The George Washington University Law School

At least you don’t go to American?

I transferred into GW for my 2 & 3L years and have enjoyed the opportunities that the school provides immensely. The faculty are incredibly well-​credentialed (Former FTC Chairman, half my professors have clerked for SCOTUS, Clarence Thomas himself teaches here as an adjunct, etc) and are usually very engaged with the class. Career services constantly has tons of postings up for jobs and internships and GW effectively runs the show on internships in the District during the academic year. The school definitely helps you get your feet wet outside of the classroom and make you a very attractive hire at a lot of places. There is always some social mingling event with firms, nonprofits, etc almost every week and a ton of contacts to be made here. Foggy Bottom is a lovely area of the city and has plenty of places to grab a bite to eat or a drink.
That said, the school is stupidly overpriced (but aren’t ALL law schools? This is not just GW, but every law school in the nation), yet is about evenly priced for peer law schools. DC has a preposterous cost of living. The building is also very crowded and confusingly laid out. And while this may be a matter of opinion, DC has a certain «air» to its legal field that may not be great for all people.
All in all, its a great law school that opens up a lot of opportunities and has one of the highest full-​time long-​term bar-​required employment rates in the nation. Though, I wish I could find a single occupant bathroom to use in peace somewhere in this maze of hallways they call a law school building.

I had the unique opportunity to take a number of classes at George Washington’s law school years after I graduated from the University of Texas School of Law. While I enjoyed taking classes here, I’m not sure I’m ready to allow it to share the pedestal with my alma mater.
The professors at GW appeared to have more recent practice experience than my professors at Texas, but their contributions to the practice of law, while impressive, were not of the same caliber. For example, one of the professors I had at GW was a partner at a major law firm in DC (impressive); one of my professors at Texas was the central legal figure in determining the liability of Arthur Andersen, Vinson & Elkins (major law firm), and Enron in the rather famous Powers report. Another professor defended the Unabomber and another one was a former 5^th Circuit judge. Yet another professor was the main figure behind the billion dollar tobacco settlements whereas a young professor of mine was #1 in his class at Harvard Law School. So I’m not criticizing GW on this front; I’m simply pointing out that as a matter of degree of legal contribution, the school does not measure up to Texas.
The quality of teaching received at both schools is impressive. The professors led discussions through both theoretical and practical applications of the law. Use of the dreaded Socratic method was minimal. Both schools continue to use the outdated practice of bell curves and singular exams to test performance.
I give a slight edge to George Washington in the area of career services. While part of this might simply be due to location, it does appear that GW has significantly more job leads than Texas. Having said that, I know a couple of students that were in my classes who still aren’t employed. That is completely unacceptable given GW’s ranking in US News and World Report. Actually, both schools could improve in this area.
The facilities at George Washington are unimpressive. The law library is laughable and the entire school is a bit congested. It is also poorly located in the middle of GW’s campus. The grand Tarlton Law Library, once ranked the largest in the country, gives Texas a huge edge on this front.
From what I understand, GW is not cheap for law school. Texas is not only ranked higher and considered a more prestigious law school, but it is cheaper to boot. I’m sure someone might call bias, but these are also simple facts.
Overall, I was impressed with GW, and I would wholeheartedly recommend their law school as an overall strong option for gaining one’s legal education. Having said that, I think the experience at Texas is a superior one.

I am a 1L at GW Law and I love everything about it. My professors are engaging and passionate which makes attending class a pleasure. There’s a lot of reading, duh, but that really shouldn’t be a concern when choosing a law school.
To point out the obvious, GW Law is in Washington, D.C. which really is ideal for anyone who wants to do absolutely anything that involves policy. Really.
Also, GW Law gives out a lot of scholarships. I know many schools do (you have to do be competitive I guess) but GW seems to beat out most other schools at its level.
So we fell in the US News ranking just a little bit this year but I am confident that it will go back up for next year. And if not, who REALLY cares what some company has to say about a school they have probably never visited.
The people in admissions are super nice so if you are thinking about applying, call them up and talk to someone. Also, visit! And really, trust my review :-P