Butler Snow is pleased to announce that attorney Charity W. Karanja has been selected to the 2026-2029 class of the prestigious Loretta Collins Argrett Fellowship by the American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Taxation. The highly selective, three-year fellowship is awarded to just five attorneys nationwide each year who demonstrate exceptional promise as emerging leaders in the tax bar and the legal profession.
The Loretta Collins Argrett Fellowship was established by the ABA Section of Taxation to advance participation, engagement, and leadership within the profession. The Fellows receive mentorship from leading tax practitioners and ABA Tax Section leaders, advanced professional development, and opportunities to take an active role in Section initiatives throughout the fellowship term.
Charity W. Karanja
Charity is a member of Butler Snow’s Public Finance, Tax Incentives and Credit Markets Group and is a Development Finance Certified Professional (DFCP) through the Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA). Charity has the distinction of being one of six women in the nation named to the 2024 Class of the Caren S. Franzini Fellowship, a merit-based program by the CDFA Foundation, recognizing outstanding women in development finance for their leadership and dedication to the advancement of the industry.
Charity focuses her practice on public finance, economic development incentives, and government relations and has served in multiple roles on public, private, and public-private finance transactions and economic development matters, including Special Tax Counsel, Bond Counsel, Underwriter’s Counsel, Issuer’s Counsel, Lender’s Counsel, Disclosure Counsel, Trustee’s Counsel, and Developer’s Counsel. She has represented both governmental and private organizations in a variety of financing structures, including New Market Tax Credit (NMTC) transactions.
Charity has earned numerous professional honors recognizing her leadership and contributions to the legal profession, including: Bloomberg Law: They’ve Got Next: The 40 Under 40 List, American Bar Association: On the Rise – Top 40 Young Lawyers, The Mississippi Business Journal: Top 40 Under 40, Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation Guide, ALM’s The Daily Report and Law.com’s Southeastern Legal Awards: On the Rise in Mississippi, The Bond Buyer: Rising Stars, Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers®: Mid-South Rising Stars, and The National Black Lawyers: Top 40 Under 40. She has been selected for several distinguished leadership programs, including the Women in Public Finance Emerging Leaders Council, the Mississippi Bar Leadership Program, and the National Association of Women Lawyers Leadership Program.
Charity earned her bachelor’s degree from the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University and her Juris Doctor from the University of Mississippi School of Law.
