Following nine-year career with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, Grace returns to private practice as a litigation partner in Newark.
McCarter & English today announced the return of Desiree “Desi” Grace as a partner in the firm’s Newark office. She will start at the firm October 14. Most recently, Grace was the First Assistant United States Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey. Early in her legal career, Grace was a litigation associate in McCarter’s product liability and business litigation practices.
Grace brings more than ten years of experience as a federal prosecutor and judicial clerk, in addition to the strong litigation foundation she developed at McCarter. During her time at the U.S. Attorney’s office, she tried numerous cases to verdict, including several complex racketeering cases and matters involving healthcare fraud and wire fraud. Grace supervised thousands of additional cases, honing her ability to assess cases and develop strategy. In her new role at McCarter, Grace plans to handle a wide variety of litigation matters, including civil work and internal investigations.
From 2016 to 2025, she was at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey in various roles, first as an Assistant United States Attorney in both the Appeals Division and the Criminal Division. From August 2021 until December 2021, Grace served as Acting Chief of the Violent Crimes Unit, after which she was promoted to serve as the Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division, responsible for overseeing all narcotics, violent crime, and gang-related cases. She later began overseeing all matters involving economic crimes, cybercrimes, and national security. After more than three years as Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division, Grace was appointed Criminal Division Chief, where she supervised all criminal matters in the District. She then served as the First Assistant United States Attorney, before being selected in July 2025 by New Jersey’s federal judges to serve as New Jersey’s U.S. Attorney after Alina Habba’s interim term expired without Senate confirmation.
“It’s special to be returning home to McCarter, reuniting with old colleagues and friends, after ten eventful years away. I look forward to beginning this new chapter and applying my trial and litigation experience to our clients’ needs,” said Grace. “As I was evaluating the next step in my career, I felt drawn to the familiar collegiality McCarter offers, and its dominance as the leading firm in New Jersey.”
Grace started her career as a judicial clerk for the Honorable Stuart Rabner, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New Jersey, before spending two years as a litigation associate at McCarter. She went on to serve as a judicial clerk for the Honorable Morton I. Greenberg at the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
“Desi is an exceptional trial attorney who has dedicated her career to understanding the intricacies and nuance involved in building winning cases. We’re lucky to have her on our team and know that she will be a tremendous asset to our clients and the firm’s litigation practice,” said Geoffrey Rosamond, chair of McCarter’s Business Litigation group.
Grace received her JD from Seton Hall University School of Law magna cum laude and was a member of the Order of the Coif. She earned her BA in criminal justice with a minor in philosophy from the University of Maryland College Park, cum laude.
“We are thrilled to welcome Desi back to McCarter. We recognized her great talent as an associate with the firm at the outset of her career and have been proud to observe the skills and reputation she developed as a federal prosecutor and public servant. Her talent and commitment will only further strengthen our litigation practices,” said Joseph T. Boccassini, Firmwide Managing Partner of McCarter.