Vanessa Roberts Avery, the former United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, has returned to McCarter & English joining the firm’s Business Litigation and Government Investigations & White Collar Defense teams. Avery’s multifaceted experience gained from high-level public service appointments, coupled with her private sector background, brings a unique skillset that will benefit clients in complex civil litigation, government investigations, and white-collar defense matters. Early in her legal career, Avery was a litigation associate at McCarter for eight years.
“I am excited to return to McCarter and my business litigation roots,” Avery said. “After careful consideration of my options in the public and private sectors, McCarter & English quickly rose to the top. The longstanding culture of collaboration at the firm and the great people, who are also outstanding attorneys, make McCarter the perfect match for my practice. Also, as businesses increasingly require legal advice and strategies with local, regional, and national implications, McCarter is well-situated to deliver.”
Avery’s litigation work will be varied and multifaceted, aiding clients across myriad industries in business, criminal, and civil litigation matters, including trial and appellate work. She will also defend clients against government enforcement actions such as False Claims Act investigations, and matters involving corporate compliance and responsibility, which she believes will continue to be an area in high demand for the foreseeable future.
“We are thrilled to have Vanessa back at the firm,” said Moy Ogilvie, Hartford Office Managing partner. “We are excited to work with her and to have her as an integral part of our team again. Our clients will benefit from the vast knowledge and experience she brings from her years of government service and leadership.”
“We were so proud when Vanessa was nominated by President Biden to serve the people of Connecticut as its first African-American female U.S. Attorney, and are so happy she chose to come back to McCarter’s growing Hartford office,” said Joseph Boccassini, the firm’s Managing Partner.
During her tenure as U.S. Attorney for Connecticut, Avery exercised broad discretion and decision-making authority in a wide variety of challenging criminal and civil matters. She prosecuted cases related to violent crime and narcotics, child exploitation, human trafficking, environmental crimes, financial fraud, public corruption, cybercrime, and national security issues. Avery also spearheaded civil rights enforcement and hate crime prevention across the state, advocating for community engagement as a key precursor to crime prevention and societal prosperity. She championed and participated in the Office’s HEAT and Fed-Up programs, the Department of Justice’s United Against Hate program, and a series of public service announcements with the FBI, DEA, Connecticut State Police, and other U.S. Attorney’s Offices regarding cybercrime, counterfeit pills, human trafficking, and elder fraud.
Prior to serving as the U.S. Attorney, Avery was the Associate Attorney General and Chief of the Division of Enforcement and Public Protection at the Connecticut Office of the Attorney General. She served five years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Civil Division for the District of Connecticut and two years as a Trial Attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice in the Commercial Litigation Branch of the Civil Division in Washington, D.C. She began her legal career at Cummings & Lockwood LLC.
Avery received her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, and her B.A. from Yale University.