GW Law National Security and Cybersecurity Law Program Guide 2026

GW Law National Security and Cybersecurity Law Program Overview

The George Washington University Law School’s National Security, Cybersecurity, and Foreign Relations Law Program occupies a unique position in American legal education, combining renowned scholarship with what the school describes as a “D.C.-infused education” to prepare students who shape solutions to the most pressing security challenges of our time. Located at the epicenter of U.S. national security policy, GW Law leverages its Washington, D.C. location to offer a program that no other law school can replicate.

The program explores a remarkably broad scope of practice areas: the federal government’s foreign relations powers, U.S. national security and counterterrorism law, the use of armed forces and intelligence operations abroad, homeland security, disaster relief and crisis management, treaties and the law of nations, public controls on trade and foreign investment, immigration and asylum, nonproliferation, treatment of aliens and detainees, the law of war, civilian control of the military, congressional investigations and oversight, classified information, and the rapidly evolving field of cybersecurity law including critical infrastructure protection and cyber threat management.

This comprehensive scope reflects the reality that national security law in the twenty-first century extends far beyond traditional military and intelligence matters. The growing vulnerabilities created by increased connectivity through modern technology and cyberspace mean that cybersecurity law has become inseparable from national security law. GW Law’s program recognizes this convergence by integrating both domains into a unified curriculum that prepares graduates for careers spanning government, private sector, and international organizations. For students comparing programs, understanding how GW Law’s Business and Finance Law program structures its training provides useful context on the institution’s overall approach to specialized legal education.

Three Degree Paths in National Security Law

GW Law offers three distinct pathways into the national security and cybersecurity law field, each designed to serve different professional populations. The Juris Doctor (JD) provides the traditional law degree with concentration options in either national security and cybersecurity law or national security and foreign relations law. These two concentration tracks allow students to tailor their JD toward their specific career interests — whether in the cyber domain or the traditional foreign affairs and defense arena.

The Master of Laws (LLM) serves both U.S.-educated attorneys who already hold a JD and international students with primary law degrees from their home countries. LLM candidates can specialize in National Security and Cybersecurity Law or National Security and Foreign Relations Law, gaining advanced training for new and experienced attorneys seeking to enter or advance in the field. This pathway is particularly valuable for military attorneys transitioning from active duty, government lawyers seeking specialized expertise, or international legal professionals working in defense cooperation and treaty implementation.

The Master of Studies in Law (MSL) addresses the growing need for non-lawyer professionals to understand the legal frameworks governing national security and cybersecurity. Intelligence analysts, cybersecurity professionals, military officers, defense contractors, and policy advisors can deepen their legal knowledge without pursuing a full law degree. All courses are open to JD, LLM, and MSL candidates, creating classrooms where lawyers, future lawyers, and non-lawyer professionals learn together — reflecting the interdisciplinary reality of national security practice where legal expertise must integrate with technical, intelligence, and policy perspectives.

Comprehensive National Security Law Curriculum

GW Law offers one of the largest course catalogs in national security, cybersecurity, and foreign relations law, with more than 50 courses providing both breadth and depth across the field. Foundation courses establish essential competencies: National Security Law, Cybersecurity Law and Policy, Cybersecurity Law and Technology, Technology Foundations for Cybersecurity, and U.S. Foreign Relations Law. These core offerings ensure every student develops a solid grounding in the legal frameworks governing security operations, cyber threats, and international relations.

Advanced courses reflect the specialized and evolving nature of modern national security practice. Counterterrorism Law, Counterintelligence Law and Policy, Intelligence Law, and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act course address the legal architecture of intelligence and law enforcement operations. The Law of Secrecy, Nuclear Nonproliferation Law and Policy, and Problems Trying Terrorists in Article III Courts explore some of the most complex and sensitive areas of national security law practice.

The curriculum’s forward-looking orientation is evident in courses like Artificial Intelligence Law and Policy, Blockchain Law, Policy, and Cybersecurity, and Disinformation, National Security, and Cybersecurity — subjects that barely existed as legal specialties a decade ago but now represent critical areas of practice. Additional offerings in Disaster Law, Homeland Security Law, Domestic Terrorism, Aviation Law and National Security, Transnational Security, and Nation Building and the Rule of Law round out a curriculum that prepares graduates for the full spectrum of national security challenges. The cybersecurity-specific course on Risk Management and Incident Response addresses the practical demands facing organizations managing cyber threats, bridging the gap between legal theory and operational reality.

Cybersecurity Law and Emerging Technology Focus

The cybersecurity dimension of GW Law’s program deserves particular attention as one of its most distinctive features. As cyber threats to national security have escalated — from state-sponsored attacks on critical infrastructure to ransomware targeting government systems — the legal frameworks governing response, prevention, and accountability have become increasingly complex. GW Law’s curriculum addresses this complexity through dedicated courses that examine cybersecurity from legal, policy, and technical perspectives simultaneously.

The foundation course in Cybersecurity Law and Policy examines the legal frameworks governing cyber operations, while Cybersecurity Law and Technology explores the technical dimensions that lawyers in this space must understand. Technology Foundations for Cybersecurity provides the baseline technical literacy that enables lawyers to communicate effectively with technical teams and understand the capabilities and limitations of cybersecurity measures. This multi-layered approach produces graduates who can bridge the persistent gap between legal counsel and technical security teams.

Advanced cybersecurity offerings push into emerging frontiers. Artificial Intelligence Law and Policy addresses the national security implications of AI systems, from autonomous weapons to AI-powered surveillance. Blockchain Law, Policy, and Cybersecurity explores how distributed ledger technologies create both opportunities and vulnerabilities for national security. The course on Disinformation, National Security, and Cybersecurity examines one of the most pressing contemporary challenges — the weaponization of information through digital platforms. Selected Topics in Cybersecurity Law: Risk Management and Incident Response provides practical training in the legal dimensions of cyber incident management, a skill increasingly demanded by both government agencies and private sector organizations responsible for critical infrastructure.

Faculty Leadership and Distinguished Practitioners

The program’s faculty combines 15 internationally respected full-time professors with more than 75 distinguished practitioners who serve as adjunct professors. This ratio — roughly five adjuncts for every full-time faculty member — reflects the program’s philosophy that national security law must be taught by those who practice it. The adjunct faculty brings credentials that no purely academic appointment could replicate: former General Counsel of FEMA, former Army Judge Advocate General and Deputy Judge Advocate General, former Inspector General of the Intelligence Community, Court of Appeals Judge for the Armed Forces, and Department of Justice lead litigators in computer crime, FISA, and domestic terrorism.

Program Director Lisa M. Schenck brings both academic distinction and military leadership to the role. A retired JAG Corps colonel who served as judge, lawyer, and educator, she holds a J.S.D. and has authored numerous articles and the textbook Modern Military Justice: Cases and Materials. Faculty Co-Director Laura A. Dickinson, the Oswald Symister Colclough Research Professor of Law, won the 2021 Mike Lewis Prize for National Security Law Scholarship — awarded to the best article on national security law published during the year — for her work on national security policymaking in the shadow of international law.

Faculty Co-Director Edward Swaine, the Charles Kennedy Poe Research Professor, co-authors with Professor Sean Murphy the leading casebook U.S. Foreign Relations Law: Cases, Materials, and Practice Exercises, used at law schools nationwide. The program also benefits from Professor Dan Solove, a nationally renowned privacy scholar whose expertise bridges cybersecurity and civil liberties, and Professors F. Scott Kieff and Steve Charnovitz, whose work on international trade and innovation addresses the economic dimensions of national security. This combination of leading scholars and seasoned practitioners creates a teaching team that connects cutting-edge legal theory to operational reality.

Field Placements and Practical Training at GW Law

GW Law’s Field Placement Program places more than 600 students each year in supervised positions at key institutions throughout Washington, D.C. — a scale and institutional reach that reflects the law school’s integration with the capital’s legal infrastructure. For national security and cybersecurity law students, placement organizations include the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Judge Advocate General’s Corps, the Office of Justice for Victims of Overseas Terrorism at the DOJ, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the National Security Division of the DOJ, and the Office of the Chief Counsel at the Department of Homeland Security.

These placements provide supervised practical experience that transforms theoretical knowledge into professional competence. A student working at the National Security Division learns firsthand how FISA applications are prepared and reviewed. A placement at DHS provides exposure to the legal frameworks governing homeland security operations, border enforcement, and immigration policy. Students at the Defense Intelligence Agency encounter the classified information management and security clearance processes that define intelligence community legal practice. Each placement combines academic credit with supervision by leading legal practitioners and the kind of work experience that employers in national security law specifically seek.

The practical training infrastructure extends beyond formal placements. The Fundamentals of Lawyering course provides a groundbreaking introduction to analytical, research, and writing skills specifically oriented toward professional identity formation in national security practice. Students can participate in panel discussions, seminars, and conferences featuring leading practitioners — often held at nearby institutions including think tanks and government agencies. The law school’s Career Center, one of the largest legal career counseling teams in the country, hosts nearly 100 programs annually including panels, networking events, and recruitment programs specifically designed for students pursuing national security careers.

Student Organizations and Professional Engagement

The National Security Law Association (NSLA) serves as the primary student organization for the program, sponsoring panel discussions, keynote speakers, and career networking events throughout the academic year. The NSLA co-hosts an annual National Security Law Career Fair that connects students directly with employers in government agencies, law firms, and organizations where national security legal expertise is essential. Past NSLA panels have addressed topics including the International Criminal Court, legal ramifications of the U.S. government employing private security contractors, and intelligence surveillance — issues at the cutting edge of national security law practice.

The Military Law Society (MLS) provides a complementary community for students with military backgrounds or interest in military law. The MLS promotes scholarly discussion of military law, veterans’ law, national security law, and related topics while building professional ties between students, the law school, and Washington’s extensive military law community. The society assists students in identifying internship and career opportunities and is dedicated to pro bono work, participating in military-affiliated community service and providing legal assistance for servicemembers and veterans.

The program hosts numerous events each year showcasing leading practitioners and policy makers. Recent highlights include a fireside chat between GW Law Dean Dayna Bowen Matthew and Carrie Ricci, LLM ’05, the General Counsel for the U.S. Department of the Army — illustrating how alumni return to campus in senior roles and contribute to the next generation’s professional development. The law school has also hosted U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals appellate hearings on campus, giving students the rare opportunity to observe military appellate proceedings in a familiar academic setting. These events create informal but valuable networking opportunities that complement the formal curriculum and help students build the professional relationships essential for national security careers.

Washington DC: The Strategic Location Advantage

No discussion of GW Law’s national security program is complete without examining how its Washington, D.C. location fundamentally shapes the educational experience. The law school sits within walking distance of the White House National Security Council, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Department of State, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, and U.S. Institute of Peace. This proximity is not merely symbolic — it translates into daily opportunities for students to engage with the institutions that make and implement national security policy.

Capitol Hill access allows students to observe House and Senate subcommittees firsthand as they conduct oversight hearings on intelligence operations, cybersecurity policy, and defense spending. Dozens of research centers and think tanks located near GW Law conduct research in foreign relations, cybersecurity, and national security law, providing both research resources and networking opportunities. GW’s on-campus National Security Archive — a unique institutional resource — provides a trove of declassified documents pertaining to national security that enables advanced research impossible at most law schools.

Washington’s concentration of law firms with robust national security and cybersecurity practices creates employment pathways that complement government placements. Students can pursue careers at the intersection of private practice and national security — advising defense contractors on compliance, representing companies before CFIUS on foreign investment reviews, or counseling technology firms on export controls and sanctions. This ecosystem of government agencies, think tanks, law firms, and international organizations, all focused on national security, makes GW Law the natural home for the nation’s leading program in this field. For students exploring specialized law programs at top institutions, our guide to university programs across the country provides additional perspectives.

Career Development and Professional Pathways

GW Law’s Center for Professional Development and Career Strategy operates one of the largest legal career counseling teams in the country, with all counselors being former practicing attorneys with extensive experience in both public and private sectors. For national security law students, the Career Center provides personalized career plans, clerkship preparation, government position guidance, and support for the security clearance process that many national security roles require. The center hosts nearly 100 programs annually, including fall and spring recruitment programs and a dedicated public sector recruitment program.

Career pathways for national security law graduates span an exceptionally wide range of employers and roles. Government positions include the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, intelligence community legal offices, military judge advocate positions, Department of Homeland Security counsel roles, and congressional staff positions on intelligence and armed services committees. Private sector opportunities include national security practices at major law firms, defense contractor compliance positions, cybersecurity consulting, and risk advisory roles at technology companies navigating the increasingly complex intersection of technology and national security regulation.

The program’s adjunct faculty serve as a living network of career contacts — former General Counsel of FEMA, former Army Judge Advocate General, former Inspector General of the Intelligence Community, and leading DOJ litigators all teach at GW Law and interact regularly with current students. This direct access to senior practitioners in the field provides mentorship and professional introduction opportunities that formal career services alone cannot replicate. The Military Law Society further supports career development for veteran students, helping them leverage their military experience into civilian legal careers in national security and beyond. For students comparing how different institutions approach career development in specialized law fields, exploring other top graduate programs offers useful benchmarks.

Veterans Support and Admissions at GW Law

GW Law actively welcomes veterans and participates in the Veterans Administration’s Yellow Ribbon Program, which provides additional financial support beyond standard GI Bill benefits. This commitment reflects the program’s recognition that military veterans bring invaluable perspective and experience to the study of national security law — and that transitioning from military service to legal education requires institutional support tailored to veterans’ unique needs and strengths.

Admission to the program follows three pathways corresponding to the degree options. JD applicants apply through the general law school admissions process at admissions@law.gwu.edu or (202) 994-1010. LLM candidates — including both U.S.-trained attorneys and international law graduates — apply through llmadmissions@law.gwu.edu, while MSL applicants contact msladmissions@law.gwu.edu. The Graduate and International Programs office at (202) 994-7242 provides guidance for international applicants. Additional information is available at the program’s website at www.law.gwu.edu/national-security-cybersecurity-foreign-relations-law.

Prospective students should carefully consider which concentration — national security and cybersecurity law versus national security and foreign relations law — best aligns with their career goals. Those interested in cyber threat management, critical infrastructure protection, and technology regulation may prefer the cybersecurity track, while students drawn to intelligence operations, military law, treaty implementation, and diplomatic relations may find the foreign relations track more aligned with their interests. Both tracks share core courses and the same faculty, so the distinction is primarily one of curricular emphasis rather than program quality. Regardless of concentration, all students benefit from GW Law’s unparalleled D.C. location and the extensive network of practitioners who define the program’s unique character.