Former US Attorney for Connecticut Vanessa Roberts Avery has returned to McCarter & English’s Hartford office, where she will focus on complex civil litigation, government investigations, and white-collar defense matters. With experience in both the public and private sectors, Vanessa most recently served as Connecticut’s top federal prosecutor after being nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as US Attorney in 2022. Vanessa, who was a litigation associate at the firm earlier in her career, spoke with the Hartford Business Journal about the transition and said, “I am excited to return to McCarter and my business litigation roots. After careful consideration of my options in the public and private sectors, McCarter & English quickly rose to the top.”
As the first African-American US Attorney for Connecticut, Vanessa has earned a reputation for exercising broad discretion and decision-making authority in a wide variety of challenging criminal and civil matters. She has prosecuted cases related to violent crime and narcotics, child exploitation, human trafficking, environmental crimes, financial fraud, public corruption, cybercrime and national security. Additionally, she spearheaded civil rights enforcement and hate crime prevention, while advocating for community engagement as a “precursor to crime prevention and societal prosperity.”
Hartford Office Managing Partner Moy Ogilvie shared excitement over Vanessa’s return and said, “We are excited to work with her and to have her as an integral part of our team again.”