The Jacob Burns Community Legal Clinics

The Jacob Burns Community Legal Clinics were founded in 1971, and were dedicated in 1991 to acknowledge the generous support of Jacob Burns (LLB '24, Hon. LLC '70). A longtime trustee of the University, Burns (1902-1993) was renowned as a lawyer, artist, and philanthropist. GW Law is proud to honor this significant contribution to the "uplifting and maintenance of the legal profession," and his fearless advocacy of the principle of "equal justice under the law."

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Dean Matthew with members of the The Jacob Burns Community Legal Clinics

The Clinics, an educational curriculum as well as a public interest legal practice with GW Law, provide a deep experiential learning environment for students as they represent clients and hone their skills. Clinic students, who are certified to practice as lawyers in a range of jurisdictions and at both the local and federal level, work directly with individual and organizational clients in matters involving intellectual property protection, transactional law, family law, appellate litigation, housing and health law, and more than a dozen practice areas in between. Students enjoy close supervision by law school faculty, gain real world lawyering experience, and engage in professional development that increases their job marketability.

The Jacob Burns Community Legal Clinics operate under the direction of Associate Dean Laurie S. Kohn. The Managing Attorney & Associate Program Director for the Clinics is Andrea R. Johnson, and the Administrative Manager is Milagros Tudela.

 

Contact Us: 2000 G Street NW, Washington, DC 20052 | 202.994.7463 | Hours: Monday-Friday; 9 am-5 pm

21

Number of GW Law Clinics

50k

Client Service Hours Annually

264

Enrolled Students Annually

25+

Practice Areas

Recent News

Three photos of people smiling for the camera to the left and the GW Law logo at AALS on the right

GW Law Faculty to Present at 2025 AALS Conference on Clinical Legal Education

April 25, 2025

GW Law faculty are proud to represent at this year's AALS Conference on Clinical Legal Education.

GW Law students in the Access to Justice-Prisoner Rights Division Clinic pose at the Aberdeen VA court house after participating in a trial.

GW Law Student Attorneys in Access to Justice Clinic Participate in Prisoner Rights Trial

April 17, 2025

GW Law students in the prisoner civil rights division of the Access to Justice clinic had the unique experience of going to trial in a prisoner rights case.

Jaylah Richie, Sidney Lee, Emma Stinson and Nana-Yaw Owusu

Advocating for Healthier Futures: Environmental Justice Division’s Impactful Submission to HUD on Lead Hazards

November 25, 2024

The Health Equity and Policy Advocacy Clinic recently celebrated a milestone achievement, thanks to the work of our Environmental Justice (EJ) student team.

Community Impact & Newsroom

 

 

 

 

Faculty in the News

"Court documents show mom of 3-year-old Bay Area girl killed by father requested protection"

KGO-ABC7, San Francisco, quoted Joan Meier on her research on undocumented murders of children by parents after court’s refuse to protect the child.

"Ask PolitiFact: Did President Joe Biden grant 'mass amnesty' to over 350,000 immigrants?"

PolitiFact quoted Paulina Vera discussing the document management that comes along with closing cases.

"'Dig deeper:' Experts question response to initial 911 call in Zay Flowers case"

The Baltimore Sun quoted Joan Meier acknowledged responders took a step in the right direction, but should’ve continued to “dig deeper” in this call response.

"Evan Stark, who expanded definition of domestic violence, dies at 82"

The Washington Post quoted Joan Meier speaking on the legacy of Evan Stark and his incorporation of coercive control into criminal law.

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