WASHINGTON, DC – Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today announced that 16 recent graduates from local law schools have joined the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) as 2023 Charles F.C. Ruff Fellows.

In 2012, OAG established the year-long fellowship 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’ law schools. Many previous fellows have gone on to become full-time attorneys at OAG or at other prestigious public service institutions after their fellowships.

“Ruff Fellows at the Office of the Attorney General often go on to lead exceptional careers in public service, and we are fortunate to recruit such a bright, talented group of young lawyers into our ranks this year,” said AG Schwalb. “The Ruff Fellowship offers recently graduated attorneys from local law schools the chance to begin their careers with hands-on experience working on behalf of District residents and advancing the public interest. The 2024 application process is now open as well and I encourage eligible students to apply.”

OAG awards these fellowships to stand-out applicants following a highly competitive selection process. The 2023 class includes graduates from 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. Ruff served as White House Counsel to President Bill Clinton after his service as Corporation Counsel, as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, and also taught at area law schools. He passed away in 2000. 

The new Fellows and their assignments are: 

Dennis Blumenfeld |Georgetown University Law Center, Public Advocacy Division

Anabel Butler | George Washington University School of Law, Public Advocacy Division

Lawrence Corbeille | Georgetown University Law Center, Civil Litigation Division

Spenser Dettwyler | George Washington University School of Law, Legal Counsel Division

Akeem Earle |University of the District of Columbia School of Law, Public Safety Division

Marcus Ireland | George Washington University School of Law, Civil Litigation Division

Liran Koropitzer | George Washington University School of Law, Civil Litigation Division

Eric Levine | George Washington University School of Law, Office of the Solicitor General

Robert Mathai |University of Virginia School of Law, Public Safety Division

Lydia Mendez | Georgetown University Law Center, Public Advocacy Division

Bisola Oni |Howard University School of Law, Civil Litigation Division

Travis O’Shell |George Mason University School of Law, Public Safety Division

Connor Sherman |George Mason University School of Law, Personnel, Labor, and Employment Division

Samuel Song |George Washington University School of Law, Commercial Division

William Twomey | Georgetown University Law Center, Public Advocacy Division

Noelle Wurst | Georgetown University Law Center, Commercial Division

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