GW Launches Document Review Clinic

As a key component of its “Let’s Get Relevant” initiative, The George Washington University Law School launched its first ever Document Review Clinic this semester. The course is taught by 1982 graduate and 26-year document review veteran Peter Craft. “When we sat down last year to re-evaluate our curriculum,” explained Dean Jennifer Williams, “we looked for guidance by surveying what a vast majority of our graduates were doing after graduation. Somewhat surprisingly, greater than 25% or our grads responded that they had found positions as contract attorneys and were engaged in expansive and seemingly unending document review projects.”

With these results in hand, Williams had little problem convincing the faculty to cancel the previous year’s “Higher Education Seminar” in favor of a new clinic titled “The Trick Behind the Click: A Guide to Navigating Even the Most Difficult of Doc Reviews.” Professor Martin Withers was disappointed to see his Higher Education clinic cut, but he understood he could not stand in the way of reality. “Honestly, I think the constitutional issues we often grappled with in my seminar were of great value to my students, but if we can offer Big Law some of the fastest, most efficient document reviewers in the nation then hey, we might really be on to something here.”

The course is primarily designed around Craft’s rather obscure 1997 book, “It’s My Party And I’ll Review If I Want To.” In week one, students must learn to memorize the exact scope of the attorney-client privilege and work product privilege in all 50 states. Other weeks, Craft pairs these “intellectual exercises” with physical training such as having students practice clicking the mouse to tag documents while scrolling down the page via the keyboard using their off hand. Students also learn how to focus for long periods of time on boring tasks while avoiding the urge to check the internet and how to extend the amount of time one can go without blinking.

Craft’s course culminates in a seminar-wide exercise to put together a privilege log. “I put some real pickles in that set of documents”, cracked Craft. “They may call it a privilege log, but getting through this puppy sure can’t be called a privilege!”

While the clinic did show a high attrition rate in the first couple of weeks of the semester, the powers that be are confident that it is here to stay. “As for our doc review clinic, you can flag it ‘responsive’ to the needs of our law students,” beamed Dean Williams.