deliberately focused on federal common law rather than the laws of any particular state, which allows graduates to sit for the bar examination in any state.

Administrative Law and Government Regulation

This program area leverages GW Law’s DC location to offer courses covering the full spectrum of government regulatory practice. Students can study Administrative Law, Energy Law and Regulation, Environmental Law, Food and Drug Law, Health Law and Policy, Homeland Security Law and Policy, Information Privacy Law, Telecommunications Law, and Voting Rights Law among many others. The proximity to federal regulatory agencies makes this one of the most popular and practical concentrations at GW Law.

Business and Finance Law

One of the most comprehensive business law programs in legal education, this area encompasses courses from foundational Corporate and Securities law to specialized topics including International Banking and Investment Law, International Project Finance, Regulation of Derivatives, Mergers and Acquisitions, and Legal Drafting for Transactions. Students interested in international business can explore Chinese Business Law, Introduction to Transactional Islamic Law, and International Commercial Law.

Constitutional Law and Civil Rights

Given the school’s proximity to the Supreme Court and federal courts, GW Law’s constitutional law program is particularly distinguished. Courses include Constitutional Law II, Federal Courts, History of the U.S. Constitution, Immigration Law, National Security Law, Employment Discrimination Law, and Sexuality and the Law. The program also addresses emerging areas like Law in Cyberspace and the intersection of technology with constitutional rights.

Intellectual Property Law

GW Law’s IP program is one of the strongest in the nation, covering Patent Law, Copyright Law, Trademark Law and Unfair Competition, Trade Secrets Law, Design Law, and Internet Law. Advanced offerings include Chemical and Biotech Patent Law, USPTO Post-Grant Patent Proceedings, International and Comparative Patent Law, and Licensing of Intellectual Property Rights. The Intellectual Property and Technology Law Clinic provides practical experience representing real clients in IP matters. Students interested in technology law may also find our guide to the NYU Engelberg Center on Innovation Law and Policy valuable for understanding the broader landscape of innovation law education.

International and Comparative Law

With Washington DC serving as a hub for international organizations, diplomacy, and global commerce, GW Law’s international law program offers extraordinary breadth. Students can study International Human Rights, International Criminal Law, International Environmental Law, Refugee and Asylum Law, Space Law, Law of the Sea, and Nation Building and the Rule of Law. The International Arbitration and International Negotiations courses provide practical dispute resolution skills for the global legal marketplace.

National Security, Cybersecurity, and U.S. Foreign Relations Law

This program area has grown significantly in response to evolving national security challenges. Courses cover Counterterrorism Law, Cybersecurity Law and Policy, Intelligence Law, Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, Domestic Terrorism, Nuclear Nonproliferation Law and Policy, and Technology Foundations for Cybersecurity. The concentration also addresses Artificial Intelligence Law and Policy, reflecting the growing importance of AI governance in national security contexts.

Additional program areas include Environmental and Energy Law, Criminal Law and Procedure, Family Law and Estate Planning, Government Procurement Law, Health Law, Labor and Employment Law, Litigation and the Judicial Process, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Advanced Torts, Property and Land Development, and Taxation. Each area provides sufficient depth for students to develop genuine expertise in their chosen field.

Jacob Burns Community Legal Clinics

GW Law’s experiential learning program is anchored by 18 Jacob Burns Community Legal Clinics where students represent actual clients in real-life cases under the supervision of experienced faculty. These clinics provide an invaluable bridge between classroom theory and professional practice, allowing students to develop lawyering skills while serving communities in need.

The clinic offerings span virtually every major area of legal practice. The Civil Access to Justice Clinics cover five distinct areas: Education Access Advocacy, Family Law, Nonprofit and Entrepreneurship, Prisoner Civil Rights, and Workers’ Rights. The Civil and Human Rights Law Clinic addresses broader social justice issues, while the Criminal Defense and Justice Clinic and Criminal Appeals and Post-Conviction Services provide experience in criminal law from trial through appellate stages.

Specialized clinics include the Health Equity Policy and Advocacy Clinic, Health Rights Law Clinic, Immigration Clinic, Intellectual Property and Technology Law Clinic, Vaccine Injury Litigation Clinic, and the Rising for Justice Housing Advocacy and Litigation Clinic. The Small Business and Community Economic Development Clinic serves entrepreneurs and community organizations, and the Domestic Violence Project provides critical support to survivors of domestic abuse. The Family Justice Litigation Clinic rounds out the offerings with family law representation.

The breadth of these clinical offerings is exceptional among American law schools. Students can gain hands-on experience in nearly any area of law that interests them, building a portfolio of practical skills and professional references that significantly enhance their career prospects upon graduation.

Experiential Learning and Externships

Beyond the clinical program, GW Law’s Field Placement Program allows students to earn academic credit through approved externships at an extraordinary range of organizations. Thanks to the school’s DC location, externship placements include the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, U.S. Department of Justice, House and Senate Judiciary Committees, World Bank, National Wildlife Federation, White House Office of Legal Counsel, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and the U.S. Court of International Trade.

Capitol Hill placements provide unique legislative experience, with students working on the Senate Health Education and Pensions Committee, Senate Judiciary Committee, and House Republican Judiciary Committee. Students also take a co-requisite course related to their externship experience, ensuring that practical work is integrated with academic reflection and analysis. The year-round availability of these externships, made possible by the school’s DC location, means that students can gain practical experience during any semester, not just during summer breaks.

Moot Court and Advocacy Programs

GW Law’s moot court program was ranked 7th best in the country for 2022-2023 by the Blakeley Advocacy Institute, reflecting the school’s deep commitment to developing outstanding oral and written advocacy skills. The program’s crown jewel is the Van Vleck Constitutional Law Moot Court Competition, which has been presided over seven times by sitting Supreme Court Justices over the past 15 years — an honor that very few law schools can claim.

The law school’s three fully equipped moot court rooms provide realistic courtroom environments for practice and competition. The Government Contracts Moot Court offers specialized advocacy experience in one of DC’s most important legal practice areas. These programs develop the research, writing, and oral advocacy skills that employers consistently rank among the most important qualifications for new attorneys.

Faculty and Academic Excellence

GW Law’s faculty comprises well-respected scholars and practitioners who actively shape the practice and evolution of law in America and internationally. Professors routinely argue before the Supreme Court and testify before Congress, bringing direct, current experience with the highest levels of legal practice into the classroom. For example, Professor Bradley Clark led a conversation with his friend Justice Elena Kagan before a packed auditorium of students, illustrating the kind of direct access to legal luminaries that GW Law provides.

The school’s DC location allows it to draw from the nation’s leading legal practitioners as adjunct faculty. These adjunct professors come from the State Department, top think tanks, local and federal courts, and prominent law firms, enriching the curriculum with real-world perspectives that complement the theoretical foundations provided by full-time faculty. This combination of scholarly depth and practical expertise creates an educational experience that prepares students for the full complexity of modern legal practice.

The DC Advantage

Location is perhaps GW Law’s single greatest competitive advantage. No other law school in America offers comparable proximity to the institutions that define and shape American law. The campus’s position in Foggy Bottom places students within walking distance of the White House, Congress, the Supreme Court, major law firms, international organizations, federal agencies, and advocacy groups. This geography translates directly into educational and career opportunities that are simply unavailable elsewhere.

The concentration of legal employers in Washington DC means that GW Law students have access to an unmatched range of summer associate positions, externships, clerkship opportunities, and post-graduation employment options. Whether a student’s interest lies in government service, international law, corporate practice, public interest advocacy, or any other legal field, DC provides the nation’s deepest job market for attorneys. If you’re comparing law school environments, consider also reviewing engineering-focused programs like the MIT School of Engineering to understand how different elite institutions leverage their unique locations and resources.

Pro Bono and Public Interest

GW Law maintains a strong culture of public service, as demonstrated by the Class of 2023’s contribution of more than 54,600 pro bono hours through various projects. Students can begin pro bono work as soon as the second semester of their 1L year, and the school supports a wide range of pro bono initiatives including the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, Animal Welfare Project, Cancer Pro Bono Network, and numerous other community-serving projects.

The Public Justice Advocacy Clinic specifically focuses on systemic legal issues affecting communities, while the Public Interest Lawyering course provides the theoretical and practical foundations for students pursuing careers in public service. GW Law’s commitment to pro bono work reflects a broader institutional philosophy that legal education should instill not just professional competence but also a sense of responsibility to serve the community and advance justice.

The school’s extensive alumni network of more than 32,000 graduates provides additional support for students interested in public interest careers, with mentoring programs, networking events, and career guidance specifically tailored to this pathway. Many GW Law alumni hold prominent positions in government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and international institutions, creating a pipeline of opportunities for current students who share their commitment to public service.