Introducing GW Law in New York


May 22, 2017

GWNY

GW Law in NY students and Dean Blake D. Morant (top row, center) at the Harvard Club in New York City. Students had the opportunity to meet with members of the law school community during an alumni dinner.

GW Law successfully launched a new program this past semester, GW in NY. The program offers students a semester-long immersion into the high-end world of New York's business and finance corporate practice. Through a combination of externships, classes, networking opportunities, and one-on-one mentorship with prominent alumni, students gain firsthand exposure to business and finance law practice and its professional demands. Professor Lawrence Cunningham, director of GW in NY, describes the program as "high impact, high reward."

During the spring 2017 semester, the first group of 12 students lived, studied, and worked in New York. 

The cornerstone of the experience was an externship, at which students typically spent three six-to-eight-hour days. Externships were vetted carefully through GW Law's Field Placement Program to ensure a substantive learning experience. Placements included the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, U.S. Court of International Trade, Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), New York State Attorney General's Office, Manhattan District Attorney, and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

In addition, students took four or five classes, which were held in the toney law firms where the faculty practice. "Students might find themselves attending class on the 35th floor of a building overlooking New York Harbor, mingling with successful attorneys, and getting a feel for corporate culture," Professor Cunningham said. That daily exposure to the corporate workplace, along with outings at which students interatcted with successful practitioners, helped students begin to form their professional identities. "They learned not just about subject matter but about the important professional intangibles like how to give a quick overview of their skills and how to dress and behave in a corporate environment. This kind of socializing can translate quickly into a job prospect."

To assist students in their professional development, the program matches each student with an individual mentor chosen from a pool of prominent New York alumni of GW. "The New York alums have been looking for a meaningful way to interact with students," Professor Cunningham says, "and this program gives them that opportunity." Mentors and students meet a minimum of three times during the semester, with mentors offering insight into New York practice, tips on professionalism, and advice on career trajectory.

The unbeatable combination of practice, support, and excellent instruction opens up a new world for students. "Every student made significant professional strides that I got to observe up close," Professor Cunningham added. "They developed a sense of self as professionals, and their growth was measurable."