D.C. Bar Welcomes New Karen Hastie Williams Leadership Fellows

December 10, 2025

The D.C. Bar Communities kicked off another exciting year of the Karen Hastie Williams Leadership Fellowship, a program that honors the legacy of trailblazing attorney Karen Hastie Williams by fostering leadership, service, and excellence among law students.

The 2025–2026 fellowship includes a strong cohort of talented students from law schools across the region, including American University Washington College of Law, George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School, George Washington University Law School, University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law, Boston College Law School, and Creighton University School of Law. 

The law students’ journey began in November with an orientation program  featuring panels on Bar steering committee leadership and making the most of the fellowship. The fellows will serve on steering committees for 11 different D.C. Bar Communities, gaining hands-on experience in leadership and professional development while working alongside some of the most dedicated attorneys in the District.

2025–2026 Fellows:

• Allegra Thatcher, American University (Antitrust and Consumer Law)
• Kieran Serbu, American University (Corporation, Finance and Securities Law)
• Farjana Kshuhboo, Creighton University (Communities Committee)
• Kenan Kabbani, George Washington University (Communities Committee)
• Haven Grier, George Washington University (District of Columbia Affairs)
• Lydia Galvan, American University (District of Columbia Affairs)
• Willem Ells, George Washington University (Environment, Energy and Natural Resources)
• Jivan Ramesh, George Washington University (Environment, Energy and Natural Resources)
• Otto Bieker, George Washington University (Estates, Trusts and Probate Law)
• Anya Mansur, George Washington University (Health Law)
• Benjamin Graham, George Washington University (Intellectual Property Law)
• Marquis Peoples, University of the District of Columbia (Intellectual Property Law)
• Pauline Irungu, American University (Intellectual Property Law)
• Emma Yadene, Boston College (Law Practice Management)
• Fatima Tahir, George Mason University (Public Interest and Courts)
• Alexis Chandler, George Washington University (Public Interest and Courts)
• Meaghan Bowman, American University (Real Estate, Housing and Land Use)

Established in 2020 and renamed in 2021, the fellowship pays tribute to Karen Hastie Williams,  the first African American woman law clerk for the U.S. Supreme Court and first female and African American partner at Crowell & Moring LLP. 

The D.C. Bar is proud to welcome this year’s fellows and looks forward to seeing the impact they will make on the Bar’s Communities and the broader legal profession.