Emily Golchini (JD ’23) was the 2022-2023 President of the GW Law Government Contracts Student Association (GCSA). We spoke with Emily about her thoughts on GW Law, her experience in the Government Procurement Law Program, and her plans for the GCSA this year.
Interview with Emily Golchini
Where are you from? Why did you come to law school?
I’m originally from Chicago, Illinois–a.k.a. the frozen tundra. I came to law school because I worked at a law firm throughout undergrad for financial support and realized that I genuinely enjoyed the creative sides of the law, such as brief writing and litigation strategy.
How did you discover the government contracts field?
Coming into law school, I thought that I wanted to be a “corporate lawyer,” even though I had no idea what corporate work entailed. Once I learned more about the practice area and realized that it wasn’t the best fit for me, I worried that I no longer had my whole life planned out as a 1st year law student .
I spoke to my civil procedure professor about my concerns, and he suggested that I take a government contracts class just for fun. So, I chatted with a few government contracts practitioners and students, took the Formation of Government Contracts class with Professor Schooner in the fall, and very quickly fell in love with the field. And the rest is history.
Tell us about your 2L summer experience and how your involvement in the government contracts program at GW Law impacted that experience.
I was incredibly lucky to work at Crowell and Moring during my 2L summer as a summer associate. While Crowell doesn’t limit summers to only one practice area, I realized that being part of the GW government procurement law program made it way easier for me to seek out substantive and incredibly interesting government contracts assignments. Also, many of the firm’s incredible attorneys are GW Law government procurement program alums, which has helped me foster meaningful relationships and mentorship opportunities.
Have you had any externship experiences? What was your favorite aspect of these experiences?
Yes! In fall 2021, I worked for Chief Judge Kaplan at the Court of Federal Claims. I truly loved hearing the Judge’s perspective on different cases and seeing how things operate behind the scenes. I also gained practical exposure to bid protests and realized that I want to focus on protest work post-graduation.
What is the GCSA?
The GCSA is the Government Contracts Student Association – a great group of students who want to explore their interest in the government contracts field and take advantage of professional and social networking opportunities. GCSA hosts various on-campus events throughout the academic year, where our members can learn the basics of the practice area, network with practitioners who are passionate about the field, and connect with the Program’s faculty and staff.
Please describe your experience with the GCSA.
GCSA is how I learned about government contracts. During my 1L year, I spoke with the then GCSA president and attended a few meetings to learn about the field. When I joined the e-board during my 2L year, I was able to network with practitioners and attend more events to confirm my interest in the area.
Any advice for new members of the GCSA?
Students should say hi or reach out if you have any questions! It’s okay if you have no idea what government contracts are–let alone whether you’re interested in them. And that’s precisely why we’re here. We want to help regardless of where you’re at in your government contracts journey.
Any big plans for the GCSA this year?
We hope to incorporate a mix of social and professional networking events throughout the year! In the fall, we host our annual “what is government contracts?” event and plan to host some mixers with some renowned government contracts firms. If you would like to stay up to date, please fill out this form to join our listserv.
What advice do you have for students who are interested in government contracts?
If you’re just starting your government contracts journey, consider taking the 1 credit government contracts overview course (Law 6500), taught by Professor Schwartz, or reach out to people like me, Maura Bradley, the Editor-in-Chief of the Public Contract Law Journal (PCLJ), or GW Law alum to learn about the field. More than anything, I found it incredibly helpful to hear about the projects that practitioners were working on and which ones they found the most exciting.
If you’ve already been bitten by the government contracts bug and want to be more involved, consider leadership positions like the GCSA e-board, PCLJ, or the ABA Public Contracts Student Liaison position. I also suggest subscribing to government contracts newsletters like Law360 or PubK (free if you’re a law student!).