Criminal Law Initiative
The Criminal Law & Policy Initiative promotes academic inquiry, professional engagement, and scholarly research on cutting-edge criminal law and policy issues, and supports students interested in careers in criminal law and related areas.
Contact Us
The Criminal Law & Policy Initiative
2000 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20052
Faculty Director
Kate Weisburd
[email protected]
202-994-0946
Fellows
The Maryland Office of the Public Defender Virtual Open House
Monday, September 27, 2021
5:15 pm
CLPI Defender Picnic
Wednesday, September 29, 2021
5 pm
Stockton Patio
Progressive Prosecution: A Discussion with the Key Players of a National Criminal Reform Movement
November 20
How to Get a PD Job: Public Defender Career Advice Panel
November 12
Change Agents: The Role of Public Defenders and Prosecutors in Criminal Justice Reform
September 9
Race in America Lecture Series
February 24
So, You Want to Be a Public Defender?
November 13 - Noon
Pushed Out of School and Into Court: The Criminalization of Youth of Color
November 4 - 12:15 pm
Criminal Law 101
October 30 - Noon
Prosecuting and Defending High-Profile White-Collar Criminal Cases
October 30 - 5 pm
So, You Want to Be a Prosecutor?
October 23 - Noon
Spring 2020 Course Advising Session
October 16, 2019 - Noon
The Jacob Burns Moot Court Room
Due Process in the Face of Death
October 8, 2019 - 12:15 pm
The Jacob Burns Moot Court Room
Five Years After Ferguson: What Does Police Reform Look like Today?
October 1, 2019 - 12:15 pm
The Jacob Burns Moot Court Room
The Emerging Nexus Between Sport, Race, and Social Justice Activism
April 10, 2019 - Noon
The Tasher Great Room
The Criminal Law Initiative held a panel discussion on the wave of social justice activism among professional and amateur athletes.
Race, Officer-Involved Shootings, and the Law on Police Use of Deadly Force
March 20, 2019 - 4 pm
The Tasher Great Room
The SBA Affairs Branch Diversity Speaker Series hosted Professor Cynthia Lee who discussed model legislation she has proposed on police use of deadly force, currently under consideration in Maryland.
Public Defender as Civil Rights Lawyer
March 20, 2019 - 12-1:30 pm
The Tasher Great Room
The Criminal Law Initiative, the Career Center, and the Criminal Law Society hosted Jon Rapping, JD '95, Founder and President of Gideon's Promise.
Careers in Domestic Anti-Corruption
March 19, 2019 - 6:15-7:15 pm
The Michael K. Young Faculty Conference Center
The Criminal Law Initiative and the Anti-Corruption and Compliance Association held a panel discussion on various careers in the anti-corruption field.
Fall 2019 Course Advising Session
March 14, 2019 - 3-4 pm
Jacob Burns Moot Courtroom
The Criminal Law Initiative held a Fall 2019 course advising session with Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Roger A. Fairfax, Jr.
Policing Through Technology: Challenges and Opportunities for Litigation and Reform
March 13, 2019 - 12:15 - 1:30 pm
Lerner 302
Police Killings of African Americans Town Hall Discussion
Monday, February 25, 2019 - 5 - 7 pm
Faculty Conference Center
The Criminal Law Initiative and the GW Black Law Students Association hosted a discussion on the killing of African Americans by police in recent years.
So, You Want to Be a Public Defender?
Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - Noon
The Criminal Law Initiative hosted Johanna Leshner, JD '02, for an information session on tips to becoming a public defender.
Righting Past Wrongs: Seeking Justice for Blacks Ensnared by the War on Drugs in the Deep South
Wednesday, October 24, 2018 - 12:30-1:30 pm
The Criminal Law Initiative hosted Atteeyah Hollie, Senior Attorney at the Southern Center for Human Rights.
So, You Want to Be a Prosecutor?
Wednesday, October 24, 2018 - Noon
The Criminal Law Initiative as they host Matthew J. Brief, former Asst. District Attorney in Manhattan and former Trial Attorney in the Organized Crime Section for the Department of Justice in the Eastern District of New York Strike Force, JD '80. Mr. Brief discussed tips to becoming a prosecutor.
Gideon's Promise Summer and Post-Graduate Fellowships Information Session
Thursday, September 20, 2018 - Noon - 1 pm
Gideon's Promise is the nation's primary organization focused on transforming the culture of indigent defense. Founded in 2007 by GW Law alum Jon Rapping, Gideon's Promise provides training and mentorship to support public defenders and fosters collaboration in the collective movement for criminal and social justice reform. At this session, meet Executive Director Ilham Askia and learn about summer law clerk opportunities and post-graduate positions through the Law School Partnership Program.
Public Defender As Civil Rights Lawyer
Wednesday, April 11, 2018 - Noon
The GW Criminal Law Initiative hosted Jonathan Rapping, JD '95, Founder and President of Gideon's Promise.
So, You Want to Be a Federal Public Defender?
To be rescheduled.
Join the GW Criminal Law Initiative as they host A.J. Kramer, Federal Public Defender for the District of Columbia, to discuss the Federal Public Defender career track.
Fall 2018 Course Advising Session
Thursday, March 15, 2018 - 5 - 6 pm
Dean Fairfax answered questions about the Criminal Law curriculum and curricular pathways for those interested in Criminal Law careers.
Emerging Issues In FCPA Enforcement
Friday, March 9, 2018 - 8 am - 4 pm
The one-day CLE conference addressed cutting-edge FCPA issues, including the emerging legal issues in multi-jurisdictional enforcement actions, improving efficiency and cutting costs in internal investigations, qualifying for benefits under the new DOJ corporate enforcement policy, and working effectively with forensic accountants. It also included an hour on an ethics topic: Challenges maintaining attorney-client privilege in anti-corruption enforcement actions.
The Rise of Plea Bargains and Decline of the Right to Trial
Thursday, March 8, 2018 - Noon - 2 pm
The American Constitution Society and National Bar Association examined the extent to which the ubiquity of plea bargains may exacerbate disparate outcomes for people of color, increase the imbalance in power between prosecutors and defendants, affect criminal discovery obligations, risk wrongful convictions, and even contribute to our mass incarceration crisis.
So, you want to be a Federal Prosecutor?
Wednesday, February 28, 2018 - Noon - 1 pm
The GW Criminal Law Initiative hosted Robert Livermore, JD '98, award-winning Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, to discuss the Federal Prosecutor career track.
Public Corruption Law in the Post-McDonnell Era
Thursday, February 1, 2018 - Noon - 1 pm
The GW Anti-Corruption and Compliance Association (ACCA) hosted a panel that debated the merits of the McDonnell case from a legal and public policy perspective.
Human Rights, Criminal Justice, and the Death Penalty
Tuesday, November 14 - 1:30 pm
The Criminal Law Initiative, the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy, and the Southern Center for Human Rights hosted a conversation with Billy Neal Moore and Stephen Bright.
Film Screening & Discussion: 13th
Wednesday, November 1, 2017 - 6 - 8:30 pm
The Criminal Law Initiative and GW's Black Law Students Association (BLSA) hosted a film screening of the acclaimed documentary 13th. Students participate in a post-film discussion, moderated by Senior Associate Dean Roger A. Fairfax, Jr.
Law Review Symposium 2017 | The Challenge of Crime in a Free Society: 50 Years Later
Thursday, October 26, 2017, 4 - 6 pm
Friday, October 27, 2017, 8 am - 6:30 pm
The George Washington Law Review, along with co-sponsor Roger A. Fairfax, Jr., Jeffrey and Martha Kohn Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Research Professor of Law, held its Fall 2017 Symposium, The Challenge of Crime in a Free Society: 50 Years Later.
End of Its Rope: How Killing the Death Penalty Can Revive Criminal Justice
Thursday, October 26, 2017, Noon
Join the Criminal Law Initiative, the Criminal Law Society, and the American Constitution Society as they host University of Virginia School of Law Professor Brandon L. Garrett to discuss his new book End of Its Rope: How Killing the Death Penalty Can Revive Criminal Justice.
So You Want to Be a Public Defender?
Wednesday, October 25 - Noon
The Criminal Law Initiative hosted GW Law alumna Johanna Leshner, JD '02. Ms. Leshner shared the secrets of how to apply for internships and permanent positions, how to ace the interview, and what 1Ls, 2Ls, 3Ls, and 4Ls can do now to prepare themselves to be competitive for the public defender job search.
The War on Kids: How American Juvenile Justice Lost Its Way
Tuesday, October 24, 2017 - 6 pm
The Criminal Law Initiative, Street Law, and the GW Black Law Students Association hosted Cara H. Drinan, Visiting Professor and author of the recent book The War on Kids: How American Juvenile Justice Lost Its Way.
So You Want to Be a Prosecutor?
Wednesday, October 11 - Noon
The Criminal Law Initiative hosted GW Law (and Manhattan District Attorney’s Office) alumnus Matt Brief, JD '80. Mr. Brief shared the secrets of how to apply for internships and permanent positions, how to ace the interview, and what 1Ls, 2Ls, 3Ls and 4Ls can do now to prepare themselves to be competitive for the prosecutor job search.
More Information
For more information about the CLPI, please email [email protected] and sign up for the mailing list below.
Book Club
Sign up for the Criminal Law Society and Criminal Law and Policy Initiative Racial Justice Book Club. The first 25 people to sign up at the link below are guaranteed a free copy of “Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates, sponsored by Paul Hastings LLP.