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Khelani Clay Assistant Law Librarian Pence Law Library Faculty

Degrees
J.D., American University Washington College of Law  2009
M.A., Catholic University of America 2014
M.A., University of Illinois Chicago  2005
B.A., Howard University  2003

Bio

Khelani Clay is an assistant law librarian and professor at American University Washington College of Law in charge of access services and circulation operations. Professor Clay teaches Advanced Legal Methods and Advanced Legal Research as an in-person and online course.



As a law librarian Professor Clay provides reference and research services assisting law students with research and reference queries while supporting faculty research projects and supervising the library’s access services department and circulation desk. She established the Pence Law Library bar exam materials collection, maintains the library’s online research guides and faculty scholarship repository, she also spearheads the library’s social media presence, and works with the library’s administration on collection development.



Prior to joining the Pence Law Library, Professor Clay worked as an attorney in a limited services representation firm and a law clerk for a small Maryland domestic relations firm. She has also represented clients in domestic relations and immigration proceedings. During her time as a Student Attorney at th­e Women and Law Clinic, she won the Most Outstanding Clinic Student Award (2007-2008). Previously, she worked in a Capitol Hill organization lobbying for sound criminal justice policy and a prison reform organization in Illinois.



Professor Clay published Maryland Practice Materials: Selective Annotated Bibliography in State Practice Materials, Annotated Bibliographies (F. Houdek & A. Postar, eds., W.S. Hein 2018). She has presented at various different Computer Assisted Legal Information (CALI) and American Association of Law Library conferences and meetings and is active in local and national law library committees. Her research interests include criminal justice, law and society, library science, legal education and legal research.

For the Media
To request an interview for a news story, call AU Communications at 202-885-5950 or submit a request.

Teaching

Spring 2025

  • JLC-281 Intro to Legal Studies Resrch