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Orientation

 

Incoming Transfer Students Information

Previous Communications

Email 1 (7/18/24)

Email 2 (7/24/24)

Email 3 (8/6/24)

Email 4 (8/8/24)

Email 5 (8/9/24)

Key Dates

Wednesday, August 7 (10 am-3 pm) - Virtual Session

As mentioned before, this virtual program is designed to introduce transfer students to the GW Law community conveniently from wherever you are currently located.  The program will consist of two sessions with an hour break for lunch.  A morning session (10 AM - 12 PM) covering topics including an academic advising overview to support planning for your GW Law experience with information on graduation requirements, curricular and co-curricular offerings, and available resources.  The afternoon session (1 PM - 3 PM) will include a Transfer Journal Competition Information session, a review of community expectations, and Q&A for all of the above. 

Wednesday, August 14 (10 am-2 pm) - In Person Session 

Orientation Recordings

Wednesday, August 7 Virtual Session

Academic Information/ Curricular Offerings at GW Law

2024-2025 GW Law Academic Calendar

You will find the Academic Calendar along with other important course scheduling and enrollment documents on the Records Office Fall 2024 page.  Incoming transfers have one of two start dates for the fall semester.  If you need to take Civil Procedure or Torts you will be required to take it this fall.  Classes for these required 1L courses begin Monday, August 19 when first-year, first semester classes commence. If you need to take Property, Legislation and Regulation, and/or Constitutional Law I this fall to complete GW Law’s first-year curriculum/graduation requirement, these classes start on Monday, August 26 when all other upper-level courses begin. 

Course Selection Assist

In an effort to provide a bit more assistance in identifying courses with spaces available, the Adjunct Faculty Program staff compiled a listing of Fall 2024 Selected Noteworthy Courses.  Please note that while this document is currently accurate, it is not updated in real time and will be subject to change.  This being said, we hope you find it to be a good starting point for your course selection process.

GW Law's Field Placement Program - Fall 2024

Transfer students are encouraged to participate in the Field Placement Program! In the Field Placement Program, students earn academic credit for externships with government, judicial, or nonprofit organizations. 

 

The Program provides students with the opportunity to gain experience in different substantive areas of law and legal processes; to provide students with the opportunity to gain experience in different substantive areas of law and legal process and reflect upon their professional development; to develop legal research, writing, interviewing, counseling and investigative skills and engage in reflective lawyering; to deal with issues of professional responsibility in a practice setting and give thought to an attorney’s ethical and moral choices and obligations; and to consider cross-cultural competency within the context of client representation and an attorney's role in creating a legal system providing equal access and eliminating bias, discrimination, and racism in the law.

 

Registration for the Fall 2024 Field Placement Program opened on Friday, June 28, 2024, and the priority registration deadline was Friday, August 2, 2024. However, we will admit students into the Program as space allows through Tuesday, September 3, 2024. We encourage students to apply as soon as possible to ensure a spot.

 

To participate in Field Placement, students must do the following:

  1. Secure a qualifying externship: We encourage students to work closely with the Career Center to identify externship opportunities that align with their professional goals.

  2. Submit the registration application: Once an externship is secured, students must complete the registration application. This is done by creating a “New Experience” in the Experiential Learning section of CORE. Additionally, once the New Experience has been submitted, students must complete the COVID-19 Assumption of Risk, Release, and Waiver of Liability and their placement supervisors must complete the Student Extern Supervision Agreement, both found in the “Documents and Forms” tab of the Experience. Complete instructions for the registration process can be found on the Field Placement page of MyLaw. 

  3. Attend a required orientation session: All first‐time Field Placement participants must attend an orientation session. The orientation will last 90 minutes and multiple sessions are offered during the first week of class. Specific dates and times will be sent to all first-time Field Placement participants approximately two weeks before the start of classes.

 

Students are encouraged to contact the Field Placement team at [email protected] with any questions.

 

GW Law Advocacy Programs 

Advocacy Programs facilitates and hosts student participation in competitions both on and off campus.  During the 2023-24 academic year, GW excelled in 34 external advocacy competitions against other law schools and was recognized 28 times:

 

External Competitions - 34 total (37 teams)

  • ADR - 4 Competitions (5 Teams)

  • Mock Trial - 6 Competitions (7 Teams)

  • Moot Court - 20 Competitions (21 Teams)

  • Other - 4 Competitions (4 Teams)

 

Overall Team Success - 17 total

  • Champion Team - 4

  • Finalist (Second Place) Team - 3

  • Semi-finalist Team - 5

  • Quarter-finalist Team - 4

  • Sweet 16 Team - 1

 

Oral Advocacy - 5 total

  • Best Oral Advocate - 4

  • Second Best Oral Advocate - 1

 

Written Advocacy - 6 total

  • Best Written Submission - 5

  • 9th Best Written Submission - 1

 

Because of these successes, GW Law was ranked by the Blakely Advocacy Institute at the University of Houston Law Center as the 18th Best Moot Court Program in the country.  As a result, GW has been invited to participate in the Moot Court National Championship in January 2025.

 

Additionally, GW hosts four, separate, one-credit, internal (only against GW students) competitions each year, which - like other electives - are open to all upper-level students.  Each provides the opportunity to earn membership on the sponsoring Board: ADR, mock trial, and moot court.  These competitions include: (1) the Cohen & Cohen Mock Trial Competition (fall), (2) the Van Vleck Constitutional Law Moot Court (fall), (3) the Rothwell Intellectual Property Moot Court (spring), and (4) the Spanogle International Commercial Arbitration Competition (spring).

 

New this academic year, students in internal competitions can register for an add-on experiential education credit and receive coaching from an adjunct professor experienced in the area of law relevant to the competition.

 

We are particularly proud to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of our Van Vleck Constitutional Law Moot Court Competition and have assembled a very special Final Round bench in recognition of it.  On Thursday, January 30, 2025 in Lisner Auditorium, the Finals will occur before Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, US Supreme Court; Judge David Barron, US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit; and Judge Roopali Desai, US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

 

For detailed information you can review this information sheet on GW Law’s Advocacy Competitions or visit the Advocacy Programs page on the Portal. If students have any questions, please contact David Johnson, Assistant Dean for Advocacy Programs at 202.994.4539. His office is Stuart 207.

 

Jacob Burns Community Legal Clinics 

GW Law is home to twenty clinical offerings. In a clinic, you receive academic credit (2-6 credits) as you represent clients in real cases. In a weekly seminar, you learn the substantive law and skills necessary for you to represent your clients. Under the supervision of GW Law faculty, you then take responsibility for all the lawyering tasks your clinic work requires. Each clinic focuses on a different area of the law from international to domestic, transactional to litigation, and human rights to domestic violence. If you are interested in participating in a clinic, you will want to review important information about the clinics, including prerequisites. 

 

Registration and enrollment for the spring semester clinics begins in October and students learn if they are accepted the week prior to spring semester registration.  We are no longer accepting applications for Fall 2024, but for Spring 2025 availability, clinic descriptions, and information on the clinic application process please visit the clinic website and portal now and during the first two weeks in October to stay informed about changes or updates in our offerings.

 

Journals and Transfer Journal Competition

GW Law’s student journals will conduct a write-on competition for transfer students beginning Thursday, August 15 at 9 am to Monday, August 19 at 9 am.  Competitors will have the ability to rank participating journals to be considered for membership. 

 

Law students must complete four semesters of journal work at GW Law.  Journal work includes writing a Note and completing regular production assignments.  Students will earn one ungraded credit, i.e., a non-letter grade, for each semester of work.  Semesters in which students complete their Note will be designated with Honors, Pass, Low Pass, and No Credit.  Once a law student has completed the fourth semester of journal the designated non-letter grade will lodge retroactively to the semester earned on their transcript.  

 

Students transferring into GW Law as 2L full-time students should participate in the August competition and will be notified before the end of the Add/Drop period if they have been selected for a journal. As students must complete four semesters of journal membership, this is the only opportunity for full-time students to apply for a journal.  Students transferring into GW Law as 2L part-time students should wait to participate until the regular competition in February/March 2025 unless you intend to graduate early (e.g., December 2026).  Those 2L part-time students participating in the competition during the spring semester will be notified of the results in mid-summer 2025.

 

The competition is entirely online and all materials will be available via the GW Write-On Competition website including the 2024 TRANSFER Journal Supplemental Material Instructions & Evaluation Criteria and the George Washington University Journal Withdrawal Policy.  You must register for the competition on the left-hand side of the page.  Incoming students are strongly encouraged to review the George Washington University Journal Withdrawal Policy before committing to participating on a journal.

 

For more information you may view the Journal Competition Information Session from the virtual portion of the Transfer Orientation held on Wednesday, August 7 or the Journal Competition PowerPoint presented.  You may always direct questions about the competition to [email protected]. 

 

Recognition of Juris Doctor Concentrations

Candidates for the Juris Doctor degree may earn a Recognition of Concentration in eleven substantive fields. Recognition requires students to complete a minimum number of credit hours in the concentration area, after completion of the required first-year curriculum. Specific requirements are established by the concentration directors, listed below, who are responsible for the administration of the recognition. Students who wish to receive a Recognition of Concentration are required to register that intention with the concentration director prior to their final semester in law school, but preferably earlier in their upper-level years. The concentration directors will advise interested students on the concentration area, program requirements, and course options.

 

More information specific to each concentration is available in the 2024-2025 GW Law Bulletin.  In the meantime, the Concentration Directors and Coordinators for the upcoming academic year are listed below.  Feel free to reach out if you are considering a concentration.

 

GW Law’s Public Interest and Public Service Law Center

The Center’s mission is to cultivate the next generation of leaders committed to serving people, and advancing the public good whether in not-for-profit organizations, in government, or by providing pro bono assistance to those who cannot afford a lawyer.

 

To this end, the Center led by Alan B. Morrison, the Lerner Family Associate Dean for Public Interest and Public Service Public Interest Advisory Council have worked to build a comprehensive, full-service Center to encourage, support, and equip students interested in public service by taking advantage of the deep expertise of our alumni, faculty, and staff to enter fulfilling careers serving the public.  For more information on funding a career in public interest, GW Law’s Pro Bono program, or the Richey Fellows Program you may visit the Center’s website or review the Public Interest Program Overview informational sheet. 

Registration & Advising Information

Maximum Transfer Credits Allowed

By way of reminder, GW Law will accept up to a maximum of 31 credits to be transferred from a student’s prior studies at an ABA-accredited institution.  For those non-U.S. law school graduates participating in the LLM-JD Transfer Program this does not impact the number of advanced standing credits awarded for legal studies completed outside the U.S.. 

 

Final, Completed, Official Transcripts – Transfer Credit Memos

Please be mindful that the credit memo is based upon the transcript submitted to the Admissions Office with your application.  Should you have pending grades, you will need to submit your final, completed official transcript to the Admissions Office as soon as possible to complete your admissions file AND for review by the Dean of Students Office for any credit eligible for transfer to your GW Law transcript.  The deadline for submitting your final, completed transcript is October 15, 2024 but sooner rather than later is preferred.

 

Exclusive Use of Law School Email Account for Communication

Your TCM will be sent to both your personal and law school email addresses.  Hereafter, communication from the law school will be sent only to your @law address as email correspondence to a student’s official law school email account is the one fully acceptable means for student notification.  

 

Registration Preparation & Information on Fall Exams

To prepare for registration on Wednesday, August 14, please review the GW Law Bulletin for course descriptions as well as the course scheduling materials found on the Records Office portal under Fall 2024 Semester Information.  You will want to review these important registration documents:  The Course & Exam Schedule, Schedule of Classes with CRNs (Course Registration Numbers), and the Bulletin Supplement.  You can also access a draft schedule of the Spring 2025 course offerings, which may aid you in your long-term course planning.  By way of a heads-up, you will be registering for your spring courses in mid-October, just 8 weeks away.  Embedded here and posted to the Incoming Transfer Checklist is a listing of Selected Fall 2024 Noteworthy Courses. These are just some of the excellent courses and professors you can take.

 

Examinations at GW Law

The Law School does not have a flexible exam policy.  Exams are scheduled a year in advance to provide notice to students. It is important to note the date and time of your exam when scheduling your classes. Multiple examinations on the same day or examinations on several consecutive days do not constitute an exam conflict and will not result in being excused from the scheduled day and time of the exam.  We do not recommend scheduling exams on the same day and, if possible, avoid consecutive days.

 

​​In-person exams are administered using the Exam4 software suite. Exam4 software is

updated twice a semester: once for midterms and once for finals. You must have the most recent update in order to take your exams. The Records Office will let students know when the new software builds are available. Students are responsible for ensuring their computers are in good working condition and are strongly encouraged to download and test the latest version of Exam4 at least a week before the exam.

 

Registration & Advising Session

Registration for the Fall 2024 Semester for incoming transfer students via GWeb begins at 9 am, Wednesday, August 14.  Information on how to access and use GWeb may be found on the Records Office home page. You may register remotely, and you do not need to register at 9 am promptly.

 

Feel free to bring a list of prepared questions and a rough schedule to the Academic Advising Session from 10 am – Noon on Wednesday.  Representatives from the Dean of Students Office and the Law School’s programs will be on hand to answer questions you may have about curricular and co-curricular programs. Following the advising session there will be a Meet & Greet lunch and an opportunity to speak with an SBA representative about getting involved at GW Law.  In the event you are unable to attend, you can always schedule an advising appointment, or you can attend a Dean of Students open advising session.  These first-come, first-served advising sessions are held frequently during the ADD/DROP period which corresponds with the first week of classes for upper-level law students.

Technology at GW Law

 

Law School Email – Your law school email (@law.gwu.edu) is your official email account of record at the Law School.  You can sign into your Law School email via this link to GMail.  Although announcements regarding orientation and the onboarding process have been sent to both your personal and @law accounts, following receipt of your Transfer Credit Memo on Monday, August 12, all law school correspondence will be sent to your @law account. We highly recommend you forward your @gwu.edu email to your @law.gwu.edu email. Here are Gmail forwarding instructions.

 

Laptop Computer Requirements

All students are expected to have a laptop computer that meets the specifications for Exam4, the exam software used to administer exams. For questions about this, please contact [email protected].

 

Technology Overview

For your convenience, the Jacob Burns Law Libary’s Office of Instructional Technology has consolidated all the current technology information you need on the Technology@GW Law: Info for New Students website. Here you will find everything you need to know about technology at GW Law including: 

 

IMPORTANT!  REGISTRATION FOR ONLINE RESEARCH SERVICES

On Thursday, August 15, you will receive an email, to your law school email account, from the Jacob Burns Law Library with the subject "Registration Information for Library Research Accounts." This email provides instructions to register your GW Law assigned Bloomberg, Lexis, Westlaw, and CALI accounts.  Your individual registration codes will be embedded in the instructions.  Support contacts for all four accounts are provided in the email. You should receive this email by early afternoon on August 15.  If you do not see this email in your GW Law inbox, please check your spam folder before reaching out for assistance.

 

We encourage you to register your accounts at your earliest opportunity to have these set up in advance of the beginning of the semester as it can takes 24 hours to access your new account.  

 

If you want to move research folders from the account at your prior institution, follow the directions in the Transfer Instructions for Westlaw Precision, which will be posted on the Technology@GW Law website.

 

You should review this information and related video tutorials prior to your arrival.  In order to have your technology questions answered quickly, please be certain to direct them to the appropriate office.  

Transfer Credit Memos

Transfer Credit Memos (TCMs) will be sent out to all incoming students whose official transcript was received from their previous institution by August 12.  This memo will indicate the number of credits transferring to the GW Law transcript and will show which, if any, course(s) a student must take.  Before receiving your TCM, we encourage you to use this time to become familiar with the extensive course listing GW Law has to offer and to begin to plan a coherent academic program for your time at the Law School.  The Law Bulletin contains course descriptions and you may find the Bulletin and the information for the Fall 2024 Semester on the Records Office web page. 

Your GW Identity and Account Activation (Due: ASAP)

Your GW identity is a collection of elements that uniquely identifies you as a member of the GW community. If you have not done so already, please activate/claim your GW identity as soon as possible. Please refer to the GW Account Activation for New Users for step by step guidance on how to claim your account. As part of the Identity claiming process, you will receive both GW and GW Law email accounts. These accounts use the same username and password. After activation, login to your GW Law email account.

Law and Undergraduate Transcript Requirement: (Due: ASAP)

If you elect to enroll at GW Law and have not already done so, please have your current law school send a final official law transcript that includes all Spring 2024 law grades (and Summer 2024 grades, if applicable). In addition, we require an undergraduate transcript (with bachelor’s degree notation).

Official law transcripts can be submitted electronically to [email protected] via a transcript electronic service (recommended).  If an electronic option is not available, official transcripts can be mailed directly to the Admissions Office:

The George Washington University Law School
JD Admissions Office
700 20th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20052

Recognizing that transfer students may have pending credit for coursework at their original institution due to summer courses, the deadline for submitting a complete, final official transcript from your prior institution, is October 15, 2024. A complete, final official transcript must be submitted to finalize your Admissions file and to ensure all qualifying credits transfer. If your official transcripts are not received, a registration hold will be placed on your account.

Resume Submission: (Due: ASAP)

Please complete and submit the Incoming Transfer Student Resume Form. Responses will be used to compile the entire class profile for faculty so they have a better sense of the transfer cohort.

Immunization Requirement: (Due: ASAP)

All matriculating students who will be under the age of 26 as of July 1, 2024, must submit their immunization records directly to Student Health Services. Once you receive access to your GW email address, you will be able to access the portal (please see above on activating your GW Identity). Please note that although the Student Health Center website shows the deadline as June 15, as an incoming law student, your deadline has been extended to July 15. 

Update Your Chosen Name, Gender Identity, and Pronouns (Due: ASAP)

If you indicated a preferred name in your application to GW Law, that name will be entered into the various digital records across campus. If you need to update this information or want to change it, you can find more information on the process on the Office of Diversity, Equity and Community Engagement website. 

(NEW!) Provide Any Dietary Restrictions (Due: Friday, August 9)

Meals will be provided at various times during orientation. If you have any dietary restrictions, please complete our Dietary Restriction form by Friday, August 9th to ensure your dietary restrictions can be accommodated. 

(NEW!) Sign up for Information from the Law School Affinity Groups (Due: ASAP)

The law school has over 80 student-led organizations that serve as the backbone of the law school community. Each of these groups would like to welcome you personally. If you are interested in outreach, please complete this Affinity Group Interest Form. 

Purchase the Tuition Insurance (Due: August 18)

Although we hope each student will sail through the semester without incident, we know from experience that is not always the case. As a result, the university partnered with GradGuard so students can purchase insurance to protect their educational investment by reimbursing up to 100% of tuition, room, and board in the event of a medical or mental health withdrawal, based on your level of coverage. Please note that your financial aid award may affect refunded amounts. Tuition insurance is available for purchase via Student eBill prior to the start of each fall and spring semester. Tuition insurance may also be purchased from GradGuard directly via their website or by calling 877-794-6603. Tuition Insurance must be purchased prior to the start of each semester to cover tuition and other covered expenses for that term. For more information, please see the GradGuard website.

Character and Fitness Disclosures (Due: August 18)

Please ensure your application to GW Law provides disclosure of any legal volitions, college disciplinary matters, or similar issues, including any that may have occurred after you submitted your application. State boards of bar examiners will note any issue disclosed in your bar application that occurred before you enrolled in law school and specifically ask both your prior institution and GW Law whether the law school was aware of that issue when you enrolled. If an inconsistency exists between information obtained by the bar examiners and your law school admission applications, that inconsistency could impact your admission to the bar.

Please send any necessary disclosures to the Admissions Office on or before Sunday, August 18 – using [email protected]. Please err on the side of disclosure. If you have questions regarding whether something needs to be disclosed, please contact the Dean of Students Office. It is in your best interest to review your law school application to GW and email any updates to Admissions now before you formally "matriculate" as a law student.

Housing Resources

We wanted to share some last minute housing resources in case you are still apartment hunting, or have yet to sign a lease.

  • Check out the GW Law Housing Guide, a custom made resource from our trusted housing partner VeryApt, which contains valuable resources that can help guide your housing search.
  • Login to our new Roommate Portal, where prospective and current students have been connecting with each other.
  • UniversityHaus is a local property management company that has shared current availability at their Dupont property. You can complete their interest form, and additional information below:
    • Expedited Approval for International Students: UniversityHaus offers expedited housing approval for international students with the necessary documentation.
    • Financial Aid Utilization: UniversityHaus has programs that allow students to use their financial aid to cover housing costs.
    • Rent Deferment Options: UniversityHaus provides a two-week rent deferment for students waiting on scholarships or financial aid disbursements.
    • All-Inclusive Rent: Rent includes furnishings, WiFi, and utilities.
    • Convenient Location: The housing is within walking distance of the campus and located in the highly desirable Dupont Circle neighborhood.
    • Student-Only Units: UniversityHaus offers units and roommates exclusively for students.

If you have questions, or concerns, please reach out to [email protected].

Mandatory GW SHIP Enrollment (Waiver due September 12, 2024)

All law students will be automatically enrolled in the GW Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) for 2024-2025. If you have other acceptable coverage you must waive by September 12, 2024, at University Health Plans. Please note the waiver form will be available in mid-July. 

Registration for Accommodations (ASAP, but no later than November 15)

Students requesting an accommodation based on the potential impact of a disability must contact the University’s Disability Support Services Office to establish eligibility and to coordinate reasonable accommodations. For additional information on this process for law students, please refer to the GW Law Dean of Students Office website.