Wiley Rein to Partner with George Mason University School of Law in Launch of Supreme Court Clinic

March 22, 2011

In the Fall of 2011, George Mason University School of Law, in partnership with Wiley Rein LLP, a Washington, DC law firm, will launch a Supreme Court Clinic to provide pro bono legal representation before the United States Supreme Court. The year-long clinic will provide George Mason law students with the opportunity to work closely with Wiley Rein attorneys to identify cases of interest, research legal issues, and draft Supreme Court briefs on behalf of parties and amici at both the certiorari and merits stages.

The Supreme Court Clinic will be directed by William S. Consovoy and Thomas R. McCarthy. Mr. Consovoy and Mr. McCarthy are lawyers in Wiley Rein's Appellate Group and both are 2001 graduates of George Mason University School of Law. Mr. Consovoy previously clerked for Justice Clarence Thomas of the United States Supreme Court and Chief Judge Edith H. Jones of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Mr. McCarthy previously clerked for Chief Judge David B. Sentelle of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and Judge Frank W. Bullock, Jr. of the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina.

"We are very pleased to partner with such a highly regarded firm as Wiley Rein on the Supreme Court Clinic," says Dean Daniel D. Polsby. "Our students eagerly seek field experiences, and this program will give them new opportunities to observe and participate in the business of the highest court in the land."

"We are excited about the Clinic and for the opportunity our appellate lawyers will have to work with George Mason students on Supreme Court cases," says Richard E. Wiley, managing partner of Wiley Rein. "The Clinic continues our strong tradition of pro bono service. At the same time, it will increase our presence at the Supreme Court and thus is a great addition to our already prolific appellate practice."

Wiley Rein's appellate practice is co-chaired by former Supreme Court clerks Andrew G. McBride and Helgi C. Walker and includes a deep bench of appellate lawyers and former judicial clerks. The Clinic also will be an invaluable contribution to George Mason University School of Law, as it will expose students to one of the most intellectually challenging areas of the law-Supreme Court advocacy. In addition to working with Wiley Rein attorneys on Supreme Court cases, students accepted into the Clinic will receive classroom instruction, analyze federal and state appellate decisions for possible litigation opportunities, and attend at least one Supreme Court argument per Term. The Clinic will be a two-semester course and will include approximately 12 to 15 students per year.

About The George Mason University School of Law

Founded in 1972 as the International School of Law, the law school became a part of George Mason University in 1979. George Mason's innovative curriculum includes a heavy emphasis on the legal application of economic tools and methods, an intensive three-year legal research, writing and analysis program, and multiple clinical and field programs, including the first of its kind Clinic for Legal Assistance to Service members. Located just across the Potomac River from downtown Washington, DC, George Mason has attracted an accomplished full-time faculty, including six former Supreme Court clerks, with expertise in economics, finance, constitutional law, and politics. Its law students rank in the top 90th percentile of all law school applicants.

About Wiley Rein LLP

Wiley Rein LLP first opened its doors with 39 attorneys in 1983 as Wiley, Johnson & Rein. From the outset, named partners Richard E. Wiley, former Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, and Bert W. Rein, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs, set the firm's standard for excellence. By the end of its first decade, the firm had more than 130 lawyers, and by 1995, Wiley Rein was home to more than 200 attorneys and consultants with specialties in more than a dozen practice areas. At the quarter-century mark, the firm-now home to more than 275 attorneys practicing in almost two-dozen areas of law-has become one of the most influential and respected law firms in the nation's capital.