Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb announced that 20 recent graduates of local law schools have joined the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) as Charles F.C. Ruff Fellows.
OAG established the year-long fellowship in 2012 to promote public interest legal work and give recent law school graduates the opportunity to practice law as Assistant Attorneys General for the District of Columbia. The fellowships are jointly funded by OAG and the graduates’ respective law schools. Previous Ruff Fellows have gone on to permanent positions at OAG and other public institutions, clerk trial and appellate judges, and join the private bar.
“I’m excited to welcome an exceptional new class of Ruff Fellows—and we are grateful that they are choosing to begin their legal careers working for the residents of the District of Columbia,” said Attorney General Schwalb. “This year-long fellowship allows recent local law school graduates to jump into challenging and impactful public service work, and I look forward to seeing all of the ways our office and the District as a whole benefit from the contributions of this years’ class.”
OAG selects Ruff Fellows following a highly competitive selection process. The 2025 class includes graduates from the American University Washington College of Law, Georgetown University Law Center, George Washington University Law School, George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School, Howard University School of Law, the University of Virginia School of Law, and the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law.
The Ruff Fellowship program is named in memory of Charles F.C. Ruff, who was the District of Columbia’s Corporation Counsel—the position now known as Attorney General—from 1995 to 1997. Mr. Ruff served as White House Counsel to President Bill Clinton after his service as Corporation Counsel. He also served as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia and taught at area law schools. He passed away in 2000.
The 2025 Ruff Fellows and their assignments are:
- Mariel Adams, University of the District of Columbia: Public Safety Division
- Miles Coll, George Washington University: Civil Litigation Division
- Wisdom Ejinaka, Catholic University: Public Safety Division
- Sarah Etemad-Moghadam, George Washington University: Public Safety Division
- Joseph Gordon, George Mason University: Public Advocacy Division
- Grace Hong, George Washington University: Public Safety Division
- Bryce Kelety, Georgetown University: Public Advocacy Division
- Brice Kimble, George Washington University: Public Advocacy Division
- Elizabeth McMullen, Catholic University: Civil Litigation Division
- Justin Moyer, Georgetown University: Civil Litigation Division
- Lauren Nasstrom, Georgetown University: Civil Litigation Division
- Xueting Ni, Georgetown University: Commercial Division
- Simone Oberschmied, George Washington University: Public Safety Division
- Madeline Ochi, George Washington University: Civil Litigation Division
- Camila Ramirez, Georgetown University: Public Advocacy Division
- Xavier Richie, Howard University: Office of the Solicitor General
- Oscar Rodas-Falla, George Mason University: Public Advocacy Division
- Christopher Seiler, University of Virginia: Legal Counsel Division
- Mitchell Thompson, American University: Commercial Division
- Julie Tolmie, Georgetown University: Civil Litigation Division
