Vanessa R. Waldref
Office of the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington welcomes a new presidentially appointed United States Attorney. On October 7, 2021, Vanessa R. Waldref took a seat as the Chief Federal Law Enforcement Official for the Eastern District of Washington. U.S. Attorney Waldref was sworn in on Thursday afternoon by Chief United States District Judge Stanley A. Bastian. She was previously nominated by President Joseph Biden on July 26, 2021, and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on September 30, 2021, following the resignation of former U.S. Attorney William D. Hyslop. Attorney Joseph H. Harrington served as the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington prior to the appointment of Top Federal Prosecutor Waldref . A Spokane native, U.S. Attorney Vanessa R. Waldref is the first woman to hold the highest position in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington.
Table of Contents
- Educational Background and Early Professional Career
- Bar Admissions
- Court Admissions
- Bar Associations
- Memberships
- Legal Legal of Attorney Vanessa Waldref
- Legal Internships and Clerkships
- Legal Career – Private Practice
- Legal Career – Department of Justice
- 10 Most Significant Litigated Matters Handled by Attorney Vanessa R. Waldref
- Organizations and Teaching Background
- Honors and Awards
- Office Jurisdiction
- Published Writings by Attorney Vanessa Waldref
- Contact Details
- Spokane Main Office
- Yakima Branch Office
- Social Media Profiles of Attorney Vanessa Waldref
Educational Background and Early Professional Career
U.S. Attorney Vanessa Waldref earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Georgetown University, graduating in May of 2002. Prior to attending law school, she worked as a Community Organizer and Advocate in the Welfare Rights Organizing Coalition for a year, from August 2002 to August 2003. After that, U.S. Attorney Waldref served as a Project Assistant in the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, INC (Clinic) for two years, until August 2005. She then attended law school at the Georgetown University Law Center, where she received her Juris Doctorate in May 2008.
Bar Admissions
- Washington, December 2011. No lapses in membership.
- District of Columbia, September 2009. No lapses in membership.
- Virginia, October 2008 – July 2011, August 2017 – Present
Court Admissions
- United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (December 2013)
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington (June 2012)
- United States District Court for the District of New Mexico (March 2021)
Attorney Waldref also received permission to practice in the following U.S. courts without the requirement to be admitted:
- United States District Court for the District of Columbia
- United States District Court for the Northern District of California
- United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
- United States District Court for the District of South Carolina
Bar Associations
- Washington Women Lawyers
– State Board Member, Newspaper Editor (November 2012 – October 2014)
– Spokane County Chapter Board Member (Membership Coordinator, Liaison to State Board, At-Large, November 2012 – October 2020) - Washington State Bar Association (Member, 2011 – Present)
– Young Lawyer Division Mentor (2018 – Present)
– Employment Law Section Young Lawyer Representative (2012 – 2013) - American Intellectual Property Law Association (“AIPLA”)
Trade Secret Subcommittee (2012 – 2013) - Spokane County Bar Association
- American Bar Association
Memberships
- Washington Women Lawyers (2012 – Present)
- Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest, Support Coordinator for Spokane Jesuit Volunteer Community (August 2012 – July 2020)
Legal Legal of Attorney Vanessa Waldref
Legal Internships and Clerkships
During her law school years, U.S. Attorney Waldref managed to be accepted as a Law Clerk and Peggy Browning Fellow at the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME). She also served a short stint at the American Federation of LabLabor-Congress Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) as a Labor Scholar Coordinator Internship. In 2007, U.S. Attorney Vanessa Waldref became a Summer Associate at the Morrison & Foerster, LLP. She then spent the first half of 2008 as a Law Clerk at the Bredhoff & Kaiser, PLLC, and the latter half as a Research Assistant and Writing Fellow in the Georgetown University Law Center.
Legal Career – Private Practice
Officially launching her legal career in 2008, Top Federal Prosecutor Waldref worked in private practice and reunited with Morrison & Foerster, LLP, as an Associate Attorney. In this capacity, she served as a general litigation associate, working with the appellate group, global privacy & data security group, and labor & employment group. Within the next two years, from October 2008 to September 2010, she practiced in state and federal courts in Virginia and Washington, D.C.
Shifting to government service, U.S. Attorney Vanessa Waldref became a part of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia as a Federal Clerk to The Honorable John D. Bates. After a year, Top Federal Prosecutor Waldref moved back to her hometown of Spokane and once again served in private practice. In October 2011, she became an Associate Attorney at the Lukins & Annis, PS, where she focused on general litigation and labor & employment law. After another year, in June 2012, U.S. Attorney Waldref joined the Lee & Hayes PLLC as an Associate Attorney working on commercial litigation practice. In this position, she was able to arbitrate two cases, including a two-week trial wherein she presented the opening argument and examined witnesses and experts for the case. Throughout her stay in Spokane and private practice, U.S. Attorney Vanessa Waldref practiced in state and federal courts in Washington, D.C.
Legal Career – Department of Justice
Beginning her extensive career in the Office of the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington in June 2013, Top Federal Prosecutor Waldref was initially appointed as an Assistant U.S. Attorney. In the next seven years, she focused on practicing law in the federal courts in Washington, D.C., where she prosecuted cases and defended the United States and its agencies in matters including employment discrimination, environmental disputes, and tort. Moreover, within her service in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, U.S. Attorney Vanessa Waldref was able to develop expertise in the investigation and prosecution of fraud, in which she recovered government money and imposed penalties for violations of environmental laws, federal health, and safety. With her increased knowledge and proficiency in environmental law, U.S. Attorney Waldref transitioned within the Department of Justice and into the Environmental & Natural Resource Division, where she served as a Trial Attorney in the Environmental Defense Section. In this capacity, she litigated cases involving pollution control statutes, such as Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act, within the United States.
10 Most Significant Litigated Matters Handled by Attorney Vanessa R. Waldref
- Savage ex. rel. United States v. Washington Closure Hanford et al. (2013 – 2018)
- United States of America v. Zacherle (2015 – 2017)
- Alliance for the Wild Rockies v. Pena (2016 – 2018)
- Gordon v. United States of America (2015 – 2018)
- Alliance for the Wild Rockies v. U.S. Forest Service and Fish & Wildlife Service (2019 – 2021)
- Zirkle Fruit Company v. United States Department of Labor et al. (2019 – 2020)
- Community Association for Restoration of the Environment v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2013-2014)
- Kachess Community Association et al. v. U.S. Department of the Interior et al. (2019-2020)
- Olivera et al. v. United States (2017 – 2019)
- United States of America ex rel. Salina Savage et al. v. CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation Company et al. (2013-2020)
Further details regarding the above litigations may be found in the public questionnaire accessible here.
Organizations and Teaching Background
While serving as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Office of the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, Top Federal Prosecutor Waldref served as a Board Member of the Spokane Chapter of the Washington Women Lawyers for eight consecutive years, from November 2012 to October 2020. In addition to this, U.S. Attorney Waldref taught several Gonzaga University School of Law courses as an Adjunct Professor for over five years, beginning in January 2015.
Honors and Awards
- Myra Bradwell Award, Gonzaga University Women’s Law Caucus, 2021
- Gonzaga University Public Interest Law Project Hero of the Year, 2018
- Recognition of Distinguished Achievement, Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General, 2017
- Bronze Medal, Environmental Protection Agency Office of General Counsel, 2014
- Outstanding Achievement Award, Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, 2010
- Order of the Coif, Georgetown University Law Center, 2008
- Senior Writing Fellow, 2007 – 2008
- Writing Program Director, Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law & Policy, 2007 – 2008
- Legal Research and Writing Fellow, 2006 – 2007
- Peggy Browning Fund Labor Law Summer Fellowship, 2006
- Home Court Fellow, Georgetown University Law Center & Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, 2006
- Phi Beta Kappa, 2002
- Alpha Sigma Nu, 2002
- Alpha Kappa Delta Sociology Honor Society, 2002
- Lena Landegger Community Service Award, Georgetown University, 2002
- Coakley Medal, Georgetown University, 2002
- Hoggson Award for Excellence in Sociology, Georgetown University, 2002
- John Carroll Scholar, Georgetown University, 1998 – 2002
U.S. Attorney Vanessa Waldref is a seasoned prosecutor known for her exceptional work in the legal field. In 2010, she received the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights. She was also awarded a Bronze Medal by the Environmental Protection Agency Office of General Counsel in 2014; the Recognition of Distinguished Achievement by the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General in 2017; and the Myra Bradwell Award by the Gonzaga University Women’s Law Caucus in 2021. Top Federal Prosecutor Waldref was also named the Gonzaga University Public Interest Law Project Hero of the Year in 2018. United States Attorney Waldref’s excellence in her professional career is also rooted in her academic accomplishments. She has earned several honors throughout her academic career, including being granted a John Carroll scholarship by Georgetown University from 1998 to 2002. U.S. Attorney Vanessa Waldref has also received numerous awards, including the Hoggson Award for Excellence in Sociology, the Lena Landegger Community Service Award, and the Coakley Medal, all in 2002. During her law school years, she has been granted the Home Court Fellowship in the Georgetown University Law Center & Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless in 2006; the Peggy Browning Fund Labor Law Summer Fellowship in 2006; the Legal Research and Writing Fellow from 2006 to 2007; and the Senior Writing Fellowship from 2007 to 2008. In addition, U.S. Attorney Waldref was named the Writing Program Director of the Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law & Policy from 2007 to 2008 and received Order of the Coif from the Georgetown University Law Center in 2008.
Office Jurisdiction
For the duration of her term, U.S. Attorney Vanessa R. Waldref will be representing the federal government in virtually all litigation involving the United States, particularly in cases in the Eastern District of Washington. This covers all criminal prosecutions for violations of federal law, civil lawsuits by and against the government, and actions to collect judgments and restitution on behalf of victims and taxpayers. Top Federal Prosecutor Waldref leads attorneys and personnel to represent the residents of the Eastern District of Washington.
Published Writings by Attorney Vanessa Waldref
- EEOC Lists Employer Best Practices for Supporting Caregiver Employees, Morrison & Foerster Employment Law Commentary (May 2009); Republished at ABA Business Law Section Newsletter: Corporate Counsel Committee (July 2009)
- Nevada Requires Encryption of Personal Information in Transit and in Storage on Portable Devices, 14 No. 8 CYBERSPACE LAW 28 (Sept. 2009)
- Reagan’s National Labor Relations Board: An Incomplete Revolution, 15 GEO. J. POVERTY L. & POL’Y 285 (2008)
- Sweeping New Whistleblower Law May Cover All Employers Who Receive Stimulus Funds, JD SUPRA LLC (Feb. 2009) (with Daniel P. Westman)
- The Alien Tort Statute After Sosa: A Viable Tool in the Campaign to End Child Labor? 31 BERKELEY J. EMPL. & LAB. L.160 (2010)
- The Student’s Role in Community-Based Research, 9 MICHIGAN J. OF COMMUN. SERVICE LEARNING 36 (Spring 2003) (with Jason Willis, Jennifer Peresie & Deirdra Stockmann)
- WASHINGTON’S CIVIL PROCEDURE DESKBOOK, Chapter 55, Default and Judgment (WSBA 3d Ed. 2014)
- What do Georgetown and Kathie Lee Gifford Have in Common? THE HOYA, October 5, 1999 (with Laura McSpedon)
Contact Details
Full Name: Vanessa R. Waldref
District/State: Eastern District of Washington
Public email ID: [email protected]
Spokane Main Office
United States Attorney’s Office
920 W Riverside Ave
Suite 340 / P.O. Box 1494
Spokane, WA 99201
(509) 353-2767
Main
(509) 835-6397
Fax
Yakima Branch Office
United States Attorney’s Office
402 E Yakima Ave, Suite 210
Yakima, WA 98901
(509) 454-4425
Main
(509) 249-3297
Fax
Social Media Profiles of Attorney Vanessa Waldref
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YouTube
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Username: U.S. Attorney EDWA
Tag: @USAO_EDWA
URL: https://twitter.com/usao_edwa
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Username: U.S. Attorney Waldref
Tag: @USAttyWaldref
URL: https://twitter.com/usattywaldref
Updated: February 22, 2022