States Attorney.

Vanessa Roberts Avery

Head Shot of Vanessa Roberts Avery – State’s Attorney for the District of Connecticut

Vanessa Roberts Avery – State’s Attorney for the District of Connecticut

New Haven Native, Vanessa Roberts Avery, has been named as the first Black woman to lead the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut. Attorney Vanessa R. Avery was sworn on as the 54th U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut on May 9, 2022, having her oath of office administered by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill. The nomination of U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery to be the Chief Federal Law Enforcement Official for the District of Connecticut was made by President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. on January 31, 2022. The United States Senate subsequently confirmed this nomination through Voice Vote on April 27, 2022. Vanessa Roberts Avery will serve as the United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut for four years, taking the place of Former U.S. Attorney John H. Durham, who previously resigned on February 28, 2021, at the request of President Joe Biden. Former Acting U.S. Attorney Leonard C. Boyle served in the position on an interim basis until the official appointment of the new U.S. Attorney Vanessa R. Avery.

Educational Background

U.S. Attorney Vanessa Avery is an alumna of Yale University, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1996. Straight out of university, U.S. Attorney Avery pursued law and attended the Georgetown University Law Center, receiving her Juris Doctorate in 1999. Born and raised in the Newhallville neighborhood, Top Federal Prosecutor Avery is a New Haven Public Schools graduate.

Legal Career of Attorney Vanessa Avery

Private Practice

A woman with profound experience and deep knowledge in the legal field, U.S. Attorney Vanessa Avery has handled private and government cases. She has spent over a decade representing corporate and individual clients at the trial and appellate court levels in business and financial litigation cases. Top Federal Prosecutor Avery’s legal career in the private sector emerged in August 1999, when she became a part of Cummings & Lockwood as a Litigation Associate in the Hartford Trial Group. She remained in this capacity for over two years, leaving in September 2003.

U.S. Department of Justice

Shifting to government service, Top Federal Prosecutor Vanessa Avery joined the United States Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. For almost two years, from March 2004 to December 2005, U.S. Attorney Avery remained dedicated as a Trial Attorney in the Commercial Litigation Branch of the Office’s Civil Division. In this capacity, Top Federal Prosecutor Avery directed and conducted trials and advised on the prosecution of human rights violations, among other matters. She has investigated and prosecuted cases in federal court, even handling complex legal issues. As Trial Attorney, Top Federal Prosecutor Avery has also advised and consulted with other law enforcement officials.

Private Practice

In January 2006, U.S. Attorney Avery returned to private practice as an Attorney in McCarter & English, LLP. She was assigned as a Business & Financial Services Litigation Associate. At the time, Top Federal Prosecutor Avery specialized in intellectual property, product liability, trust and probate cases, and business and financial litigation. After eight years and seven months of working in McCarter & English, LLP, U.S. Attorney Vanessa Avery pursued a career in the Office of the United States Attorney.

U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut

Beginning in July 2014, Top Federal Prosecutor Vanessa Avery dedicated her career to serving and protecting the residents of the District of Connecticut as an Assistant United States Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut. In this position, Top Federal Prosecutor Avery was assigned to prosecute a variety of complex civil fraud cases in which the United States or its constituents are plaintiffs or defendants, mostly involving affirmative civil rights, asset forfeiture, civil rights matters, cases involving Bivens, environmental violations, defensive tort, the False Claims Act, the Freedom of Information Act, habeas corpus, and medical malpractice matters. In addition to investigating and prosecuting cases, Top Federal Prosecutor Avery was also assigned to facilitate the Education Working Group of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. In this regard, United States Attorney Vanessa Avery worked in partnership with both federal and state agencies, along with established advocacy groups with a similar goal of addressing and preventing civil rights violations in an education setting. U.S. Attorney Avery collaborated with these entities and coordinated outreach programs and legal enforcement actions whenever necessary. Moreover, within her service in the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, U.S. Attorney Avery was called to serve on the Local Civil Rules Advisory Committee for the U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut. Top Federal Prosecutor Vanessa Roberts Avery remained in the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut for four years and seven months, until January 2019, before joining the Office of the Attorney General for the State of Connecticut.

Office of the Attorney General for the State of Connecticut

In the Office of the Attorney General for the State of Connecticut, U.S. Attorney Vanessa Avery was initially assigned as an Associate Attorney General for Enforcement, Litigation, and Investigations. During her first two years in the office, Top Federal Prosecutor Avery led the affirmative investigations and litigation on behalf of the State of Connecticut, particularly in the areas of antitrust, child protection, civil rights, consumer protection, energy, environment, finance, government program fraud, opioids, and privacy and cybersecurity. In February 2021, U.S. Attorney Vanessa Avery was appointed Chief of the Division of Enforcement and Public Protection of the Office of the Attorney General. Top Federal Prosecutor Avery is responsible for representing the Attorney General in the Connecticut Bar Association Policing Task Force in this position. On top of this, U.S. Attorney Avery faced the extra challenge of leading the COVID-19 Fraud Task Force. As such, she worked closely with the United States Attorney’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Chief State’s Attorney’s Office. Top Federal Prosecutor Avery ended her almost four years of service in the Office of the Attorney General for the State of Connecticut in April 2022, as she was nominated and confirmed by President Joe Biden and the U.S. Senate, respectively.

Pro bono Work and Memberships

U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery is a prosecutor with deep passion and commitment to striving for equal educational opportunity for all. In private practice, she served as a pro bono advocate for children and adults and non-profit organizations in a wide array of matters. Top Federal Prosecutor Avery’s service to the community stretches to holding several leadership positions in several other non-profit groups and boards within the State of Connecticut and Washington, D.C. Among her memberships include being a James W. Cooper Fellow of the Connecticut Bar Foundation since 2009 and being a member of the Professional Advisory Committee of the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.

Office Jurisdiction

As the Chief Federal Law Enforcement Official for the District of Connecticut, U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery prosecutes all the criminal and civil cases brought by the Federal government and defends the interests of the United States and its constituents in civil cases. Currently, the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut comprises approximately 68 Assistant U.S. Attorneys and 57 support personnel, divided amongst the offices in Bridgeport, Hartford, and New Haven.

Contact Details

Full Name: Vanessa Roberts Avery
District/State: Connecticut
Public email ID: N/A

New Haven Office – Headquarters

Connecticut Financial Center
157 Church Street
Floor 25
New Haven, CT 06510
(203) 821-3700
Main
(203) 773- 5376
Fax

Bridgeport Office

1000 Lafayette Blvd
10th Floor
Bridgeport, CT 06604
(203) 696-3000
Main
(203) 579-5575
Fax

Hartford Office

450 Main Street
Room 328
Hartford, CT 06103
(860) 947-1101
Main
(860) 760-7979
Fax

Media Inquiries

Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722
main
thomas.carson@usdoj.gov
E-mail Address

Social Media Profiles of Attorney Avery

LinkedIn

Username: Vanessa Roberts Avery
URL: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessa-roberts-avery-8b81406/

Facebook

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URL: https://www.facebook.com/usaoct

YouTube

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URL: https://www.youtube.com/usaoct

Twitter

Username: U.S. Attorney CT
Tag: @USAO_CT
URL: https://twitter.com/USAO_CT

Personal Twitter Account
Username: U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery
Tag: @USAttyAvery
URL: https://twitter.com/usattyavery

Updated: May 19, 2023

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