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Justin Liu headshot

Expertise

  • Environmental & Climate Policy
  • Equity & Justice
  • Policy Analysis & Evaluation

Email

jyl79@georgetown.edu

Justin Liu

MPP/JD '28

Hometown: San Diego, California

Why did you choose McCourt? I went to Georgetown for my undergrad and applied straight to McCourt as a senior. It made the most sense for me to stay in the system, but aside from that, McCourt seemed like the obvious choice because of the D.C. location and the expertise and opportunities that brings. Grad school is where networks are built, and I had no intention to study and build a network in a place I didn't want to start a career in, no matter how prestigious the university (even though Georgetown is extremely prestigious and well-regarded for policy in its own right).

What professional/ work experience did you have prior to coming to McCourt? I began my MPP right after my undergrad, where I double-majored in Government and Arabic and briefly interned for Physicians for Human Rights doing research on human rights and disaster responses in Northwest Syria. I always wanted to do transportation policy, though, which I didn't get to work on until after I enrolled at McCourt. In the summer between undergrad and McCourt, I was lucky enough to take time off and volunteered at food and clothing donation facilities.

What has been the best part of your experience so far? The freedom to explore policy issues has been amazing. Because first-year classes are very skills-based rather than subject-specific, I've had chances to explore all sorts of policy areas (whistleblowing in public management, healthcare data analysis, food labeling policy, etc.) and dig really deep into transportation policy. I have now written several memos and long-form papers on the topic thanks to course assignments.

What internships have you had so far during your time at McCourt? 

From Fall 2024 to Spring 2025, I was an MDI Scholar at McCourt's Massive Data Institute, under Dr. Amy O'Hara. I did research on the growing frontier of Privacy-Enhancing Technologies (PETs) and the role of data governance in providing quality state education services. 
 
In Summer 2025, I was an intern on WMATA's Safety Policy and Promotion team (SPP), where I leveraged my McCourt education in public management to build a fairer system of personnel discipline and revamp SPP's digital infrastructure. 
 
In Summer 2026, after my 1L year, I was Smart Growth America's legal intern. I researched the viability of litigation against 16 state DOTs as a way to shift road design philosophy away from speed and toward safety, involving legal research and interviews with over two dozen road design practitioners across the country. My work culminated in legal memos for eight states and one large policy memo proposing agency-level organizational interventions targeting culture, structure, and human incentives.
 
For Summer 2027, I'll be a clerk at Kaplan Kirsch, LLP, where I'll work on public-interest transportation infrastructure projects, environmental and natural resource conservation, and tribal sovereignty. Most of this work will be done through advising on projects, where my McCourt education will be put to use alongside my legal education.

Student organization involvement while at McCourt: At Georgetown Law, I am involved in: People's Parity Project (President), Asian Pacific American Law Students Association (Public Sector Professional Chair), Law Students for Justice in Palestine (Comms/External Relations Chair), Georgetown Environmental Law Society (Service Chair), Law Students for Climate Accountability (Coalitions Chair). I was not and am not directly involved with any student organizations at McCourt, although the Environmental Law Society collaborates with McCourt Environment & Energy Club.

Undergraduate University, degree, and major: Georgetown University, Bachelor of Arts (Government/Arabic)

Hobbies/ Interests:

Hobbies: baking (ask my classmates about my focaccia), gaming, using transit and public transportation, typing very fast, playing/running tabletop and collaborative storytelling games (think D&D)

Interests: Palestine, leftist politics, walkable cities, urban placemaking, trains, climate change, American empire, science fiction, military history, ethics, effective altruism

Reach out to me about: Straight out of undergrad, dual-degree programs, Georgetown Law, maintaining personal politics within academic institutions, food recommendations in the DMV area