The George Washington University Law School (GW Law) is the

law school A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, ...

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , presi ...

, in Washington, D.C. Established in 1865, GW Law is the oldest top law school in the national capital. GW Law offers the largest range of courses in the US, with 275 elective courses in business and finance law, environmental law, government procurement law, intellectual property law, international comparative law,

litigation - A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used in reference to a civil act ...

and dispute resolution, and

national security National security, or national defence, is the security and defence of a sovereign state, including its citizens, economy, and institutions, which is regarded as a duty of government. Originally conceived as protection against military att ...

and U.S. foreign relations law. Admissions are highly selective as the law school receives thousands of applications. In 2020, the acceptance rate was 21%. GW Law has an alumni network that includes notable people within the fields of law and government, including the former U.S. Attorney General, the former

U.S. Secretary of the Interior The United States secretary of the interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior. The secretary and the Department of the Interior are responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land along with natura ...

, foreign heads of state, judges of the

International Court of Justice The International Court of Justice (ICJ; french: Cour internationale de justice, links=no; ), sometimes known as the World Court, is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN). It settles disputes between states in accordan ...

, ministers of foreign affairs, a Director-General of the World Intellectual Property Organization, a Director of the CIA, members of U.S. Congress, U.S. State Governors, four Directors of the FBI, and numerous

Federal judge Federal judges are judges appointed by a federal level of government as opposed to the state/provincial/local level. United States A US federal judge is appointed by the US President and confirmed by the US Senate in accordance with Article 3 ...

s. The law school publishes nine student-run journals and hosts highly ranked skills competitions, such as the Van Vleck Constitutional Law Moot Court Competition. In 2020 GW was ranked as the 11th best

moot court Moot court is a co-curricular activity at many law schools. Participants take part in simulated court or arbitration proceedings, usually involving drafting memorials or memoranda and participating in oral argument. In most countries, the phrase " ...

program in the country and regularly hosts a U.S. Supreme Court justice on its three-judge panel. The 2023 '' U.S. News & World Report'' ranks GW Law as the 25th top law school in the United States. The '' National Law Journal'' ranked GW Law 21st for law schools that sent the highest percentage of new graduates to NLJ 250 law firms, the largest and most prominent law practices in the U.S.

History

The George Washington University Law School was founded in the 1820s but closed in 1826 due to low enrollment. The law school's first two professors were William Cranch, chief justice of the Circuit Court for the District of Columbia and second reporter of the U.S. Supreme Court, and William Thomas Carroll, a descendant of

Charles Carroll the Settler Charles Carroll (1661–1720), sometimes called Charles Carroll the Settler to differentiate him from his son and grandson, was a wealthy lawyer and planter in colonial Maryland. Carroll, a Catholic, is best known because his efforts to hold off ...

and clerk of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1827 until his death in 1863. The law school was reestablished in 1865 and was the first law school in the District of Columbia. Law classes resumed in 1865 in the Old Trinity Episcopal Church, and the school graduated its first class of 60 students in 1867. The

Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mo ...

degree program was adopted by the school in 1897. In 1900, the school was one of the founding members of the

Association of American Law Schools The Association of American Law Schools (AALS), formed in 1900, is a non-profit organization of 176 law schools in the United States. An additional 19 schools pay a fee to receive services but are not members. AALS incorporated as a 501(c)(3) n ...

. In 1954, it merged with

National University School of Law National University School of Law was an American law school founded in Washington, D.C. in 1869. Originally intended as part of a larger design for a national university in the United States, the school was the principal component of National Unive ...

of Washington. The law school operated under the name National Law Center for the 37 years from 1959 to 1996, when it was renamed George Washington University Law School. Supreme Court Justices

Clarence Thomas Clarence Thomas (born June 23, 1948) is an American jurist who serves as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was nominated by President George H. W. Bush to succeed Thurgood Marshall and has served since 1 ...

, William Strong, David J. Brewer,

Willis Van Devanter Willis Van Devanter (April 17, 1859 – February 8, 1941) was an American lawyer who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1911 to 1937. He was a staunch conservative and was regarded as a part of the Fo ...

, and John Marshall Harlan were among those who served on its faculty. Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice

Antonin Scalia Antonin Gregory Scalia (; March 11, 1936 – February 13, 2016) was an American jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1986 until his death in 2016. He was described as the intellectu ...

, Justice Elena Kagan, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, and Justice Samuel Alito presided over its

in 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2014, and 2016. GW Law has the oldest intellectual property program in the country, with alumni having written patents for some of the greatest technological achievements of the past 130 years—including the Wright brothers' flying machine, patented on May 22, 1906. The school was accredited by the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of aca ...

in 1923 and was a charter member of the

. ;National University School of Law The

was merged into the George Washington University School of Law in 1954. The school was founded in 1869. Many alumni served in prominent political and legal positions throughout the school's history.

Academics

Curriculum

J.D. students are required to take courses on civil procedure,

criminal law Criminal law is the body of law that relates to crime. It prescribes conduct perceived as threatening, harmful, or otherwise endangering to the property, health, safety, and moral welfare of people inclusive of one's self. Most criminal law ...

constitutional law Constitutional law is a body of law which defines the role, powers, and structure of different entities within a state, namely, the executive, the parliament or legislature, and the judiciary; as well as the basic rights of citizens and, in fe ...

, contracts, introduction to advocacy, legal research and writing, professional responsibility and ethics,

property Property is a system of rights that gives people legal control of valuable things, and also refers to the valuable things themselves. Depending on the nature of the property, an owner of property may have the right to consume, alter, share, r ...

, and

torts A tort is a civil wrong that causes a claimant to suffer loss or harm, resulting in legal liability for the person who commits the tortious act. Tort law can be contrasted with criminal law, which deals with criminal wrongs that are punishab ...

. GW Law offers more than 275 elective courses each year. The school boasts particularly robust offerings in business and finance law, environmental law, government procurement law, intellectual property law, international comparative law,

and dispute resolution, and

and U.S. foreign relations law. GW Law also offers numerous summer programs, including a joint program with the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

for the study of international human rights law at

New College, Oxford New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1379 by William of Wykeham in conjunction with Winchester College as its feeder school, New College is one of the oldest colleges at ...

each July.

Degrees offered

In addition to the

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice l ...

degree, GW Law offers the following joint degrees: * J.D./M.B.A. with the School of Business *J.D./ Master of Public Administration with the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration *J.D./ Master of Public Policy with the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration *J.D./ M.A. with the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences in History (with a concentration in U.S. Legal History), in Women's Studies, or in Public Policy (with a concentration in Women's Studies) *J.D./ M.A. with the Elliott School of International Affairs *J.D./

Master of Public Health The Master of Public Health or Master of Philosophy in Public Health (M.P.H.), Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH), Master of Medical Science in Public Health (MMSPH) and the Doctor of Public Health (Dr.P.H.), International Masters for Healt ...

with the Milken Institute School of Public Health *J.D./Public Health Certificate with the Milken Institute School of Public Health The school also offers

(LL.M.) in Environmental Law, Business and Finance Law, International Environmental Law, Government Procurement and Environmental Law, Intellectual Property Law, International and Comparative Law, Government Procurement Law,

Litigation - A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used in reference to a civil act ...

and Dispute Resolution, and National Security and U.S. Foreign Relations Law. The Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) is offered to a very limited number of candidates. President's Office - GWU

Student recognition

Instead of supplying students with individual class rankings, GW Law recognizes academic performance with two scholar designations. The top 1–15% of the class is designated ''

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

Scholars'' while the top 16–35% of the class is designated ''

Thurgood Marshall Thurgood Marshall (July 2, 1908 – January 24, 1993) was an American civil rights lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1967 until 1991. He was the Supreme Court's first African-A ...

Scholars''.

Publications

GW Law publishes nine journals: * ''

The George Washington Law Review ''The George Washington Law Review'' is a bimonthly law review edited and published by students at the George Washington University Law School. It was established in 1932 and publishes scholarly articles, essays, and student notes. A double is ...

'' * '' The George Washington International Law Review'' * '' The George Washington Business & Finance Law Review'' * ''The Federal Circuit Bar Journal'' * ''The American Intellectual Property Law Association Quarterly Journal'' * '' The Public Contract Law Journal'' * '' The Federal Communications Law Journal'' * ''The Journal of Energy and Environmental Law'' * ''International Law in Domestic Courts Journal''

Student life

With more than 1,600 J.D. students enrolled in the 2013–2014 academic year, GW Law had the fifth largest J.D. enrollment of all ABA-accredited law schools. In the 2013–2014 academic year, 25.2% of GW Law students were minorities and 46.2% were female. Students enrolled in the J.D. program come from 206 colleges and 11 countries. The law school also enrolls students from approximately 45 countries each year in its

and Doctor of Juridical Science degree programs. GW Law students can participate in 60 student groups.

Campus

George Washington University Law School Buildings

GW Law is located in the heart of Washington's Foggy Bottom neighborhood, across the street from the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inte ...

and

International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster glo ...

headquarters, and a few blocks away from the

State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other na ...

and the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

. The Jacob Burns Law Library holds a collection of more than 700,000 volumes. In 2000, the law school began a major building and renovation plan. The school has expanded into buildings on the east side of the University Yard. The law school currently occupies nine buildings on the main campus of

The George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , presid ...

. The law school's main complex comprises five buildings anchored by

Stockton Hall Stockton Hall is a building on the campus of George Washington University in Washington, D.C. It was listed on the District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites in 1987 and on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. History The buil ...

(1924) located on the University Yard, the central open space of GW's urban campus. Renovated extensively between 2001 and 2003, these buildings adjoin one another, have internal passageways, and function as one consolidated complex. Three townhouses directly across from the main complex house the Community Legal Clinics, Student Bar Association, and student journal offices.

Admissions

For the class entering in the fall of 2019, 2,488 out of 8,019 J.D. applicants (31%) were offered admission, with 489 matriculating. The 25th and 75th LSAT percentiles for the 2019 full-time entering class were 160 and 167, respectively, with a median of 166 (93rd percentile). The 25th and 75th undergraduate GPA percentiles were 3.40 and 3.84, respectively, with a median of 3.74. In the 2018–19 academic year, GW Law had 1,525 J.D. students, of which 25% were minorities and 51% were female. In order to apply for the J.D. program, students must have taken the LSAT within the past five years and must submit a personal statement and at least one letter of recommendation. The GRE is also accepted instead of the LSAT. An applicant with scores for both the GRE and LSAT will have its LSAT score reviewed. Applications are considered on a rolling basis starting in October and must be submitted by March 1.

U.S. Supreme Court clerkships

Since 2005, GW Law has had seven alumni serve as judicial clerks at the U.S. Supreme Court, one of the most distinguished appointments a law school graduate can obtain. This record gives GW Law a ranking of 14th among all law schools nationwide (out of 204 ABA-approved law schools) for supplying such law clerks for the period between 2005 and 2017. GW Law has placed 27 clerks at the U.S. Supreme Court in its history, including in the 1930s Francis R. Kirkham, later partner at Pillsbury, Madison & Sutro in San Francisco and then general counsel to Standard Oil of California, and Reynolds Robertson, who worked for Cravath, deGersdorff, Swaine & Wood in New York City, both co-authors of a seminal work on the Court's jurisdiction.

Post-graduation employment

According to GW Law's official 2019 ABA-required disclosures, 73.6% of the Class of 2019 obtained full-time, long-term, bar passage-required, non-school funded employment ten months after graduation. GW Law's

Law School Transparency Law School Transparency (LST) is a nonprofit consumer advocacy and education organization concerning the legal profession in the United States. LST was founded by Vanderbilt Law School graduates Kyle McEntee and Patrick Lynch. LST describes its ...

under-employment score is 12.1%, indicating the percentage of the Class of 2019 unemployed, pursuing an additional degree, or working in a non-professional, short-term, or part-time job ten months after graduation. 0.6% of graduates were in school-funded jobs. 89.5% of the Class of 2019 was employed in some capacity, 1.4% were pursuing a graduate degree, and 6.8% were unemployed and seeking employment. The main employment destinations for 2019 GW Law graduates were Washington, D.C.,

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, and

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

Costs

The total cost of full-time attendance (indicating the cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses) at GW Law for the 2018-2019 academic year was $88,340. GW Law's tuition and fees on average increased by 4.1% annually over the past five years. The Law School Transparency estimated debt-financed cost of attendance for three years is $328,263. The average indebtedness of the 76% of 2013 GW Law graduates who took out loans was $123,693.

Rankings

GW Law is ranked #25 in the 2023 Law School Rankings of '' U.S. News & World Report''. GW Law ranks #5 for its

international law International law (also known as public international law and the law of nations) is the set of rules, norms, and standards generally recognized as binding between states. It establishes normative guidelines and a common conceptual framework for ...

program, #5 for intellectual property law, #2 for part-time law, and #10 for environmental law. The '' National Law Journal'' ranked GW Law 21st in its 2014 Go-To Law Schools list, a ranking of which law schools sent the highest percentage of new graduates to NLJ 250 law firms. According to Brian Leiter's law school rankings, GW Law ranked 17th in the nation for Supreme Court clerkship placement between 2003 and 2013, 19th in terms of student numerical quality, and 16th for law faculties with the most "scholarly impact" as measured by numbers of citations.

Notable people

File:William Barr.jpg, William Barr, former

Attorney General of the United States The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice, and is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government of the United States. The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the ...

File:Harry_Reid_official_portrait_2009.jpg, Former U.S. Senator Harry Reid, former Senate Majority Leader File:Belva_Ann_Lockwood_-_Brady-Handy.jpg,

Belva Ann Lockwood Belva Ann Bennett Lockwood (October 24, 1830 – May 19, 1917) was an American lawyer, politician, educator, and author who was active in the women's rights and women's suffrage movements. She was one of the first women lawyers in the United St ...

, first woman to argue before the U.S. Supreme Court File:Kellyanne_Conway_by_Gage_Skidmore_3.jpg, Kellyanne Conway, former

Counselor to the President Counselor or counsellor may refer to: A professional In diplomacy and government * Counsellor of State, senior member of the British royal family to whom the Monarch can delegate some functions in case of unavailability * Counselor (dip ...

File:Senator John Foster Dulles (R-NY).jpg, John Foster Dulles, former

United States Secretary of State The United States secretary of state is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The office holder is one of the highest ranking members of the president's Ca ...

File:Xu Mo2 (cropped).jpg, Hsu Mo, founding judge of the

File:Fulbright.jpg, Former U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright, founder of the

Fulbright Program The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people ...

File:Hoover-JEdgar-LOC.jpg,

J. Edgar Hoover John Edgar Hoover (January 1, 1895 – May 2, 1972) was an American law enforcement administrator who served as the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He was appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation ...

, 1st director of the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice ...

File:India-eam-krishna.jpg, S. M. Krishna, 26th Minister of Foreign Affairs of India File:Patricia_R._Harris_official_portrait.jpg, Patricia Roberts Harris, first African American woman to serve in the

U.S. Cabinet The Cabinet of the United States is a body consisting of the vice president of the United States and the heads of the executive branch's departments in the federal government of the United States. It is the principal official advisory body to t ...

Notable faculty

Notable faculty members include: *

GW Law School – Faculty: Clarence Thomas
/ref> *

John Banzhaf John Francis Banzhaf III (; born July 2, 1940) is an American public interest lawyer, legal activist and law professor at George Washington University Law School. He is the founder of an antismoking advocacy group, Action on Smoking and Health. ...

* Jerome A. Barron * Paul Schiff Berman * Thomas Buergenthal * Steve Charnovitz *

Mary Cheh Mary M. Cheh (born 1950) is an American Democratic politician from Washington, D.C. In November 2006, she won a seat on the Council of the District of Columbia representing Ward 3. Background and family Mary Cheh was born in Elizabeth, New ...

* Donald C. Clarke * Lawrence Cunningham *

William Kovacic William Evan Kovacic (born 1952) is an American legal scholar who served as a commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) from 2006 to 2011, including as its chairman from 2008 to 2009. He is a member of the Republican Party. Kovacic is c ...

* Alan Morrison * Ralph Oman * Richard J. Pierce * Randall Ray Rader * Charles Henry Robb * Jeffrey Rosen * Catherine J. Ross *

Lisa M. Schenck Lisa M. Schenck (née Thibault) is an American attorney, academic, and Judge of the United States Court of Military Commission Review. She has served as the associate dean for academic affairs at the George Washington University Law School sin ...

* Jonathan Turley * Daniel Solove File:Clarence Thomas official SCOTUS portrait.jpg, GW Law professor

, Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court File:John F. Banzhaf III.jpg, FAMRI Dr. William Cahan Distinguished Professor John F. Banzhaf III; legal activist; devised the

Banzhaf power index The Banzhaf power index, named after John F. Banzhaf III (originally invented by Lionel Penrose in 1946 and sometimes called Penrose–Banzhaf index; also known as the Banzhaf–Coleman index after James Samuel Coleman), is a power index defined ...

File:Mary Cheh -- 05-14-2010.jpg, Former Elyce Zenoff Research Professor of Law (1979)

in 2010; elected D.C. councilwoman File:Thomas Buergenthal.jpg, GW Law professor Thomas Buergenthal, former judge of the

File:Charnovitz in 2019.jpg, GW Law professor and legal writer Steve Charnovitz in 2019 File:Jeffrey Rosen National Constitutional Center (25417005805) (cropped).jpg, GW Law professor Jeffrey Rosen, National Constitution Center chair and CEO; constitutional law journalist and commentator File:Jonathan turley 5263504.jpg, GW Law professor and constitutional lawyer, Jonathan Turley

References

External links

* {{coord, 38.8988, -77.045, display=title Law schools in Washington, D.C. Educational institutions established in 1865 1865 establishments in Washington, D.C.