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Aarin Michele Williams, Esq.
Aarin Michele Williams, Esq. (she/her) is an experienced and award-winning attorney committed to advancing equity, justice, and opportunity—beyond the confines of civility or respectability. Admitted to practice in New Jersey, New York, and the Southern District of New York, Aarin has represented clients in courts nationwide. She is an accomplished civil rights litigator, social and racial justice advocate, reproductive justice movement lawyer, and a proud criminal defense attorney.
As the Principal Consultant of AMW Impact Strategy Solutions, LLC, Aarin leads a consulting firm offering high-impact services to nonprofits, government agencies, institutions, and organizations. She also serves as an executive leader in a civil rights agency. Throughout her career she has spearheaded major initiatives, including historic multi-million-dollar redlining matters with the Department of Justice, led in the creation of the nation’s first law prohibiting housing discrimination based on criminal record, led the country’s first statewide home appraisal discrimination task force and investigated many corporations for discrimination and bias. Aarin has also served on various commissions and task forces focused on advancing equity and justice.
In her previous role, Aarin was a Senior Staff Attorney for National Advocates for Pregnant Women (now Pregnancy Justice), a national legal nonprofit representing pregnant individuals facing criminalization and punitive actions related to their pregnancies. Her work included providing legal counsel, developing case strategies, and advocating on issues such as drug policy reform, bodily autonomy, and the criminalization of pregnancy. She advised on advocacy campaigns and legislative initiatives, helping to raise awareness about the connections between carceral systems and the Black maternal health crisis. Aarin’s work brought her to national prominence in 2019 when she appeared on CNN’s United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell. Her participation in the Emmy-winning “Body Politics” episode highlighted the significance of the Black-women-led reproductive justice movement and the legal challenges faced by pregnant individuals.
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Aarin’s earlier career includes serving as a New Jersey State Public Defender, where she handled complex felony cases, including high-profile homicide trials. She also trained colleagues in trial strategy. Additionally, she has been an Adjunct Professor at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and Seton Hall Law School. At Seton Hall, she co-developed and co-taught the course “Incarceration and Social Inequality in the Law,” a Critical Race Theory course designed to equip future lawyers to confront systemic inequities.
Originally from Jonesboro, Georgia, Aarin identifies as a lifelong Southerner. Her family’s legacy includes one of the oldest Black-owned farms in Georgia history. Her grandfather's involvement as a plaintiff in the landmark Pigford v. Glickman lawsuit inspired her early interest in civil rights. Aarin is a proud alumna of Howard University and Rutgers School of Law–Newark, crediting both institutions for shaping her passion for advocacy and community-building. At Rutgers Law, she was a member of the Rutgers Law Review and Vice-President of the Association of Black Law Students, where she co-led the Jazz for Justice initiative. She also held internships with the ACLU of NJ and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and clerked for the Honorable Carolyn E. Wright of the New Jersey Superior Court.
Committed to giving back, Aarin mentors and volunteers through various organizations. She co-developed the inaugural Young Women’s Leadership & Advocacy Program at Newark’s People’s Preparatory Charter School, empowering high school girls to become advocates on issues such as intimate partner violence, police brutality, pay equity, and access to affordable education. Her contributions to her profession and community have earned her several honors, including the 2017 Humanitarian of the Year award from the Vashti School of Future Leaders, the 2018 Howard University Alumni MoveMaker recognition, and the John Lewis Award from the Association of Black Law Students in 2020. She is also a member of the North Jersey Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., where she served as Social Action Chair.
Aarin attributes her achievements to her hardworking, no-nonsense parents, the unwavering support of her dynamic husband, amazing sister-friends, and the strength of ancestors who paved the way toward liberation and justice. She lives by the adage: "I am exceptional without being an exception."
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