Unique Opportunities for GW Law Students in the Government Contracts Community

Since arriving at the Law School, I have been impressed by the Government Procurement Law Program’s selection of classes, related journals,  moot court competition, writing competitions, externships, and the various networking and alumni events that the Program sponsors.  I recently learned about another of the many unique opportunities that our students enjoy through the Program .   I found this opportunity interesting because it involves research, public speaking, networking, current events (and applied knowledge), and the fact that it involves a partnership between our school and the greater government contracts community.

GW Law hosts a student chapter of the National Contract Management Association. NCMA is a large (20,000+ member), national organization populated by the business managers (and attorneys) involved in the federal government’s annual purchase of more than $500B in services, goods, and construction.   I have become familiar with NCMA since I joined the GW Law community because our students routinely publish in NCMA’s Journal of Contract Management and, apparently, routinely collect the $5,000 prize in NCMA’s W. Gregor Macfarlan Excellence in Contract Management Research and Writing Program.

The DC Chapter—one of the organization’s oldest and largest—hosts monthly substantive dinner meetings. Since last year, GW Law students have presented a current events “Newsreel”at the DC Chapter’s monthly meetings.  In preparation for his or her presentation, each student scours the news for significant legislative, regulatory, and judicial developments in government contracting.  The student then meets with a faculty member to prioritize the news items, determine how best to introduce complex topics in an efficient manner, and package the information into a tight, informative, and entertaining presentation.  The evening of the meeting, the student enjoys a nice meal and an opportunity to network with successful professionals, hone his or her public speaking skills in front of a large audience, and, of course, showcase the immense talent of GW Law School’s student body.

I continue to be amazed by how—due to innumerable efforts large and small —GW Law is such an incredibly exciting place to engage in the study of law.