GWU Jacob Burns Legal Clinics: Hands-On Law Program Guide 2026

What Are the Jacob Burns Legal Clinics

The Jacob Burns Community Legal Clinics at The George Washington University Law School represent one of the most comprehensive clinical legal education programs in the United States. Operating as both a public interest law firm and an academic program, the clinics allow law students to develop essential lawyering skills while representing clients in real cases—clients who could not otherwise afford legal representation and who face critical legal challenges affecting their lives, families, and communities.

What distinguishes the Jacob Burns Clinics from typical law school experiential programs is the depth of responsibility entrusted to students. Student-attorneys are certified to practice in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and federal courts under the close supervision of clinical professors who are experts in their fields. This is not simulation or moot court—these are real cases with real consequences, and students serve as the primary attorneys for their clients throughout the representation.

The clinics combine the rigor of traditional classroom instruction with the intensity of hands-on legal practice. In seminar sessions, faculty provide doctrinal knowledge, ethical frameworks, and practice skills training. In the field, students conduct client interviews, draft legal documents, negotiate with opposing counsel, and present arguments before judges. This dual structure enables students to “hit the ground running as lawyers,” gaining insights about law, the practice of lawyering, the legal system, and themselves as professionals that cannot be acquired through casebook study alone.

“The George Washington University Law School impacts the law and the world by uniquely combining renowned scholarship and a D.C.-infused education to prepare students who shape solutions to the pressing challenges of our times.”

22 Practice Areas: Complete Overview

The breadth of the Jacob Burns Clinics’ practice areas reflects both the diversity of legal need in Washington, D.C. and GW Law’s commitment to providing students with exposure to the full spectrum of public interest legal work. Students can choose from 22 distinct practice areas, each supervised by faculty with deep expertise in the relevant field.

This diversity of practice areas ensures that every GW Law student—regardless of their career interests—can find a clinical experience that aligns with their professional goals. Whether a student is drawn to criminal law, corporate social responsibility, health policy, or international human rights, the clinics provide a structured pathway from classroom theory to courtroom practice.

Criminal Law and Defense Clinics

The criminal law clinics at GW Law provide students with direct experience in both trial-level criminal defense and appellate advocacy. In the Criminal Defense Clinic, student-attorneys represent individuals facing criminal charges in Washington, D.C. courts, handling all aspects of representation from initial client meetings through trial preparation, plea negotiations, and courtroom advocacy. Under the supervision of faculty who have spent careers in criminal defense practice, students learn to investigate cases, file motions, examine witnesses, and make arguments before judges.

The Criminal Appeals Clinic extends this experience to post-conviction work, where students research and draft appellate briefs challenging convictions and sentences. Appellate advocacy demands a different skill set from trial work—meticulous legal research, persuasive writing, and the ability to construct complex legal arguments that can withstand judicial scrutiny at the highest levels. Students in this clinic develop these skills while working on cases with real consequences for clients whose liberty hangs in the balance.

The Domestic Violence Clinic addresses criminal law from the perspective of survivors, representing clients seeking civil protection orders and navigating the intersection of criminal and family law. GW Law’s clinical faculty includes a pioneer of nationally recognized domestic violence law and litigation, whose expertise informs both the academic curriculum and the clinic’s approach to client representation. Students learn to work with trauma-affected clients, coordinate with law enforcement and social services, and advocate for comprehensive protection strategies.

Immigration and Human Rights Clinics

In a city that serves as the administrative center of the American immigration system, the GW Law Immigration Clinic provides students with critical experience representing individuals in removal proceedings, asylum cases, and other immigration matters. The clinic has achieved significant results for its clients, including securing asylum for individuals facing persecution in their home countries. One notable case involved a client from Egypt who had faced repeated discrimination, sexual harassment, and threats due to her religion—a case that had been in removal proceedings for over a decade before clinic students and faculty achieved a favorable outcome.

The Human Rights Clinic takes advocacy to the international level, with faculty who have litigated extensively in U.S. courts and before regional human rights tribunals. Students work on cases that intersect domestic and international law, developing skills in human rights documentation, international legal research, and advocacy before international bodies. Washington, D.C.’s concentration of embassies, international organizations, and human rights NGOs provides a uniquely rich environment for this work.

Both clinics prepare students for careers in immigration law, international human rights, and public interest advocacy—fields where the demand for skilled attorneys far exceeds the supply, and where the consequences of legal representation can mean the difference between safety and persecution for vulnerable individuals.

Community and Economic Justice Clinics

The community-focused clinics at GW Law address systemic barriers to economic opportunity and social justice in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. The Small Business and Community Economic Development Clinic provides transactional legal services to entrepreneurs, worker cooperatives, and community organizations that lack access to corporate legal counsel. This clinic has achieved landmark results, including representing a worker-directed nonprofit whose advocacy led the D.C. Council to unanimously pass the Street Vendor Advancement Amendment Act—legislation that bridges equity gaps in street vendor licensing across the District.

The Access to Justice Clinic: Nonprofit and Entrepreneurship Division extends legal support to the startup ecosystem, providing brief guidance and ongoing representation to local entrepreneurs. The clinic served as a sponsor for D.C. Start-Up Week, an event that hosts thousands of local startups, demonstrating its integration into the city’s economic development infrastructure. For students interested in small business law, social enterprise, or community development, this clinic provides practical experience that directly translates to career opportunities in transactional practice.

The Employment Law and Workers’ Rights clinics focus on protecting individuals from wage theft, unsafe working conditions, and employment discrimination. Students represent workers in administrative proceedings and court cases, gaining experience in both individual client advocacy and systemic policy reform. The Environmental Justice Clinic addresses the disproportionate impact of environmental hazards on marginalized communities, connecting legal advocacy with the broader movement for environmental equity.

Health, Housing, and Public Benefits Clinics

The Health Rights Law Clinic represents clients in disputes with insurance companies, Medicaid programs, and healthcare providers. A recent clinic victory involved a ten-year-old client with a jaw deformity whose Medicaid-managed health insurance company had denied his orthodontist-ordered medical treatment. Student-attorneys successfully challenged the denial, securing the medically necessary care that the child needed. This case exemplifies the clinic’s mission: ensuring that vulnerable individuals—particularly children—receive the healthcare to which they are legally entitled.

The Health and Housing Policy Clinic takes a systemic approach, working on policy reform initiatives that address the root causes of health and housing inequity. Clinical faculty includes a former senior policy advisor to the White House who is recognized as an expert in eviction prevention and U.S. housing policy. Students in this clinic develop skills in legislative advocacy, regulatory analysis, and policy research, preparing them for careers at the intersection of law and public policy.

The Housing Advocacy Clinic provides direct representation to tenants facing eviction, habitability violations, and landlord-tenant disputes. In a city where housing affordability is an ongoing crisis, this clinic serves a critical need while giving students experience in the fast-paced, high-stakes world of housing court litigation. The Public Benefit Advocacy Clinic ensures that low-income individuals receive the government assistance to which they are entitled, navigating complex administrative systems on behalf of clients who often face bureaucratic barriers to essential services.

Specialized Clinics: IP, FOIA, and Vaccine Injury

Intellectual Property Clinic

The Intellectual Property Clinic provides legal services to creators, inventors, and small businesses who cannot afford to protect their intellectual property through conventional legal channels. In a knowledge economy, IP protection is essential for economic participation, yet the cost of trademark, copyright, and patent legal services can be prohibitive for individuals and startups. Students in this clinic gain practical experience in IP prosecution, enforcement, and counseling while ensuring that underserved communities benefit from the protections of intellectual property law.

Public Justice Advocacy and FOIA Clinic

The Public Justice Advocacy Clinic focuses on government accountability and transparency, including significant work under the Freedom of Information Act. In one landmark case, student-attorneys represented a local education nonprofit in a FOIA request to compel D.C. Public Schools to release records. The students presented oral arguments in D.C. Superior Court, and the judge ordered at least a partial release and a new search for responsive policy documents. This clinic develops skills in administrative law, government accountability, and public interest litigation that are directly relevant to careers in government oversight, journalism, and nonprofit advocacy.

Vaccine Injury Litigation Clinic

The Vaccine Injury Litigation Clinic is one of the most unique clinical offerings in American legal education. Faculty include one of the nation’s leading experts on vaccine injury litigation, and the clinic represents families in claims before the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. In a particularly significant case, the clinic won a matter involving the death of a young child. When the U.S. Department of Justice appealed the decision to the Federal Circuit, a team of student-attorneys rose to represent the client in that appeal—providing students with appellate experience before one of the most important federal courts in the country.

Faculty Expertise and Mentorship

The quality of clinical faculty is the single most important factor in the success of any legal clinic program, and GW Law’s roster of 30 faculty and clinical fellows represents one of the strongest clinical teams in the country. These are not ivory-tower academics—they are experienced practitioners who bring deep expertise from the highest levels of legal practice to their roles as teachers and supervisors.

The clinical faculty includes former attorneys from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, a pioneer of nationally recognized domestic violence law and litigation, one of the leading experts on vaccine injury litigation, a mediator for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and a former senior policy advisor to the White House specializing in eviction prevention and housing policy. Their scholarly work is frequently cited in major publications, and media outlets such as the Washington Post and the New York Times regularly seek their expertise on legal developments in their areas of specialization.

Adjunct faculty further enrich the clinical experience, including the managing attorney for the D.C. Bar’s pro bono programs, a mediator for D.C. Superior Court, and an internationally recognized expert on legal and policy advocacy addressing gender-based violence and harassment in employment. Through both in-class seminars and supervised client work, faculty guide students toward meaningful professional identities, helping them understand not just the mechanics of legal practice but the deeper purpose of their work as advocates.

Program Structure and Credit Options

Most Jacob Burns Clinics require a six-credit, one-semester commitment, reflecting the significant time investment needed to develop competency in clinical legal practice. This credit structure typically includes classroom seminar hours, supervised practice time, and independent case work. The six-credit model ensures that students have sufficient time to build meaningful client relationships, develop case strategies, and see their work through to resolution.

Recognizing that some students may not be able to commit to a full six-credit clinic, GW Law has introduced a series of limited-credit clinic options through the Access to Justice Clinic. These shorter engagements provide cross-disciplinary insight into the barriers to equitable access to justice while requiring a more limited time commitment. This dual structure allows students greater flexibility for experiencing multiple clinic opportunities across different practice areas while gaining critical real-world experience.

The combination of traditional and limited-credit options means that students can strategically design their clinical education. A student might complete a full six-credit clinic in their primary area of interest while sampling one or two limited-credit experiences in adjacent fields, creating a well-rounded clinical portfolio that strengthens both their skills and their professional identity.

Real-World Impact: Case Studies

The impact of the Jacob Burns Clinics extends far beyond the educational benefits to students. These clinics serve as a critical legal resource for vulnerable communities in Washington, D.C. and beyond, achieving outcomes that shape policy, protect rights, and change lives.

In community economic development, the Small Business and Community Economic Development Clinic’s work with a worker-directed nonprofit led directly to the D.C. Council’s unanimous passage of the Street Vendor Advancement Amendment Act, transforming the regulatory landscape for street vendors across the District. In health rights, the clinic secured medically necessary treatment for a child with a jaw deformity after his insurance company’s denial—a victory that affirms the principle that children’s access to healthcare should not be determined by bureaucratic cost-cutting. In public justice advocacy, student-attorneys successfully compelled D.C. Public Schools to release records under FOIA, establishing important precedents for government transparency in education.

In immigration, the clinic has helped clients who spent over a decade in removal proceedings finally receive the asylum protection they desperately needed. And in vaccine injury litigation, student-attorneys are currently representing a client before the Federal Circuit in a case involving the death of a young child—appellate advocacy at the highest level of federal practice.

Why Clinical Education Matters for Law Students

Clinical legal education is no longer a supplementary aspect of law school—it is increasingly recognized as an essential component of professional preparation. The American Bar Association has strengthened experiential learning requirements, and employers consistently report that clinical experience is one of the most important factors they consider when hiring new attorneys. The Jacob Burns Clinics provide exactly the kind of structured, supervised, real-world practice that transforms law students into competent, confident practitioners.

Students who complete clinical programs at GW Law report significant gains in professional competence across multiple dimensions: client counseling and communication, legal research and writing, oral advocacy, ethical judgment, case management, and the ability to work collaboratively with colleagues, opposing counsel, and judicial officers. Perhaps most importantly, clinical experience helps students develop the professional identity and sense of purpose that sustains a career in law. Understanding firsthand the impact of legal representation on vulnerable individuals creates a commitment to justice that extends throughout a lawyer’s professional life.

GW Law’s location in Washington, D.C. amplifies these benefits. Students practice in real courts within walking distance of the Supreme Court, argue before federal agencies, and engage with the nonprofit and government organizations that define the public interest legal landscape. This is not a simulation of legal practice—it is legal practice, conducted at the highest level of professional responsibility.

How to Apply and Contact Information

Students interested in the Jacob Burns Community Legal Clinics should contact the following offices for information about clinic enrollment, eligibility requirements, and available practice areas:

• Laurie S. Kohn — Jacob Burns Foundation Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs; Director, Family Justice Litigation Clinic; Director, Access to Justice Clinic — Phone: 202.994.7463
• Andrea R. Willis-Johnson — Managing Attorney and Associate Program Director — Phone: 202.994.3086
• Milagros Tudela — Administrative Supervisor — Phone: 202.994.7463
• Office of Admissions and Financial Aid — Phone: 202.994.7230

The clinics are housed at 650 20th Street NW, Washington, D.C., with the main GW Law campus at 2000 H Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20052. For more information, visit www.law.gwu.edu/clinics.