D.C. Bar Selects American University’s Kiera Yu as New Writer in Residence

D.C. Bar Selects American University's Kiera Yu as New Writer in Residence

October 24, 2024

By Susannah Buell

The D.C. Bar has selected American University Washington College of Law 2L student Kiera Yu as its 2024-2025 writer in residence. Yu will work alongside D.C. Bar staff writers and editors during the residency, which runs through June 2025.

The D.C. Bar Writer in Residence program, now in its fourth year, is a collaboration between the D.C. Bar Communities and Marketing & Communications Department, providing law students a unique opportunity to hone their writing and interviewing skills, earn publication credit, and benefit from one-on-one interactions with attorneys across various practice areas. The writers in residence are expected to produce content for the Bar's multimedia channels, including Washington Lawyer magazine and Duly Noted blog.

"I'm excited to see Kiera in the role of writer in residence. She was assigned to the Communities Committee last year as a Karen Hastie Williams Leadership Fellow, and she brought enthusiasm to that position," said D.C. Bar Communities Director Pamela Robinson. "As writer in residence, Kiera will interact with local attorneys to research topics of interest to the profession. It's a great way to meet potential professional contacts and to enhance her résumé with writing credits from the nation's preeminent state-level bar. The Communities Office is proud to sponsor this program and to provide this special opportunity to law students each year."

Yu currently works as a legal intern at the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, where she researches U.S. and international regulatory and audit policy issues. Previously she served as a judicial intern for D.C. Superior Court Judge Deborah Israel and as an investigative intern with Georgetown University Law Center's Criminal Justice and Juvenile Justice Clinics.

At American University, Yu is a student-attorney with the Access to Justice Clinic (Family Law), which provides on-site mediation services and assistance for pro se litigants in domestic relations matters in D.C. Superior Court. She is a junior staff member with the Federal Circuit Bar Journal and director of diversity and inclusion for the Student Bar Association.

Before attending law school, Yu was a staff news and arts writer and contributing copyeditor for the University of Chicago's Chicago Maroon newspaper. Her previous journalism experience includes internships with Shanghai Daily and at News Bling.

"As a writer in residence, I look forward to continuing my passion for writing and creative storytelling. My pre-law school focus on journalism and media makes me even more excited for this opportunity," said Yu. "As a law student, I also look forward to working with the D.C. Bar and learning from members of the legal profession."

Yu is expected to graduate in May 2026.