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George Washington University: Law School
The George Washington University Law School
Washington, D.C.
GW Law offers students the opportunity to study law with world-renowned faculty members in an ideal location—Washington, D.C., the center of the most dynamic legal and policy activity in the United States. Our campus is located in the heart of Washington, steps from the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the White House, the U.S. Department of State, and the Organization of American States.
Established in 1865, the law school is the oldest law school in Washington, D.C., and GW is the largest institution of higher education in the District of Columbia. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate and 13,000 graduate students studying a rich range of disciplines including business, international affairs, medicine, public health, engineering, law, and public policy.
Graduate Law Programs
The LLM programs at GW Law allow students to combine traditionally taught courses with in-depth seminars, internships, and skills training for a complete approach to legal education. Because of its location in the nation’s capital, the law school offers unparalleled opportunities for the study and observation of law in action.
Our faculty of well-respected scholars and practitioners challenges and engages students with a stimulating curriculum that teaches legal skills through extensive practice, academic coursework, and scholarly research. With a broad curriculum featuring more than 275 elective courses, along with strong academic and personal support, the law school offers an exceptional academic environment. In addition, our students gain practical experience in externships at nearby institutions, including major international organizations, nonprofits, courts, federal government agencies, and international dispute settlement bodies.
Graduates of our programs become leaders in business, international organizations, the judiciary, government, and private legal practice throughout the world. Notable recent appointments for our LLM graduates include: Ambassador from Tanzania to the United States, Ambassadors from Romania to the United States and to the United Kingdom, High Court Judge of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, Director of the Climate and Energy Program at the Center for International Environmental Law, President of the Andean Community Court of Justice, Dean of University of Maine School of Law , Chief Justice of Bhutan, and Prime Minister of Mongolia.
Student Body
The law school has a total enrollment of nearly 2,000 students, including approximately 1,400 full-time JD students, 300 part-time JD students, and more than 200 graduate law degree students. The graduate students include both lawyers trained at U.S. law schools and those trained outside the United States.
In 2023, GW Law received more than 530 applications for LLM programs, and more than 191 students matriculated from the United States and 50 countries. Top countries represented were China, India, Germany, South Korea, Iran, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, and Brazil. The incoming LLM class included recent law school graduates, military judge advocates, solo practitioners, law clerks, human rights activists, prosecutors, corporate counsel, judges, and government officials, as well as Fulbright scholars.
For those students who enter GW Law from outside the United States, the Graduate Programs Office staff helps to facilitate a smooth transition to the United States and to the GW campus. The staff provides services that range from academic advising and course selection to assistance with issues such as housing, campus resources, and life in Washington, D.C. The office also organizes a variety of social, culture, and informational programs.
Because of our academic rigor, ideal location, and personalized support, our students find that the GW Law experience is dynamic, rigorous, collaborative, and practical. Simply put, there is no better place to study law.
LLM Programs
- Business and Finance Law
- Energy and Environmental Law
- Environmental Law
- General LLM
- Government Procurement Law (Available fully online)
- Government Procurement and Environmental Law
- Intellectual Property Law
- International and Comparative Law (includes concentrations in International Human Rights Law and International Arbitration, Mediation, and Other Forms of Dispute Resolution)
- International Environmental Law
- Litigation and Dispute Resolution
- National Security and Cybersecurity Law (Available fully online)
- National Security and U.S. Foreign Relations Law
- Master of Studies in Law (M.S.L.) in Business and Finance, Criminal Law and Procedure, Cybersecurity, Environmental and Energy Studies, First Amendment Speech and Expression, General Studies, Government Procurement, Health Care, and Intellectual Property
- Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD)
- LLM/MPH
- LLM/MA 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
Scholarships Available
- GW Law Merit Scholarship
- Thomas Buergenthal Scholarship
- Ben Gupta Endowed Fund for International Legal Education
- The Licks Attorneys LLM Scholarship
- Richard P. Momsen fund for Brazilian Law Graduates
- Gerald J. Mossinghoff Fellowship for Graduate Research in Intellectual Property Law
- Randolph C. Shaw Graduate Fellowship for Environmental Law
Entrance Requirements
All LLM applicants must hold a JD or equivalent law degree earned with high rank from a law school that is a member of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS), or is accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA), or is a recognized non-U.S. institution. Non-U.S. law school graduates also may need to meet the minimum language test requirement. All SJD applicants also must hold an LLM degree with high rank from an AALS- or ABA-approved law school.
Learn More
Graduate Programs Office
The George Washington University Law School
2000 H Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20052 USA
Phone: 202.994.7242
Fax: 202.994.2831
www.law.gwu.edu
LLM, MSL and SJD Admissions
E-mail: llmadmissions@law.gwu.edu
Available courses
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