WASHINGTON – Howard University School of Law alumnus, Darryl Williams (J.D. ’22), has been named a Bristow Fellow in the Office of the Solicitor General for October Term 2024. Bristow Fellowships offer a unique opportunity for young lawyers to experience Supreme Court practice early in their careers. 

Bristow Fellows help draft briefs filed in the Supreme Court of the United States and prepare recommendations to the Solicitor General regarding authorization of government appeals in the lower courts. Fellows also assist the Solicitor General and other lawyers on special projects and with preparation of oral arguments to be made before the Supreme Court.  

Williams is one of five lawyers selected for the prestigious yearlong fellowship, and the first lawyer from an HBCU.  

Inspired by his exposure to issues of police brutality through media, and the opportunity to influence the way the legal system interacts with people, Williams decided to pursue a career in law. In 2018, a year before he graduated from Florida A&M University, he participated in a Pre-Law Summer Enrichment Program at Howard. In 2019, he began his studies at Howard University School of Law. 

“After the Howard pre-law summer program, I made two decisions: I was going to go to law school and Howard would be the only school I applied to. Those decisions paid off. Although there are tons of good law schools out there, Howard is special—we, of course, learn the same law but do so through a lens that instills in us the value of using it as a tool to create good in the world,” said Williams. 

At Howard Law, Williams focused on building skills in appellate litigation, which allowed him to gain experiences that he believes will pay off during the Bristow Fellowship. 

“My first real exposure to Supreme Court work was during my second year as a student attorney in our civil rights clinic. In the clinic, I got to work alongside leading practitioners on important cases that affected us all,” said Williams. “I also took a seminar about the Supreme Court during my third year. We followed the Supreme Court in real time and thought deeply about the issues before the Court while the justices were doing the same. That seminar provided an interesting perspective into the position the justices are in and the strategies that would be effective when talking to them.” 

Upon graduating, Williams worked in Hogan Lovells LLP's Supreme Court and Appellate practice group where, among other roles, he worked on the team of appellate lawyers that opposed Derek Chauvin’s challenge to his conviction for murdering George Floyd. Williams then served as a judicial law clerk for Judge Michael Nachmanoff with the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. He currently serves as a judicial law clerk for Judge Toby Heytens on the United States Court of Appeal for the Fourth Circuit. 

More than anything, Williams thanks Howard. “Being selected as a Bristow Fellow says far more about the law school than it does about me,” he said. “Howard gave me amazing professors, brilliant classmates, and a body of experiences that have proven invaluable. In return, I hope only to use what I have been given to add to the 150-year legacy I inherited.” 

“We are incredibly proud of Darryl and this most prestigious accomplishment,” said Lisa A. Crooms, interim dean of the Howard University School of Law. “Darryl's law school journey has been one of the few times where I have taught one of our graduates as both a participant in our pre-law summer program and a law student. His experiences demonstrate the importance of this pipeline and the long-term impact opportunities like our summer program can have on a student.”   

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