Kristen Adolf

Kristen is a 3L at William & Mary Law School with a concentration in International Law. Kristen earned her bachelor’s degree at Mount Holyoke College in International Relations and Middle East Studies. In addition to her work with Comparative Jurist, Kristen serves as the President of the International Competition Team, serves as Secretary for the Comparative Legal Student Scholars, co-founded W&M Law Students for Justice in Palestine, and serves as the Class Representative and Social Media Chair for W&M’s National Lawyers Guild. For her 1L summer, Kristen worked in Geneva, Switzerland with International Bridges to Justice — an NGO that trains and equips criminal defenders in developing countries and seeks to eliminate torture in foreign criminal justice systems. For her 2L summer, Kristen is a Summer Associate with Victor M. Glasberg & Associates — a civil rights firm in Alexandria, Virginia. She hopes to pursue a career in public international law after completing her J.D. at William & Mary.

Stephanie Minor

Stephanie is a 3L at William & Mary Law School. In addition to being a junior editor for the Comparative Jurist, Stephanie is on the International Competition Team as well as the National Trial Team. Prior to law school, Stephanie graduated from the American University of Rome in Italy, where she studied International Relations, Global Politics and Terrorism. She traveled to Austria, Belgium and Spain on experiential coursework in topic-specific seminars, namely terrorism prevention, the European Union system and the NATO alliance. She also competed as a delegate in Bath, England in Model UN. Stephanie then worked in a small family law firm in California where she assisted in Minor’s Counsel cases helping attorneys represent children in highly contentious family case matters. She also assisted in Hague cases involving representing children taken across international borders. After law school, Stephanie hopes to pursue a career in national security focusing on pre-conflict de-escalation and post-conflict justice. Outside of school, Stephanie loves movies (especially pre-Code or horror), seasonal coffee drinks, and cooking.

Katie Smart

Katie is a 3L at William & Mary Law School. She graduated cum laude from American University with a major in International Studies and a minor in Music Performance. Within her International Studies major, her thematic areas of focus were Justice, Ethics, and Human Rights and Peace, Global Security, and Conflict Resolution. Prior to starting law school, Katie was a fellow at the Christian social justice organization, Sojourners. She has also interned and volunteered with multiple organizations focused on empowering refugees and asylum seekers, and she is very interested in human rights law, especially as it relates to displacement, immigration, and peacebuilding.

Gwyneth Smith

Gwyneth is a 2L at William & Mary Law School from Atlanta, Georgia. She also attended Wiliam & Mary as an undergraduate where she majored in International Relations with a minor in History. She worked as a research assistant at William & Mary’s Global Research Institute for three years, where she studied Chinese development aid and finance as part of the AidData research lab. Gwyneth has studied Chinese, Japanese, and French and spent a winter studying abroad in Kyoto, Japan. She is interested in studying international law, particularly international humanitarian law. Outside of school, she enjoys fencing. For her 1L summer, Gwyneth interned with Machik, a non-profit in Washington, D.C., dedicated to charting new pathways for the global Tibetan community.

Orion Fiscella Semmes

Orion is a 2L at William & Mary Law School, hailing from Newport News, Virginia. He has a dual Master’s in History and Arabic Language from SOAS University of London. This included coursework at al-Najah University in Nablus, Palestine, and extended fieldwork around Oman. His dissertation is entitled “Wet Ontologies and Manufactured Decline: British Colonization of Oman, 1856-1871,” and it features an analysis of competing legal systems within Oman. In addition to his studies, Orion worked in the NGO sector on several UN projects in Tunisia, Jordan, and Denmark. Before starting law school, Orion worked in New York for the UN’s Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights, in Williamsburg for an immigration firm, and in Richmond for the General Assembly. During his 1L summer, he interned with Virginia’s Department of Planning and Budget (DPB), and he is currently interning with Virginia’s Division of Legislative Services (DLS).

Abby Leonard

Abby is a 2L at William & Mary Law School and is originally from Leesburg, Virginia. She attended the University of Virginia for her undergraduate degree where she majored in Foreign Affairs and History. Abby is currently an involved in the Comparative Jurist, the Public Service Fund, Women’s Law Society, and the Bill of Rights Journal at William & Mary. In her 1L summer she worked at Legal Services of Northern Virginia which offers legal assistance to those in the local community who could not afford representation otherwise.

Alyson Fakhry

Alyson is a 1L at William and Mary Law School originally from New Jersey. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Political Science from American University. She is currently a member of the Moot Court Team and a general board member of the Women’s Law Society. Prior to starting law school, she interned with two immigration law firms, a political advertising firm, and worked full-time at an estates and trusts law firm. She is interested in exploring topics in international law including private international law as well as global human rights.

Emma Herwig

Emma is a 1L at William & Mary Law School originally from Doylestown, PA. She graduated in 2025 from Colgate University, summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, with a double major in History and French and an emphasis in Indigenous Studies. Emma speaks fluent French and spent a semester in Paris in a language immersion program studying comparative literature at La Sorbonne-Nouvelle. Prior to starting at W&M Law, Emma worked at several museums, including the Longyear Museum of Anthropology as a Research Assistant and The Adirondack Experience as a Curatorial and Collections Management Fellow. She is interested in NAGPRA compliance, international repatriation, and museum law. In addition to CJ, Emma is also involved in the Women’s Law Society as a 1L representative, the Public Service Fund as a General Board Member, and the Arts & Cultural Heritage Law Society. Outside of law school, Emma enjoys hiking, reading, and football (Go Birds!).

Kate Karafin

Kate is a 1L at William & Mary Law School originally from Summit, New Jersey. She attended Boston College for her undergraduate degree where she majored in Political Science and English and minored in American Studies. She is currently the 1L Communications Chair of Election Law Society and a general board member of the Public Service Fund. Prior to starting law school, Kate was a Correspondent Fellow for Boston College’s Clough Center for the Study of Constitutional Democracy. She also has interned at Boston College Law School, Russo Strategic Partners, and her local municipality, the City of Summit. She is interested in studying the intersections of political and human rights law.

Jaanvi Kaur

Jaanvi is a 1L at William & Mary Law School, originally from Long Island, New York. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley, where she majored in Legal Studies and double minored in Human Rights and Public Policy. She is currently a vice chair for the 1L advisory board for the George-Wythe Society and a member of the International Competition Team. Prior the starting law school, she worked as a legal assistant at a criminal defense firm based in San Francisco. Additionally, she spent her summer in India teaching disabled children math and English. Jaanvi is pursuing a career in international human rights law.

Libby McDyer

Libby is a 1L at William & Mary Law. Before law school, Libby attended Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH where she earned an undergraduate degree in biology and a Master’s in bioethics and medical humanities. At CWRU, she was also a Vice President of her sorority, Pi Beta Phi, and a member of the varsity swim team and co-captain her senior year. After leaving Cleveland, Libby completed her Master’s in Public Health at Columbia University in New York City, where she studied comparative health policy and humanitarian aid. In addition to CJ, Libby is a member of the International Competition Team, 1L representative for the Health Law Association, and general board member of the Public Service Fund. Outside of law school, Libby loves running, reading, and baking (and watching the Great British Baking Show)!

Lilly Medeiros

Lilly is a 1L at William & Mary Law School, originally from Somerset, Massachusetts. She graduated in 2025 from George Washington University with a degree in International Affairs, magna cum laude, with a minor in political science. She is a member of the International Competition Team and is the Community Service Chair of the American Constitutional Society. She also serves as a Research Co-Chair for the Election Law Society and the Social Media Chair of the Plaintiff’s Law Society. Prior to law school, Lilly interned at the International Institute of New England, the region’s oldest and largest refugee resettlement nonprofit. She remains interested in refugee and immigration law, as well as exploring international law in general.

Jeffy Samuel

Jeffy is a 1L at William and Mary Law School originally from Garden City, New York. He graduated from New York University with a major in Political Science. Before starting law school, he interned at the district office of Congressman Tom Suozzi. He is interested in election law, and international law, especially of the European Union.

Chloe Scharf

Chloe is a 1L at William & Mary Law School, originally from New Jersey. Chloe is a member of the International Competition Team and is currently the 1L rep for Lawyers Helping Lawyers and the Criminal Law Society. She graduated with a Bachelors of Arts in Law, Criminal Justice, and Society and a Bachelors of Science in Psychology. Additionally, she minored in Italian and Studio Arts and received a global distinction and a Western European Studies Certificate with a focus on Public International Law. In college, Chloe interned at the Pittsburgh DA’s Office and the Annapolis State’s Attorney Office. She is interested in international human rights and international criminal law. Chloe has a particular interest in children’s rights, domestic and abroad.

Rachel Wilson

Rachel is a 1L at William & Mary Law School, originally from Wilton, Connecticut. She graduated with distinction in 2023 from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, where she studied political science and minored in economics and communications. She is currently a 1L Representative for the Women’s Law Society and a member of the International Competition Team. Before starting law school, she worked as a business analyst for a technology consulting company. She is interested in studying international transactional law. In her free time, she enjoys reading, cooking, and traveling.

Anderson Tao

Anderson is a 1L at William and Mary Law School. He graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a major in Business Administration and Economics, with concentrations in Investment Management and Multinational Finance. Before starting law school, Anderson helped found the UNC Impact Investing Fund, a student-run investment fund based on an ESG investment thesis. He is interested in studying international law, in particular international trade law.