George Washington University Law School Reverses Course, Restores Funding for Unemployed Grads Program

Dean Paul Schiff Berman changes his mind after student outcry...

GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL — DEAN PAUL SCHIFF BERMAN — PATHWAYS TO PRACTICE PROGRAM

Dear Pathway to Practice (P2P) participants:

I have heard from many of you in the past 24 hours. You have expressed disappointment about adjustments made to the P2P program by lowering P2P pay to $10 per hour beginning on December 1. In hindsight, I apologize for not doing a better job of explaining my rationale for this decision. It was not made lightly, nor in a vacuum.

I designed this program to be the most generous it could possibly be, and indeed it is among the most, if not the most, generous program of its kind in the country. And contrary to what some believe, this program does not impact GW’s ABA placement statistics since those statistics specifically separate out positions funded by the University. The purpose of the program is as I have always stated it to be: to do everything we possibly can to help every GW Law graduate get long-term paying legal work. GW Law and the new Career Office are committed to working with you to make sure that you are supported in finding permanent positions and maximizing your experience in the P2P Program. I am determined to personally support everyone concerned in this effort.

You will understand that supporting a program as generous as this one for a full year takes extraordinary financial resources, and I am trying to support the Program as best I can. With limited resources, our priority has been to accommodate all graduates who would like to participate, and we calculated that this change would make it possible.

Nevertheless, I am concerned that so many of you have already relied on the earlier funding level in making life choices. Accordingly, I will redouble my efforts to make the funds available for the Program, and I hereby rescind my earlier e-mail and will return the funding to its previously announced level of $15 per hour.

Please contact the Career Office as soon as practicable to ensure that we are supporting you to the maximum extent possible. Again, I regret the anxiety caused by my earlier efforts to adjust the Program.

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All the best,

Paul Schiff Berman

Earlier: Law School Cuts Stipend On Own Employment Program For Recent Grads; Thinks They Need More ‘Incentive’ To Find A Job

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