Attorney General Schwalb Announces 2024 Class of Charles F.C. Ruff Fellows

WASHINGTON, DC – Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today announced that 17 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.

“I’m thrilled to have this group of talented law school graduates join OAG as Ruff Fellows for the next year,” said Attorney General Schwalb. “Previous Ruff Fellows, after completing their year-long fellowship, have gone on to become full time OAG attorneys, to clerk for trial and appellate judges, to serve other public service institutions, and to join the private bar. I’m confident that OAG and the District will benefit from these lawyers’ hard work and mission-driven commitment, and I thank them for answering the call to public service.”

OAG selects Ruff Fellows following a highly competitive selection process. The 2024 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 2024 Ruff Fellows and their assignments are: 

  • Jose Jean-Baptiste, University of the District of Columbia: Legal Counsel Division
  • Alec Bowman, Georgetown University: Public Advocacy Division
  • Thompson Hangen, George Washington University: Civil Litigation Division
  • Devon Hays, Catholic University: Public Safety Division
  • Mallory Leopold Needle, George Washington University: Public Safety Division
  • Elise Levy, George Washington University: Civil Litigation Division
  • Cole Niggeman, George Washington University: Public Advocacy Division
  • Michelina Partipilo, American University: Civil Litigation Division
  • Michael Dwyer Potter, George Mason University: Commercial Division
  • Meghana Puchapalli, University of Virginia: Commercial Division
  • John Roberts, Catholic University: Public Safety Division
  • Sabrina Rodriguez, George Washington University: Family Services Division
  • Aminah Simon-Ortiz, Howard University: Public Safety Division
  • Zachary Snyder, George Mason University: Public Advocacy Division
  • Madeline Terlap: Georgetown University: Civil Litigation Division
  • Christian Whitmer, Georgetown University: Public Advocacy Division
  • Jarod Wilson, George Washington University: Civil Litigation Division

To learn more about the Ruff Fellowship program, visit this page.