Gausnell, O’Keefe & Thomas is happy to welcome Jenna Shalash, Katie Xiao, and Belmin Pajalic to the firm as law clerks.
Jenna’s family originally hails from Palestine and Nicaragua. A native of Lexington, Kentucky, she earned her B.A. in Political Science from Transylvania University, graduating summa cum laude with a minor in Writing, Rhetoric, and Communication. Jenna is a rising 3L at Washington University School of Law, where she serves as Managing Editor of the Journal of Law & Policy. She previously served as the President of the Muslim Law Students Association and as 1L Representative on the Public Service Advisory Board, and she received the school’s Excellence in Oral Advocacy Award. Jenna brings valuable research and writing experience from her internship with the Honorable Zia Faruqui at the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Katie Xiao was raised in Suzhou, China. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Business and Psychology from Brandeis University and is currently attending Washington University School of Law, where she is a Scholar in Law, a merit-based scholarship recipient. At WashU Law, Katie received the Outstanding Brief Award and was named an Oral Argument Octofinalist in the Wiley Rutledge Moot Court Competition. Last summer, she served as a judicial intern for the Honorable Gail A. Weilheimer of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. In her free time, Katie enjoys playing tennis and spending time with friends.
Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Belmin attended Webster University, where he earned a B.S. in Business Administration. He is currently attending Saint Louis University School of Law with an expected graduation date of May 2027. During law school, Belmin has gained valuable legal experience by clerking at a civil litigation firm, where he has developed practical skills in legal research, drafting, and client advocacy.