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The George Washington University Law School
2025 School Celebration
Sunday, May 18, 2025 at 3 pm

Congratulations GW Law Class of 2025! As you prepare to cross the stage, we are excited to celebrate your hard work, dedication, and achievements — this is just the beginning of your journey.
GW Commencement on the National Mall is Sunday, May 18 at 10:30 am.
Watch the Diploma Celebration Recording
- Order of Exercises
Prelude and Processional
Corcoran BrassAnnouncement of the Diploma Ceremony
Steven L. Schooner
Jeffrey & Martha Kohn Senior Associate Dean for Academic AffairsNational Anthem
Corcoran BrassWelcome
Senior Associate Dean SchoonerPresentation of Awards
Recognition of Grand Marshall -Weston Burnett, JD ’75
Announced by Dayna Bowen Matthew, Dean of the Law SchoolUniversity Provost's Remarks
Christopher A. Bracey
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic AffairsStudent Bar Association President's Remarks
Cherissa Lindsay, Class of 2025Distinguished Associate or Assistant Dean Award - Laurie Kohn, Jacob Burns Foundation Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs
Announced by Ms. LindsayDistinguished Faculty Service Award - Kathryne Young
Announced by Ms. LindsayDistinguished Adjunct Faculty Service Award - Gregory Maggs, Professorial Lecturer in Law; Craig Leen, Professorial Lecturer in Law
Announced by Ms. LindsayStudent Bar Association Distinguished Service Award - Cheryl A. Kettler Associate, Professor of Fundamentals of Lawyering
Announced by Ms. LindsayDistinguished Staff Service Award - Bobby Walis, Program Coordinator
Announced by Ms. LindsayAnnouncement of Student Awards
Announced by Dean MatthewIntroduction of Speaker
Dean MatthewThe diZerega Lecture/Ceremony Address
Harold KohPresentation of Diplomas
Senior Associate Dean SchoonerCharge to the Graduates
Dean MatthewAlma Mater
Corcoran BrassRecessional
Corcoran Brass
Law School
Celebration Program
Download the 2025 Law School Celebration program to view digitally.
Commencement Schedule
Stay tuned for future updates on commencement events. View the full schedule of law events.

University-Wide Commencement Celebration
Sunday, May 18
10:30 am
National Mall
Limit 6 guests

Class of 2025 Photo
Sunday, May 18
1:15 pm
Potomac Square on G Street between 20th and 21st St, NW, Washington, DC.

Law Diploma Celebration
Sunday, May 18
3 pm
Charles E. Smith Center
Limit 5 guests
Academic Awards Celebration
Congratulations to all class of 2025 graduates and academic award winners! A celebration recording is available.
Pro Bono Recognition Celebration
Congratulations to the 263 students in the graduating class who volunteered 73,883 pro bono hours.
Student Honors
Congratulations to all the recipients of student honors in the Class of 2025! Your diligence, commitment, and academic excellence have truly distinguished you, and we are incredibly proud of your achievements.
2025 GW Law Commencement Speaker
Harold Hongju Koh
Sterling Professor of International Law and Former Dean, Yale Law School
Professor Koh is a leading expert in public and private international law, national security law, and human rights. For his human rights work, Professor Koh has received 18 honorary degrees and more than 30 awards, including awards from Columbia and Duke Law Schools and the American Bar Association International Law Section for his lifetime achievements in international law.
A Message from the Dean
I am overjoyed to celebrate this momentous day with you. I know that you and your loved ones have looked forward to this day for a long time. Yours is a very special class to me. Throughout our years together, I’ve personally witnessed your passionate commitment to making an impact for good through the law that you have studied at GW Law. Now, more than ever, the world needs lawyers who are dedicated to advancing the rule of law, protecting democracy, and creating a more just society. There is no right way to stand for these bedrock principles. You will each find your voice and choose the way you can bend the moral arc of the universe towards justice. I am confident that you will do just that.
As a group, you are academically gifted, passionate, articulate, and service oriented. It has been my great privilege to serve as your Dean. You are leaving here as professionals with the power to protect the principles of equality, liberty, and freedom, and we look to you to help build a better world for us all. Now it’s time for you to craft your own pathway to practice—the options are limitless. The world’s most pressing challenges require the problem-solving skills with which your study of the law has equipped you. I charge you, by paraphrasing John Wesley, to use those skills to do all the good in the world that you can, at all the times that you can, to all the people that you can, for as long as ever you can.
Today, you join GW Law’s worldwide alumni community of 33,000 graduates, with whom you now share a transformative experience. You will find among the GW Law alumni network a vast number of preeminent leaders in all sectors of the economy and society—across the United States and around the globe. I encourage you to take advantage of this unique and powerful gift of belonging and make your fellow alumni a part of your journey for the rest of your professional lives.
Please keep in touch and come back and visit us often. We cannot wait to see your future achievements. Congratulations again on reaching this significant milestone and my very best wishes to each of you for good health, great happiness, and many successes.
Sincerely,
Dayna Bowen Matthew
Dean and Harold H. Greene Professor of Law
Leave Your Legacy: Class of 2025 Gift
As your time at GW Law concludes, your legacy is just beginning. Let's leave an imprint not just in memories but in tangible support for those who follow behind. Contribute and let the Class of 2025 forever resonate in the halls of GW Law.
Questions?
If you have questions about GW's commencement ceremonies, refer to the Frequently Asked Questions or contact commencementgwu [dot] edu (commencement[at]gwu[dot]edu). If you have questions specific to the Law School Diploma Celebration, please email lawcommencement
law [dot] gwu [dot] edu (lawcommencement[at]law[dot]gwu[dot]edu).