Ethan Syster (JD ’24) is the 2023-2024 President of the GW Law Government Contracts Student Association (GCSA). We spoke with Ethan about his thoughts on GW Law, his experience in the GW Law Government Procurement Law Program, and his plans for the GCSA this year.
Interview with Ethan Syster
What’s your hometown? Why did you decide to go to law school?
I am originally from Wilmington, North Carolina and spent most of my life in North Carolina prior to law school. I came to law school because I was interested in using advocacy to serve others. I participated in mock trial in high school and thought I knew I wanted to be a lawyer. At UNC, I further developed my interest in going to law school as I learned about the importance of advocacy through my participation in the undergraduate honor system. I also studied political science and economics in the classroom, developing an interest in public policy. I found I enjoyed writing and toward the end of my undergraduate education began looking into applying to law school.
How did you discover the government contracts field?
I came to law school knowing nothing about government contracts and discovered the field during Government Contracts Student Association (GCSA) events my first year. I became interested in the field because I did not have to choose between litigation, transactional, and regulatory work. I also found the subject matter incredibly interesting; the government buys everything. Additionally, GW Law’s excellent reputation in the field allowed me to develop an interest in an area of the law that would be competitive when looking for internships and post-graduate jobs. From there, I interned at the Transportation Security Administration’s Office of the Chief Counsel during my 1L summer. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work on several procurement projects over the course of my summer and returned to campus for my 2L year excited to take the Formation of Government Contracts course.
Tell us about your 2L summer experience and how your involvement in the government contracts program at GW Law impacted that experience.
I am fortunate to have the opportunity to work as a summer associate at Covington & Burling LLP my 2L summer. My interest in government contracts was one reason I picked Covington for my 2L summer, and I met several GW alumni at the firm practicing government contracts. During the summer, I have worked on government contracts matters as well as antitrust law, election and political law,and several pro bono matters. While I am grateful to be able to work on government contracts assignments, I have also enjoyed the flexibility of exploring other practice areas this summer.
Have you had any externship experiences? What was your favorite aspect of these experiences?
I externed at the U.S. Civilian Board of Contract Appeals during the fall 2022 semester. I also externed with Judge David A. Tapp at the U.S. Court of Federal Claims during the spring 2023 semester. These experiences not only gave me a great opportunity to develop my skills in legal research and writing but also allowed me to explore my interest in government contracts and other areas of federal administrative law.
I think my favorite aspect of both experiences was the ability to put what I was learning in the classroom into practice. While assisting the Judge and the Board Judges in their duties I was able to practically apply many of the concepts I learned in my Government Contracts classes and Administrative Law course.
You won the 2023 Arnold & Porter Government Contracts Moot Court Competition along with your partner, Victoria Combs. Can you tell us about that experience?
Candidly, I left my 1L moot court experience knowing that my oral advocacy skills needed further development. During my summer at TSA, I worked with one of the Arnold & Porter Government Contracts Moot Court Co-Chairs and they recommended I register for the competition. I thought it sounded like a great way to develop my oral advocacy skills and viewed the competition as a growth opportunity. I reached out to Victoria, my seatmate from the Formations of Government Contracts course, and we registered for the moot court competition. The moot court problem was a bid protest that had been appealed to the Federal Circuit.
I really enjoyed the class, and Professor Christoff along with Co-Chairs Allison Moors and Jaeho Lee did a great job of reviewing best practices for brief writing and oral advocacy during our weekly meetings. When the weekend of the preliminary rounds finally arrived, I was nervous but felt prepared based upon all of the practice I had gotten throughout the semester. Following feedback from the preliminary round judges, Victoria and I were excited to move on to the final round amidst a very competitive group of students.
The final round was hosted at the Federal Circuit and judged by judges of the Court of Federal Claims. It was a surreal experience to argue at the podium in a federal appellate courtroom. We received a lot of great feedback and I feel as though my oral advocacy as well as persuasive writing skills improved immensely throughout the competition. I would strongly recommend the class to students, especially those who may feel less confident about their oral advocacy skills. It was a great way for me to develop those skills in a low-stakes environment.
What is the GCSA?
The GCSA, or the Government Contract Student Association, is a group of students who are interested in (or perhaps even just curious about) government contracts law. GW Law’s position as the preeminent government procurement law program provides the GCSA with an especially great group of faculty, alumni, and students. Throughout the year the GCSA puts on events to help students connect with faculty and alumni. Additionally, GCSA helps students further explore their interest in careers in the government contracts field. Even for students who are only tangentially interested in government contracts or a related practice area, it is a great opportunity to make new connections and network with fellow students, faculty, and alumni.
Please describe your experience with the GCSA.
I first attended a “What is GovCon?” event during my 1L year and found the students and faculty to be a friendly group who gave an appealing pitch about a practice area I had never heard of. I kept coming back and ended up serving as the 1L representative for the Jackson Inn. During my 2L year I served as the GCSA Treasurer and worked with the executive board and the SBA to ensure we had the appropriate event funding. Throughout my law school experience, the GCSA community has been essential to finding connections in the government contracts field and talking through different career goals. I am fortunate to have developed strong relationships with several faculty, alumni, and students through my experience with the GCSA.
Any advice for new members of the GCSA?
I would advise new members to get involved with GCSA in one or more of the following ways. First, attend events. We are always seeking to put on new and exciting events and these are often a great way to network with others interested in government contracts. Second, volunteer to serve in a position within the executive board or as a 1L representative. These positions are a great way to get further involved and often allow you to interact with alumni and other lawyers in the government contracts bar. Feel free to reach out to an executive board member with any questions on how to get involved. Finally, take advantage of our wonderful faculty. The faculty in the government contracts program are not only experts in their field, but they are also incredibly willing to help students. A new member should feel free to reach out to faculty and ask them about their experience, courses, and the government contracts more generally.
Any big plans for the GCSA this year?
We are excited to be planning several events for this year with more specific details to come. The executive board is focused on creating more events to allow interested students to learn about the field of government contracts. We are also planning networking events for students to connect with faculty and alumni. Finally, we are working on developing additional off-site events with law firms, government agencies, and government contractors, similar to our past event with Lockheed Martin as well as the Army’s event hosted at Fort Belvoir. While I cannot yet say which specific firms, agencies, or contractors will be involved, I can say that we are hoping to plan some great offsite events. Be on the lookout for emails with more information.
What advice do you have for students who are interested in government contracts?
I would advise students to speak with a professor, student, or alumni in the field to gain additional perspective on government contracts. I would also say to attend a GCSA event. We try to host a couple events targeted at students who may not know much about government contracts but are potentially interested to give them a glimpse into the field. I would also recommend registering for either Formation of Government Contracts or the 1-credit overview course. I am always happy to chat further with students about their potential interest in government contracts as well. Feel free to reach out at gcsa@law.gwu.edu.