As we enter the new year and gear up to host the fourth annual Mid-Atlantic Regional Clinical Conference in two short weeks, we write to share a look back at the work that GW Clinic students and faculty completed this fall. Through over 20 clinics, our students demonstrated the countless ways that lawyers can impact their communities. From drafting amicus briefs to road-tripping to rural county courthouses to provide representation at parole hearings, it is energizing to collect clinic highlights from GW's latest cohort of clinic students.

* Asterisk indicates data collected throughout the 2024–2025 academic year.

Professor Renée Gentry, Director of the Vaccine Injury Litigation Clinic, was featured on CBS’ 60 Minutes on Sunday, October 5. The segment, hosted by Jon Wertheim, highlighted Professor Gentry’s representation of Jacob Thompson, a 13-year-old who suffered rare side effects caused by vaccines he received as a young child, through the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP). The VICP is a no-fault alternative to the traditional tort system that provides compensation to individuals found to be injured by certain vaccines. The VICP works by allowing individuals to file a claim in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, where a special master determines eligibility and compensation from a federal trust fund without requiring proof of fault.  

Adding to the Clinic’s visibility, the Vaccine Injury Litigation Clinic student-attorneys educated members of the National Vaccine Petitioners Bar on Vaccine Act rulemaking and the Lookback Provision, skillfully conveying complex research throughout their presentation.

Pictured above: Professor Renée Gentry with CBS 60 Minutes host Jon Wertheim.

GW Law’s Intellectual Property & Technology Law Clinic, directed by Professor Patricia Campbell with the support of Professor Andrew Dhuey, collaborated with GW Law Professor Christopher Cotropia to draft and file a Supreme Court amicus brief in Cox Communications vs. Sony Music Entertainment. The case asks the U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether a conduit internet service provider can be held liable for users’ copyright infringement, a ruling that could reshape copyright law, internet service provider practices, and access for millions of users nationwide. 

Student-attorneys in the Administrative Law, Issues, and Appeals Clinic directed by Dean Aram Gavoor, have filed three amicus briefs this fall. The briefs in Powell v. SEC, 24-1899 (9th Cir.), Hickory Heights and Rehab v. Watson, 25-535 (Sup. Ct.), and Pung v. Isabella County Michigan, 25-95 (Sup. Ct.) address rulings on issues of national significance before federal appellate courts, the U.S. Supreme Court, and federal agencies.  

Additionally, former U.S. Solicitor General Gregory G. Garre visited the Clinic’s student-attorneys to provide mentorship on Supreme Court advocacy, administrative law, and career development. General Garre provided invaluable insights that connect clinical work to real-world appellate practice and professional growth. Opportunities to hear from people who have served at top levels of the legal field, such as General Garre, are part of the unique DC-infused education at GW Law. 

Pictured above: Charlie Borah, Daniel Goldstein, Daniel Hopkins, Anna Marcus, Nicholas Moeller, Elya Nassaj, Leah Porter, Alexis Vocatura, General Gregory G. Garre, and Dean Aram Gavoor.

Student-attorneys in Professor Kelly Orians’ Prisoner & Reentry Clinic made a tremendous use of fourteen weeks, each appearing on the record in a hearing on the merits (two parole hearings, an IRAA resentencing hearing, and firearm rights restoration hearing); traveling overnight to interview clients in federal prison and arguing in a rural county court in Staunton, Virginia; and each interviewing several witnesses. 

Pictured above: Student-attorneys participate in a virtual hearing in the Virginia Supreme Court.

For the third year, the student-attorneys offered support to small business owners during the D.C. Start Up & Technology Week. The Clinic’s entire Transactional Practice Group, comprised of the Small Business & Community Economic Development Clinic, the Access to Justice Clinic (Non-Profit & Entrepreneurship Division), and the Intellectual Property & Technology Clinic, contributed to the local start-up ecosystem and strengthened Washington D.C. as a technology powerhouse. Together, the student-attorneys under the supervision of Professors Patricia Campbell, Darryl Maxwell, and Jacqueline Laínez Flanagan served 32 emerging start-ups.

Pictured above: Professors Jacqueline Laínez Flanagan, Patricia Campbell, Darryl Maxwell with Managing Attorney & Associate Program Director Andrea Johnson, Xinran Fan, Hadia Ahmad, Alexandra Bicknell, Ana Gutierrez, Cobi Lockett, Hank Stein, Joseph Villafane, Kathrine Howard-Fudge.

The Access to Justice Clinic (Animal Law Division), directed by Dean Kathy Hessler and Professor Joan Schaffner, is advancing animal welfare in D.C. Student-attorneys drafted legislation to phase out harmful rodenticides, create public education campaigns, and improve trash management. They analyzed the law around dog shootings, proposing police training programs and resolutions to prevent unnecessary shootings, aiming to promote humane practices, public safety, and informed policymaking across Washington D.C. 

The fourth annual Mid-Atlantic Regional Clinical Conference (MARCC) programming begins with a reception on Friday, February 6, followed by a full day of programming on Saturday, February 7.

Amid a year of uncertainty and rapid change in the legal landscape, MARCC invites clinicians back to fundamentals.  Together, attendees will reexamine best practices in clinical teaching, consider how pedagogy must evolve, and support students navigating a post-pandemic, increasingly challenged legal system. 

In July 1, 2025, former Clinic Dean Laurie Kohn transitioned from Clinic leadership to becoming the first clinician in GW Law’s history to serve as Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. In this role, Dean Kohn oversees the academic operations of the Law School including the faculty, programs, graduate programs, clinics, field placement, bar success, dean of students, and records. She works in collaboration with Dean Dayna Bowen Matthew, whose strong support for clinical legal education is underscored by this historic appointment. GW Law’s new Clinic leaders are Professor Jessica Steinberg as Faculty Director and Dean Carmia Caesar as Clinic Director who, together, bring extensive scholarly, pedagogical, and experiential expertise. With the continued support of the Clinic’s Managing Attorney Andrea Johnson and Administrative Manager Milagros Tudela, they oversee a robust program serving 260 students annually across over 20 practice areas. 

In April 2024, the late Professor Susan R. Jones, the first Black woman transactional clinician in the country, passed away. As part of Susan’s legacy, she taught students about the possibilities and power of transactional law to create, support, and grow neighborhood small businesses, nonprofit organizations, worker cooperatives, and social enterprises.    

Jeffrey Kohn, J.D. ’84, and his family donated $2.5 million to GW Law, and their generosity enabled our Clinics to endow a faculty position in the Small Business and Community Economic Development Clinic, ensuring that the enduring legacy of Professor Susan R. Jones will be remembered. 

Pictured above: Professor Susan Jones.

Professor Emily Benfer 

Professor of Law

Director, Health Justice Policy & Advocacy Clinic 

In November, Professor Emily Benfer presented during a webinar hosted by the Health, Medicine & Communities Analysis, titled Examining Tenant Right to Counsel Policy. In August, Professor Benfer co-authored an op-ed in The Hill highlighting how tenant right-to-counsel programs are bringing justice, support, and hope to renters facing some of the most difficult challenges of their lives (with Peter Hepburn of the Eviction Lab).

Professor Patricia Campbell 

Visiting Associate Professor of Clinical Law

Director, Intellectual Property and Technology Law Clinic

In October, Professor Campbell received an Exceptional Service Award from the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland (D. Md.) for her work on the committee that revised the district’s patent local rules, with formal recognition at the Bench Bar Conference. She was also invited to speak to the American Intellectual Property Law Association Pro Bono Committee about the Clinic’s work and presented in June at the Symposium on Counterfeit Parts and Materials on criminal penalties for trafficking in counterfeit microelectronics. 

Professor Renée Gentry 

Distinguished Professorial Lecturer in Law

Director, Vaccine Injury Litigation Clinic

In October, Professor Renée Gentry was quoted in Mother Jones and Bloomberg Law for her expertise in vaccine injury litigation. Her insights were featured in articles highlighting current developments in vaccine-related legal cases. In August, she discussed related topics in PolitiFact and Inside Health Policy.

Dean Kathy Hessler

Assistant Dean for Animal Law

Director, Access to Justice Clinic (Animal Division)

In November, Assistant Dean Kathy Hessler organized and hosted GW Law’s inaugural Artificial Intelligence, Animals, and the Law Conference, on campus. Bringing together leading animal law scholars, AI experts, nonprofit leaders, and practitioners, Hessler created a groundbreaking forum to examine how emerging technologies are reshaping the field of animal law. 

Andrea R. Johnson

Managing Attorney & Associate Program Director
Professorial Lecturer in Law

In November, Andrea Johnson was elected to serve as The George Washington University Staff Council’s Vice President. Her term serving over 4,000 staff members at the University in this role begins January 1, 2026.  In October, Ms. Johnson was featured by Clio for her leadership as Managing Attorney and Associate Program Director of the GW Law Clinical Program, highlighting her contributions to program administration and innovation in legal practice and technology management.

Professor Joan Meier

National Family Violence Law Center Professor of Clinical Law

Director, National Family Violence Law Center at GW Law

Director, Domestic Violence Project

In November, Professor Joan Meier addressed the intersection of the Hague Abduction Convention and domestic violence in Time Magazine. In September, she was featured in Texas Tribune, providing an in-depth look at the sharp debate surrounding a new Texas law that places unprecedented limits on reunification programs and restricts children’s contact with a trusted parent. In September, Professor Meier spoke at the European Conference on Domestic Violence in Barcelona, about Misinformation in Parental Alienation Discourse: Misleading Court and Endangering Children. Also in September, she was interviewed for an article in the Capital Gazette about the teacher accused of sexual abuse of multiple students. In April 2025, Professor Meier presented a lecture on Child Abuse Allegations in Family Court for the Santa Clara Child Abuse Prevention Council Symposium. The audience included child welfare specialists, criminal justice professionals, lawyers, prosecutors and survivors. In May 2025, she participated in an online training for the National Council of Juvenile & Family Court Judges' Model Code on child custody. 

Professor Jessica Steinberg 

John Marshall Harlan Dean's Research Professor of Law

Faculty Director, GW Law Clinics

In May, Professor Steinberg co-authored the article The Uptake Puzzle in Expungement of Criminal Records (with Professor Elenore Wade). The article, published in the Indiana Law Journal, examines barriers to accessing expungement remedies and the systemic factors shaping record-clearing outcomes. 

Professor Paulina Vera

Director, Immigration Clinic 

Professorial Lecturer in Law

In November, Professor Paulina Vera joined an interdisciplinary panel of Latine academics from across GW for a conversation on pathways into academia. The event offered students and community members an opportunity to learn from faculty leaders about careers in teaching, scholarship, and university service. In October, Professor Vera moderated a series of discussions with the Hispanic Bar Association of the District of Columbia. 

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