Attorney General Racine Welcomes 16 New Attorneys as 2018 Charles F.C. Ruff Fellows

March 28, 2018

Attorney General Karl A. Racine has welcomed 16 recent graduates from area law schools as the 2018 class of Charles F.C. Ruff Fellows at the Office of the Attorney General (OAG). The fellows are graduates of American University’s Washington College of Law, Georgetown University Law Center, George Washington University Law School, Howard University School of Law, the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law, and the University of Virginia School of Law.

The fellowships are jointly funded by OAG and the schools, and fellows were chosen through a highly competitive application process. Many previous fellows have gone on to become full-time attorneys at OAG after their fellowship.

“The Ruff Fellowship aims to inspire talented law school graduates to pursue careers in public service, and we are very proud to welcome this new class of fellows to the Office of Attorney General,” said Attorney General Racine. “All members of our dedicated staff –including the Ruff Fellows – are committed to using the law to improve the lives of District residents and advance the public interest.”

The new Ruff Fellows and their assignments to OAG divisions are:

• Jessica Bull, Howard University, Public Safety Division
• Joshua Dansby, George Washington University, Public Interest Division
• Kathy Davis, University of the District of Columbia, Family Services Division
• Connor Finch, University of Virginia, Personnel, Labor & Employment Division
• Morgan Gray, Georgetown University, Family Services Division
• Jessica Gunzel, George Washington University, Public Interest Division
• Nicole Hill, Georgetown University, Public Advocacy Division
• Nicholas Johnson, Georgetown University, Public Advocacy Division
• Crystal Liu, Georgetown University, Legal Counsel Division
• Irina Majumdar, George Washington University, Office of the Solicitor General
• Taylor Morosco, George Washington University, Civil Litigation Division
• Allison Ness, George Washington University, Public Safety Division
• Brooke Pinto, Georgetown University, Commercial Division
• Paula Renkiewicz, American University, Public Safety Division
• David Schifrin, Georgetown University, Civil Litigation Division
• Brittani Zacco, George Washington University, Office of Consumer Protection.

The Ruff Fellowship was established in 2012 to promote public-interest legal work. The 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, and Attorney General Racine worked under him as an Associate White House Counsel. Ruff also served as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia and taught at area law schools. He passed way in 2000.