A prominent voice in Washington’s legal community, Natalie Ludaway, JD '86, served as the Chief Deputy Attorney General for the District of Columbia from 2015 to 2020. Ms. Ludaway was recently awarded the 2019 Senior Staff Member of the Year Award from the National Association of Attorneys General. The prestigious award recognizes Ms. Ludaway’s influential leadership within the Office of Attorney General for the District of Columbia, and her advancement of the District’s stature among state Attorneys General nationally. After five years of public service, she has moved to private practice as a Partner at Crowell & Moring LLP.
Previously, she spent more than 20 years as Managing Partner for Leftwich & Ludaway, which specialized in civil litigation, transactional work, regulatory matters, employment law, government relations, government contracts, insurance defense, and family law.
Ms. Ludaway served more than 10 years on the District's Judicial Nominating Commission, devoting her time to building one of the best judiciaries in the country. She is a former Chair of the DC Chamber of Commerce, served on the Board of the Federal City Council, and was an executive committee member and Chair of the Greater Washington Board of Trade.
Ms. Ludaway is also a long-time girl scout supporter and sits on the board of the Girl Scouts Council of the Nation's Capital. Additionally, she spends time supporting and uplifting women's right and has donated her time to the Women Lawyers Division of the National Bar Association.
GW Law spoke with Ms. Ludaway about her career, personal inspiration, and advice for law students.
What initially drew you to the legal profession?
Like many people who go into law, I’m guided by wanting to make things right and to seek justice. I was always interested in law, but after college, I decided to pursue economics to do international development work in Africa and the Caribbean. While working on my masters in economics, I came across a subject called Advanced Statistics, and given my struggles with the subject matter, I promised God that I would pick another profession than being an economist. I wanted to keep that promise, so when I passed the class and got my degree, I decided to hold up my end of the bargain and pursue law.
What brought you to public service?
I have had a long history of working in the District of Columbia on civic and business matters, and I have a true love for this community and am truly grateful for all that the District of Columbia has done for me in my profession. When District voters decided that we were going to have an elected Attorney General, it was very important to me that — as the District moves forward towards statehood — we do this the right way, and that we build one of the best Attorney General offices in the country. I supported Karl Racine for Attorney General, and I served as Co-Chair of his transition team. I really believe in him and his policies and vision for the office. It was an alignment of that vision and my own desire to serve the District and its residents.
What are you most proud of from your legal career?
Overall, I’m proud of being part of the legal community. I’m certainly proud of my former firm Leftwich & Ludaway. I’m proud of what that firm did and its work in the District of Columbia.
At the Office of the Attorney General, I am very proud of the work I’ve been able to contribute in changing the office. When AG Racine started, the posture of the office was much more defensive than proactive. If you look at the work now, we are one of the best AG offices in doing work that makes a difference in people’s lives. I’m proud to have created and grow our Public Advocacy Division, particularly our Office of Consumer Protection, as well as sections that work on elder justice and civil rights. It’s no secret that the federal government in this last four years has not stepped up to the plate on enforcing individuals' rights. I’m proud of the work that this office has done in partnering with other states to ensure that people’s rights are enforced, particularly around immigration and women’s reproductive rights.
This is really is one of the best jobs ever. There hasn’t been a day that’s gone by that I haven’t been able to make a difference in either an individual’s life or work toward protecting our liberties at-large. This job comes with a great responsibility, and what I have tried to do is not to waste that opportunity. When you’re given the opportunity, you must use that authority to make a change. To use a Girl Scout adage, I came to leave the place better than I found it.
What did winning the 2019 Senior Staff Member of the Year Award from the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) mean to you?
I was humbled. Obviously, we all like to be recognized. I have the benefit that, yes, I received the award, but I was really receiving the award on behalf of the hundreds of talented attorneys and professional staff at the Office of the Attorney General. I received that award because of the people here who put in the work, and we couldn't have accomplished all that we have without people’s brilliant ideas and their efforts to move the office forward as a team.
I give credit as well to AG Racine because when you look at where this office was in 2015 and the level of participation in NAAG and other national organizations, we really didn’t have a seat at the table. Now, the District is highly involved in the leadership. The AG has made it a focal point, and we take great pride in helping our fellow AGs on issues.
It is very important for the District of Columbia that the AGs office takes a leadership role in NAAG. We don’t have many opportunities to influence policy and national politics like a state. The position of Attorney General is the only elected position in the city where you are on par with a state. When the AG sits at NAAG, he sits next to the State of Delaware and the State of Florida, and so with the District of Columbia, with our 700,000-plus residents, our voice is being heard just as a state's would be heard.
What advice would you give to current and prospective law students?
Being a lawyer is certainly no walk in the park, but you can do a lot of good for people. Use the opportunities when they come to really make a difference. Look at the opportunities and experiences you'll gain from helping others as your most precious reward. That opportunity isn't afforded to everyone, so cherish it.
At GW Law, you are getting a great legal education. Throughout my tenure, if given a choice I will lean towards hiring a GW Law graduate because of the experience and training afforded to the students. I think GW Law produces excellent lawyers. I’m not going to say that law school was the most pleasant time of my life, but what I do know is that GW was the beginning of my training on how to be a lawyer, and I am thankful for that.