The Washington D.C. and Seattle offices recently welcomed six summer associates to the firm and are looking forward to introducing these future lawyers to the dynamic and rewarding work at the intersection of energy and environmental law and policy.

Their talent, character, and drive reflect the values we hold as a firm, and we’re excited to see what we can achieve together, welcome to VNF!

	Andrea Funez Andrea attends the American University Washington College of Law where she serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the American University Business Law Review. She earned her B.A. in Political Science from Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University. Prior to joining the firm, Andrea served as a judicial intern at the D.C. Office of Administrative Hearings and a legal intern at the U.S. House of Representatives. Prior to law school, she was an undergraduate research assistant in the Agricultural and Applied Economics Department at her university.
	Holly Young Holly attends the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law and earned her B.S. in Biological Sciences, as well as a Master of Earth and Environmental Resources Management (MEERM) from the University of South Carolina. Prior to law school, she was a natural resource technician at the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services and a laboratory assistant at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
	Brenton Riddle Brenton returns to VNF after being a VNF 1L Fellow in 2024. He attends the University of Oregon School of Law where he serves as an Energy Law and Policy Fellow, and a staff editor for the Journal of Environmental Law and Litigation. During law school, Brenton externed for Judge Michael J. McShane for the United States District Court of Oregon and this fall, will be an in-house extern for Vestas Inc., a wind-energy company. Brenton triple majored at University of Washington where he received a B.S. in Environmental Science and Resource Management, a B.A. in International Studies, and a B.A. in Comparative History. Prior to law school, Brenton worked as a program manager at Nike Inc., where he designed and implemented an improved onboarding process to support incoming design talent.
	Margaret Szeles Margaret attends the University of Washington School of Law and earned her B.A. in Environmental Studies from Boise State University. After her 1L year, she worked as a legal intern at the Land-Use Division of the Seattle City Attorney’s Office and as a legal extern at the Green Diamond Resource Company. Prior to law school, she worked as a senior transportation planner for the Ada County Highway District (ACHD).
	Adaora Ugwueze Adaora attends the University of Washington School of Law and earned her B.A. in International Relations and Affairs from the University of Washington. Prior to law school, she was a legislative intern at The Washington Bus, where she advocated for social justice on behalf of young and marginalized communities, and also served as a C21 2023 extern at Amazon.
	Kendal Bradley Kendal attends the Louisiana State University Pual M. Hebert Law Center and earned her B.A. from the University of Texas. Prior to law school, she worked as a legislative intern at the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas (CLEAT) and as a strategy and innovation summer intern at the Gas Technology Institute, where she conducted research on low carbon technologies and analyzed hydrogen technologies.