The Georgetown Law faculty features national experts in litigation and ADR whose scholarship explores subjects such as complex litigation, arbitration and mediation, law firm compensation, and litigation finance.

Georgetown Law’s location in Washington, DC also provides a fruitful training ground for developing court room skills. Many clinics provide hands-on litigation training. The Appellate Litigation Clinic, for example, provides intense training in the art of oral and written advocacy, teaching students how to litigate on appeal and the professional standards that will guide them throughout their legal careers.

Students in other clinics regularly appear in domestic violence court, immigration tribunals, juvenile criminal court, and other forums, giving them advocacy skills that serve them throughout their career.

As many legal disputes have moved from courts to private arbitration and mediation, familiarity with this area of law is essential to those practicing in areas as diverse as litigation, transactional areas, governmental settings, and management. Georgetown Law’s rich curricular offerings provide a firm grounding in ADR theory and opportunities to use negotiation and problem-solving skills in a wide variety of substantive settings. Many of these courses combine theory with extensive simulations and then reflection on what makes for a successful dispute resolution. Students pursing an LL.M. degree can obtain a certificate in international arbitration and dispute resolution.

Students interested in pursuing a career in litigation or dispute resolution can participate in the largest and most diverse moot court program of any top law school. The student-organized Barristers Council organizes and trains students to compete in appellate advocacy, trial advocacy, and alternative dispute resolution.