Health Law Academics

 

JD Concentration

The law school is pleased to offer JD Candidates an option to apply to a concentration in Health Law. To receive credit for this concentration, students must satisfy both:

1. the coursework; and
2. supplemental requirements set forth below.

The Health Law Concentration will be administered by a Coordinator, who for 2022-23 is Professor Sonia Suter. The Health Law Concentration Coordinator will be responsible for answering any/all questions relating to the Concentration requirements and keeping track of students’ compliance with the Concentration requirements.

Courses

JD candidates may earn a JD Concentration in Health Law by successfully completing a minimum of 12 credits from the list of courses below, including Health Law and Policy (6410); at least one of three foundational classes, Law and Medicine (6617), Administrative Law (6400), or Insurance (6298); and two credits of experiential learning, noted with an asterisk (*).

Students must also produce a paper on a topic related to heath law that meets the standards for the law school’s upper-level writing requirement. If the paper is produced in conjunction with one of the courses below, students may use the same paper to fulfill the writing requirement for both the concentration and the JD. With advance approval of the Health Law Concentration Coordinator, a student also may use a piece written for a journal, independent legal writing, or course that is not included in the list below to meet the Health Law writing requirement.

In addition to the courses listed below, credits earned through additional courses, study abroad programs, or relevant moot court competition also may qualify, with approval of the Health Law Concentration Coordinator.

Core Courses

• Insurance (6298)
• Administrative Law (6400)
• Health Law and Policy (6410)
• Law and Medicine (6617)

Additional Courses

• Employee Benefit Plans (6272)
• Domestic Violence Law (6350)
• Elder Law (6353)
• Selected Topics in Advanced Antitrust Law (Antitrust in the Healthcare Sector) (6405)
• Food and Drug Law (6408)
• Selected Topics in Health Care Law (6409)**
• Health Care Law Seminar (6411)**
• Environmental and Toxic Torts (6449)
• Environmental Law Seminar (Urban Environmental Justice and Public Health) (6466)
• Law and Psychiatry (6614)
• Genetics and the Law (6616)
• Vaccine Injury Litigation Clinic (6626)*
• Health Law Rights Clinic (6631)*
• Disability Rights Law (6635)
• Client Interviewing and Counseling (6650)*
• Legal Drafting (False Claims Act/Healthcare Fraud) (6652)*
• Field Placement (6668)*
• Access to Justice Clinic (Medical Legal Partnership Division) (6671)*
• Domestic Violence Project (6674)*
• Health Equity Policy and Advocacy (6712)*

**Multiple sections for these course numbers may be offered during a given academic year; please consult the course schedule for specific course names.

Declare Your Concentration

For JDs who would like to formally declare a Health Law concentration, please visit the GW Law Forms webpage and fill out the JD Concentration Declare/Withdraw Form for the Records Office. 

Joint Degrees

Milken Institute of Public Health

• JD/Master of Public Health (45 credits, 8 Law credits applied to MPH, 12 health credits apply to Law)
• JD/Public Health Certificate (18 credits, 6 credits cross credits to and from each program)

Masters of Studies in Health Law

GW Law’s MSL helps meet the growing demand for non-lawyers to be familiar with the many ways that law influences industry. The MSL program is intended for professionals who are not interested in earning a law degree or practicing law but work in jobs where knowledge of the law is important. The knowledge gained can augment career preparation or professional advancement.

Curriculum

Mandatory Courses – 9 credits

• Administrative Law (6400) – 3 credits
• Health Care Law (6410) – 4 credits
• Fundamental Issues in US Law (6694) – 2 credits

10 Credits Required from the Following Options

• Constitutional I or II (6214 or 6390) – 3 credits each
• Insurance (6298) – 2 credits
• ACA Seminar (6352) – 2 credits
• Fraud and Abuse (6352) – 2 credit
• Reproductive Rights/Assisted Reproductive Technologies (6352) – 2 credits
• Public Health Law (6352) – 2 credits
• Medical Devices (6352) – 2 credits
• Elder Law (6353) – 2 credits
• Food and Drug Law (6408) – 2 credits
• Selected Topics in Health Care Law (6409) – 2 credits
• Health Care Law Seminar (6411) – 2 credits
• Law and Psychiatry (6614) – 2 credits
• Genetics and the Law (6616) – 2 credits
• Law and Medicine (6617) –3 credits
• Traumatic Brain Injury – 2 credits

* Electives – up to 5 credits permitted

Clinics

Students at GW Law have the opportunity to develop hands-on lawyering skills in a supportive environment through participation in the Jacob Burns Community Legal Clinics. Several of these clinics have direct application for students interested in health law, and students who participate in the following clinics earn credit towards the Health Law JD concentration.

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Health Rights Law Clinic

Student attorneys in the Health Rights Law Clinic advocate for people who are at risk of losing eligibility for public health programs, have experienced denials of coverage for necessary care, or struggle to pay high medical bills.

Learn more about the Health Rights Law Clinic

 

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Vaccine Injury Litigation Clinic

In the Vaccine Injury Litigation Clinic, students represent individuals who have suffered serious vaccine-related injuries, presenting their cases at trial and in appellate proceedings before the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.

 

Learn more about the Vaccine Injury Litigation Clinic

 

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Domestic Violence Project

Students participating in the Domestic Violence Project work in a range of field placements which can include direct representation or advocacy for individual clients, civil legal representation with local legal services organization, prosecution of domestic violence cases in a state attorney’s office, and legislative and policy work at the local or national level.

 

Learn more about the Domestic Violence Project