Congressional and Administrative Law Program

Faculty Director: Susan Kaplan

THE CONGRESSIONAL & ADMINISTRATIVE LAW PROGRAM , founded in 1977 and one of the oldest legal internship programs in Washington, D.C., is expanding its scope and capacity. One of the few programs to offer law students the opportunity to work as full-time interns on Capitol Hill, the program is now being extended to provide year-round offerings. It also is adding placements in the Brookings Institution and other Washington, D.C., policy organizations.  Through this nationally acclaimed program, 15 to 20 percent of each third-year class will have the opportunity to work for a member of Congress; a congressional committee; a federal administrative agency; or a nongovernmental policy, advocacy, or research organization. Students take a companion class on governmental ethics or policy taught by Professor Kathleen Clark. They also participate in an interdisciplinary speakers program with guest experts from the D.C. area. The program is directed by Professor Susan Kaplan.

Many of the more than 650 program graduates now work in the nation’s capital in government and public interest law offices, including the Department of Justice, Department of Labor, Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service, Securities and Exchange Commission, and many Senate and Representative offices.

Professor Kathleen Clark with clinic students.
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Open to students in the last semester of their third year. Must be taken in conjunction with ETHICS OF LAWYERING IN GOVERNMENT taught by Prof. Kathleen Clark (3 units), which meets in D.C. and fulfills the ethics requirement. Each student admitted to this Clinic is assigned to either a Congressional Office or Administrative Agency.

In recent placements, students have:

• Worked on legislation and constituency issues for members of both the House and Senate, including Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill; Congressman George Miller, chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee; and Senator Chris Dodd, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee. Students have helped set up hearings, written draft legislation, and met with interest
  groups and individuals lobbying Congress.
• Assisted with the prosecution of criminal justice matters as part of the Justice Department’s Obscenity, Narcotics, and Environmental Enforcement Divisions.
• Helped investigate corporations and individuals for potential securities violations at the Securities and Exchange Commission, including participating in strategy meetings, conference calls, and depositions.
• Participated in meetings with the chairman of the Federal Trade Commission and his staff—including those on priorities for the new chairman—and helped implement his agenda.

Brookings Institution Partnership

Under a new academic partnership, the Brookings Institution and Washington University have begun offering joint programs in Washington, D.C., ranging from internships to lectures to other educational and research activities. The arrangement will benefit the law school, specifically, by enabling the school to enhance its programs in Washington, D.C., including its long-standing Congressional and Administrative Law Program, which will now operate year-round. The law school also will have access to new joint programming, expanded student opportunities for internships throughout the year, a new speakers series and scholar-inresidence exchange program, and faculty collaboration on research projects.