Washington, D.C., Summer Program

In 2009, Professor Peter Swire will lead the seventh summer of the Washington, D.C., Summer Law Program for Moritz law students.

• Read an article from LawCrossing about the program

Approximately 20 students will have the opportunity to work in substantive externships in D.C., accompanied by a high-quality academic program and a summer in the nation's capital.

Professor Swire is a prolific scholar and successful teacher on privacy, the law of cyberspace, legal ethics, and other subjects. From 1999 to early 2001 he was on leave from the Moritz College of Law to serve as the Clinton Administration's Chief Counselor for Privacy, in the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.

In heading the summer program, Professor Swire combines his academic insight with his real-life experiences gained as a White House official. Students will take a 2-credit course on "The Ethics of Washington Lawyering" as well as a 3-credit externship seminar.

The 2009 program will be housed at the George Washington University Law School ("GW"). GW is in the heart of Washington, D.C., just a few blocks from the White House and conveniently located for many externships. Classes will be held at GW, and the law school library and other facilities will be open to the program's students. Students can rent rooms in the GW dorms, or else find other lodging in the D.C. area. GW students will also enroll in the ethics course, offering you the opportunity to meet students familiar with the area.

The summer program complements the existing Oxford summer program, offering Moritz law students the ability to gain experience at both the national and international levels. The ethics course features guest speakers who are experienced in all aspects of government and public service. Last summer, for instance, speakers included former White House Chief of Staff John Podesta (now head of the Obama Transition team); a senior Bush Administration official who discussed the ethics of lobbying, and the leader of a major public-interest law firm.

Program trips have included tours of CIA Headquarters and special sessions at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum on the role of lawyers and judges in the Third Reich. Once again, the Moritz College of Law is expanding opportunities to give our students a world-class education.

Why the Washington, D.C. Summer Law Program?
Many students in the Program have found it an excellent investment as part of their law school experience. The summer of 2009, with a new Administration beginning its work, may prove especially exciting. Here are some things students have emphasized from past summers:

Quality of the internships. Students work in major federal agencies and non-profit groups that are often national leaders in their fields. By working with leaders in their fields, Moritz students learn the state-of-the-art.

An insider’s understanding of Washington, D.C. Students get an insider’s view of national government, through the internship, the student seminar papers about different jobs, guest speakers, and Professor Swire’s experience in the White House and since.

Put yourself on the national stage. A summer working in Washington underscores your seriousness about working and living in the region to both public- and private-sector employers. More broadly, working in D.C. is a national legal experience that many different future employers value.

Develop expertise in a field. Most internships are in a specific field, such as health care, high-tech, or international trade. Your internship thus provides a chance to become more knowledgeable in that field, and to signal that expertise to future employers.

A good investment as part of the Moritz experience. Some students had considered attending schools in the Washington, D.C. area that have tuition considerably higher than Ohio State. The summer Program provides an opportunity to get a quality work, academic, and social experience in DC, as part of the high-quality and more manageable cost of a Moritz education.

We welcome you to join us!