GW Law in New York

GW Law students interested in business law practice have the unparalleled opportunity to gain substantive hands-on experience while pursuing a domestic off-campus study in the world’s top financial center – New York City. This innovative and unique program creates educational opportunities, linked to student professional goals, in an environment that draws on and deepens GW’s alumni relationships.  

The GWNY program is offered during the spring semester to second and third-year GW Law students. Each program participant is required to enroll in a business law oriented 2, 3, or 4-credit externship, a 2-credit co-requisite course, Business Lawyering (LAW 6810), and business law electives taught by industry experts with their fingers on the pulse of the financial markets. GWNY course offerings are curated to mirror ever-evolving industry demands and innovation within the Manhattan legal market. Past electives have included Selected Topics in Banking Law (LAW 6289), Selected Topics in Corporate Law: Corporate Restructuring (LAW 6263), Securities Law Seminar (LAW 6264), and Legal Drafting (LAW 6652).

All GWNY classes, as well as monthly networking events, are held at the offices of participating law firms including Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, O’Melveny & Myers, Morrison Foerster, and Kirkland & Ellis LLP. To date, both the New York University School of Law and the Association of the Bar of the City of New York have extended library privileges to GWNY program participants. While each student is responsible for securing his or her own housing arrangements, the program maintains an active partnership with the 92nd Street Y, a non-profit institution that offers affordable accommodations to students on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. GWNY students may obtain field placements at a wide array of organizations offering business-centric externship opportunities to law students. Past field placements have included the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association. 

Externships must be business law oriented, and otherwise in conformity with GW Law’s externships program policies, including organizational eligibility requirements, i.e., 501(c), government, or judicial. All externships must first be approved by the Field Placement Program, and all eligibility determinations are final. 

Interested in GWNY?

Interested students must attend a mandatory information session. Several alternative sessions are held throughout the year – twice during the spring semester and twice during the fall. Applications are due in late September. A mandatory externship orientation on the GW Law campus is held late in the fall semester. All GWNY classes and externships commence in January.

Questions about applying to and securing a placement can be directed to Megan McGrath Corsetti at mcmcgrath@law.gwu.edu.

Questions about GWNY may be directed to gwny@law.gwu.edu.

The GWNY Program Director is Professor Lawrence Cunningham, who also teaches the Business Lawyering co-requisite and resides in New York City for the duration of the program. 

Download the application form [pdf]

Course & Externship Information

There are no pre-requisites for participation in the GWNY program, however students are strongly encouraged to take Corporations Law in advance. Please note that some GWNY course electives may have pre-requisites. Spring course offerings will be determined in early fall prior to spring registration. In the past, such courses have included Selected Topics in Banking Law (LAW 6289), Selected Topics in Corporate Law: Corporate Restructuring (LAW 6263), Securities Law Seminar (LAW 6264), and Legal Drafting (LAW 6652).

Securing an Externship

Students are encouraged to seek their own externship placements for participation in the GWNY program and to visit the staff of the Field Placement Program and Career Center for general advice on externships as early in the preliminary planning process as feasible. No commitments concerning externships for the program should be finalized until externships are approved by the Field Placement Office and students are accepted into the program.

Megan McGrath Corsetti
Associate Director of Employer Outreach
The George Washington University Law School
Center for Professional Development and Career Strategy
2000 H Street, NW, Suite 310
Washington, DC  20052
Direct Dial:  (202) 994-9237
Email:  mcmcgrath@law.gwu.edu
Web: http://www.gwlawcareers.org

Policies and Procedures

Except as expressly provided concerning special procedures and policies applicable to the New York field placements and courses, all procedures and policies of GW Law School apply equally to New York field placements and courses. These include those set forth in The George Washington University Law School Policy on Academic Integrity and The Field Placement Program (FPP) Student and Supervisor Handbooks.

With specific regard to field placements, such procedures and policies include, but are not limited to, those concerning eligibility by organizational type [501(c), government, or judicial], field supervision requirements, the mandatory co-requisite course, registration forms, credits, hours-per-credit, work product logs, grading, mid-semester and final student and supervisor evaluations, and financial aid. Students interested in the GWNY program should also take care that participation is consistent with their overall program, particularly coursework, credits, and enrollment units required for graduation. 

For general information about GW’s externship policies and procedures, please visit GW Law Field Placement. 

Important Dates

Please note the following important dates for the program:

September 29, 2017
Student applications to the GWNY program are due. 

October 13, 2017
Accepted students will be notified.

November 17, 2017
All accepted students must finalize their externships and submit their Field Placement registration forms by this date.

December 1 & 6, 2017
Mandatory Field Placement Program orientation sessions on GW campus (time and place TBA) for all participating students.