Former District Judge Katherine Forrester Rejoins Cravath

NEW YORK, September 12, 2018 – Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP is pleased to announce that Katherine B. Forrest, former Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Antitrust Division of the United States Department of Justice and U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York, has rejoined the Firm as a partner.

Prior to entering public service, Judge Forrest spent 20 years as a litigator at Cravath, where she had a broad practice representing clients in a variety of matters, particularly in the areas of antitrust, intellectual property, general commercial and digital media.  In 2010, she was named Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division of the DOJ, where she oversaw operations for criminal and civil enforcement.

In 2011, Judge Forrest was nominated by President Obama to serve as a U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York. In her seven years on the bench, Judge Forrest presided over several thousand cases, including more than 100 complex and high-profile trials. She has authored more than 1,000 opinions, and sat by designation on the Second Circuit for over three dozen appeals. Before stepping down from the bench, Judge Forrest also served on the Grievance Committee for the Southern District since 2011 and as Chair of the Committee since 2016.

“It has been an incredible privilege to serve as a member of the federal judiciary and to have served our justice system,” said Judge Forrest. “I am thrilled to be coming home to begin the next phase of my career at Cravath, where I was trained and will have the opportunity to continue making a difference in the courtroom alongside a tremendous team.”

Faiza J. Saeed, Cravath’s Presiding Partner, said, “Katherine brings a depth of experience and perspective from her time at the DOJ and as a federal judge that will be invaluable to clients navigating regulatory challenges, investigations and complex litigation. Having practiced with Katherine for nearly two decades at the Firm, we are delighted to welcome her back to Cravath.”

While at Cravath, Judge Forrest was appointed to and served on the New York State Appellate Division First Department’s Disciplinary Committee from 2008 to 2010.  Among other memberships, she also held prior positions on the Board of Directors for The Fund for Modern Courts; the Board of Directors and the Steering Committee for the International Senior Lawyers Project; the Board of Directors for the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law; and the Advisory Board for The Urban Assembly School for Law & Justice/Adams Street Foundation.

Judge Forrest was born in New York, New York. She received a B.A. with honors from Wesleyan University in 1986, and a J.D. from New York University School of Law in 1990, where she is now an Adjunct Professor of Law co-teaching a course on Quantitative Methods and the Law. Judge Forrest first joined Cravath in 1990 and became a partner in 1998.  

Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP was founded in 1819 and is widely recognized as one of the world’s premier law firms. The Firm has 534 lawyers in New York City and London.