Washington, D.C., Summer Program

2006 Recap - by Carla Bulford (2L), Intern for the Consumer Data Industry Association

In its fourth year the DC Summer continued its success with a more streamlined schedule and a wide variety of internships. Participants worked in offices from the Bureau of Prisons to the Democratic National Committee, with the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Homeland Security somewhere in between.

• 2006 Students and Externships

The Courses
Classes in 2006 were a 2-credit Washington Seminar and a 3-credit class on the Ethics of Washington Lawyering. The 2006 Washington Seminar was comprised of an internship and a paper on a topic directly related to the subject matter of the internship work. The day to day internship work was the most substantive component of the experience, and the element most unique to the program. Paper topics varied widely, for example: WTO Dispute Settlement; the Release of Airline Passenger Data; Campaign Finance Reform; Battling Spyware; and Access to Records in the Prison System.

I've found the Professional Responsibility course particularly helpful in both my Business Associations and Evidence classes. We covered issues of confidentiality in the particular situation set up by the 'revolving-door' (between public and private positions), a Washington commonplace, in addition to the corporate, post-Enron, context. We examined the conditions that created the Sarbanes-Oxley legislation and its ramifications in a practical manner. That part of the course was then beautifully capped by guest professor William Gradison (who is now the Acting Chairman of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board). Fascinating in his own right, Mr. Gradison was also an outstanding example of that most 'Washington' of creatures: a former Congressman from Ohio and a consummate politician. Other guests included Mark Young and Elonide Semmes, who discussed the particular set of difficulties that a firm faces when is positions itself in the market, and Jonathan Fredman, senior legal advisor to Director of National Intelligence Negroponte (and, before that, the CIA's chief lawyer for counter-terrorism issues).

Student Experiences
Living and working in DC is demanding. It is important from the beginning to prioritize your activities: from Georgetown to the Hill there is plenty of any and everything to do but making the most of your internship is essential as well. Whether you are interested in working in DC or elsewhere, the references, recommendations, and introductions you receive by the end of the summer are invaluable. The combination of legal and policy-making work available in DC is both unique and inspiring: whatever your politics or current degree of satisfaction with the government, time in DC will give you a new perspective on how the system actually works and where its current strengths and weaknesses lay.

From the national museums on the Mall to beautifully curated private collections (like the Philips near Dupont Circle and smaller galleries) to the botanical gardens and Congressional Office buildings there is no end of ways to fill your 'free time.'

Comments from Ohio State Moritz Law Students:

Brodie Butland (2L), intern at the Center for American Progress
"Professor Swire strives to match students with internships that they will truly enjoy. With his help, I landed an internship that allowed me to do sophisticated legal and policy analysis for an organization dealing with the political and human rights issues that interested me the most. I even managed to get published after a mere one year in law school!"

Nicholas F. Carico (2L), intern with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Policy
"The summer program gives students the opportunity to work with a federal agency, think tank, or other organization. There is no better way to know if you really want to work in D.C. at a specific agency than by actually living in the nation's capital for a couple of months and experiencing the daily responsibilities and opportunities of your internship. Beyond that, you get five credit hours out of the way in two classes taught by our very own Professor Swire. D.C. in and of itself is an awesome experience, but Professor Swire makes it all the more so with his detailed knowledge of D.C. life and contacts with many influential people."

Ann Harrington (2L), intern at the Federal Trade Commission
"I worked for Commissioner Leibowitz at the Federal Trade Commission. I was exposed to a variety of legal issues, all of which were relevant to everyday life. In a single day, the Commissioner's office deals with narrow consumer protection abuses and potentially anti-competitive combinations in an assortment of industries, as well as larger policy initiatives relating to administrative law, privacy, intellectual property, and more. It was the perfect first-year summer experience."