Kayonia L. Whetstone

Kayonia L. Whetstone is an Associate Professor in the Fundamentals of Lawyering Program. She knows that good legal writing is essential for every attorney. Thus, she brings a learner-focused approach to her classroom, demystifying the art and science of legal research, analysis, and writing to help students gain foundational lawyering skills.

She has served as full-time faculty at St. John’s University School of Law and the Howard University School of Law, teaching lawyering skills and appellate advocacy. Additionally, she has presented at national and regional conferences on topics including transitioning from practice to the classroom, infusing multi-media technology, cultural mindfulness, and well-being into pedagogy, and the role of post-conviction matters. Her research interests include curriculum building, pedagogy and assessment, social and economic justice, race, gender, and the law, and criminal justice reform.

Before joining the legal academy, Professor Whetstone proudly served as an appellate prosecutor in New York’s Bronx and Queens counties. There, she handled various criminal and civil post-judgment matters, including advocating for vacatur of sex-trafficking victims’ convictions, handling mental hygiene commitments, and answering actual innocence claims. She is honored to serve at the George Washington University Law School, helping train ethical, mindful, and socially responsible attorneys to use the law as a tool for justice, accountability, and equity in ways that benefit our global community.