A Message from the Dean

"One of the many reasons I was thrilled to join GW Law as the first woman dean is that this is a community of vibrant, intentional change. People see problems, and they solve them.“

DEAN DAYNA BOWEN MATTHEW

Congratulations on earning a seat in GW Law’s 2021 entering class.

GW has been at the center of the law for more than 155 years, educating generations of our nation’s top attorneys. Founded in 1865 at the close of the Civil War, our law school opened its doors during a time of great upheaval and division in our country. This history inspires us to position GW Law students so that they are uniquely ready to serve and to lead immediately upon graduation. We offer a curriculum that not only equips students to practice from day one, but our faculty seeks to inspire you to engage, as they do, in helping to solve the most intractable problems of our day. One of the many reasons I was thrilled to join GW Law as the first woman dean is that this is a community of vibrant, intentional change. People see problems, and they solve them. I came to GW to engage with faculty who are preeminent scholars and skilled classroom teachers but who also have influence and impact outside the legal academy. Our professors are thought leaders who will similarly help you harness and launch your passion to make a positive difference in the world. GW Law offers an experience that is distinctive among American law schools. Thanks to our privileged location in the heart of the nation’s capital, top government officials, world and industry leaders, Supreme Court justices, and other key Washington figures frequently visit our classrooms and speak at special events at our law school. In the past decade, five Supreme Court justices have presided over the finals of GW Law’s flagship advocacy contest, and we are the only law school where a sitting U.S. Supreme Court justice teaches a regular, weekly course, which is now in its 10th year. We recently rolled out the most significant reform of our first-year curriculum in a generation to reflect the changing practice of law. Innovations include our signature, yearlong Fundamentals of Lawyering course, which focuses on the essential lawyering skills that employers have told us they value most, and our new Legislation and Regulation course, which provides our students with a uniquely Washington perspective on the practice of law. Pursuing your degree at GW Law will place you in an elite community of more than 31,000 alumni worldwide. GW Law counts among its graduates prime ministers and chief justices, leaders of human rights NGOs, CEOs of multinationals, prosecutors, and internationally recognized private attorneys, to name a few. Our students aspire to change the world, and they graduate as impactful professionals with the tools to excel in the global legal marketplace. Welcome to the GW Law family. I look forward to making history together. Sincerely,

Dayna Bowen Matthew Dean and Harold H. Greene Professor of Law