BBS Announces 2026 Fellowship Class

We are thrilled to introduce the Business Behind the Scenes (BBS) Fellowship Class of 2026 — four exceptional first-year law students whose paths to law school reflect a remarkable breadth of experience, purpose, and commitment to justice.

The BBS Fellowship is designed to pull back the curtain on the business side of law practice, connecting promising law students with the knowledge, networks, and mentorship they need to thrive in sophisticated legal environments. This year's cohort brings together scholars from Stanford Law School, UC Law San Francisco, Georgetown University Law Center, and UCLA School of Law.

Meet the Fellows

Sterling Bland — Stanford Law School

Sterling Bland is starting his legal career at Stanford Law after serving with AmeriCorps as a college advisor in Kansas City, Missouri. Sterling graduated from Harvard University, where he earned a B.A. in Sociology and African American Studies, was honored as a Harvard Orator, and was awarded top senior thesis for his writing on W.E.B. Du Bois. A native of Colorado, Sterling’s legal and policy background includes internships with the Colorado State Public Defender and with the U.S. Senate Office of Senator John Hickenlooper. The son of ministers, Sterling has also worked with churches and faith groups across the country to advocate for the disadvantaged. At Stanford, Sterling has taken an interest in plaintiff-side litigation and is active in SLS’s Housing Pro Bono Project and Plaintiff's Law Association.

Omega Agee — University of California Law, San Francisco

Omega Agee is beginning her legal career after working several years as a professional in the tax and consulting space. She is a graduate of Grambling State University’s Honors College, where she majored in political science. Beyond her experience in the financial world, Omega is a budding creator and entrepreneur; she is currently serving as Creative Director at JD Genesis, Inc., where she is developing brand identity and strategy for a nonprofit focused on mental health and wellness in the legal profession (and working alongside Class of 2024 BBS Fellow Johnsenia Brooks). At UC Law SF, Omega serves as the 1L Representative for the Entertainment Law Society and is active in BLSA and the Law and Intellectual Property Association.

Khadia Okai-Koi — Georgetown University Law Center

Khadia has started her journey at Georgetown Law following two years of legal experience at BraunHagey & Borden LLP in New York. A graduate of Ashesi University in Ghana, Khadia earned a B.S. in Business Administration and twice won or was a finalist for the Samira Bawumia Literature Prize. Khadia writes poetry and has also spent nearly three years as an English Instructor with SEO Scholars, teaching college-readiness skills to adolescents from underserved school districts. At Georgetown, Khadia serves as the 1L Representative for the American Constitution Society, is active in the Black Law Students Association, and volunteers with Teach-In. 

Albert Rocha — UCLA School of Law

A native of Los Angeles, Albert’s centered his professional career with the goal of giving back to the Southern California community. Albert studied at Santa Monica College, earning two associate's degrees with high honors before transferring to UCLA, where he graduated magna cum laude in Sociology and was selected as the Commencement Speaker for the Sociology Class of 2022. Prior to starting his second degree at UCLA, Albert immersed himself in community work: leading sports programs for middle schoolers with Woodcraft Rangers, supporting special education students as an instructional aide, and teaching as a substitute across K–12 classrooms in the Los Angeles area. At UCLA Law, Albert serves as the 1L Class Representative for the Latine Law Students Association and volunteers with the Re-Entry Project.

Welcome to our Class of 2026 - Sterling, Omega, Khadia, and Albert.

About BBS and the Business Behind the Scenes Fellowship

We founded Bradley Bernstein Sands LLP (“BBS”) in July 2020 after each practicing law for nearly 15 years at some of the biggest law firms and most forward-looking city governments in the country. We are a majority woman-owned firm that represents private and public clients in complex litigation on the West Coast. For over a decade before founding BBS, Heidi Bradley was a leading litigator in Seattle and Los Angeles, and was co-chair of her prior firm’s litigation team. Erin Bernstein has been a national leader in the government affirmative litigation space. And Darin Sands is a first-generation professional who has gone on to become a go-to commercial litigator in Portland. The three of us are longtime friends and are also the parents of young children. As we have built our own law firm, we’ve spent time distilling the important lessons we’ve learned in our prior positions—not just about the dollars and cents of how law firms run, but also about the value of leadership training, building professional networks, project management skills, and integrating a true balance between family life and career ambition into a larger office culture.

Each of our founders is a highly experienced and successful litigator in our own field. But when we set out to start a law firm, we realized that our legal education and career training had not included any information about the economics of big law, government, and nonprofits, or alternative career paths available to lawyers in and outside of the law. We hope to help fill that gap for first generation law students and help demystify the opaque world of law firm economics and non-traditional legal career paths—focusing especially on students who don’t have attorneys or other professionals in their family networks. As we built BBS, we wondered—given the grim statistics of female litigators in BigLaw’s partnership ranks—why there weren’t more women-owned firms like ours, and why there are so few law firms founded by people of color. Systemic inequality and racism certainly play a role in this disparity. But so too does the lack of guidance for diverse lawyers on how to successfully navigate those realities and find a career path that provides autonomy and control over your future. We want to see more firms like ours out there, and we want to empower and help train, mentor, and fund the next generation of founders.

In addition to training on many substantive topics, BBS Fellows will receive focused career coaching and financial advice tailored to young attorneys. The 2026 Fellows and BBS recently held their in-person retreat in BBS’ Oakland office, bringing the fellows together with seasoned legal professionals from the government, non-profit, and boutique law firm space.

“Every year, we are so impressed by the extraordinary law students who apply for the BBS fellowship. This year is no different, and we could not be happier about welcoming Khadia, Omega, Sterling, and Albert as our sixth fellowship class.” – Erin Bernstein, Co-Founder of Bradley Bernsein Sands LLP.

For press inquiries please contact Erin Bernstein (ebernstein@bradleybernstein.com).