Meet Cindy

I started at Justice’s Office of Consumer Protection Litigation through the Honors Program, after finishing a Fulbright scholarship in Windhoek, Namibia. Within my first five months as a Trial Attorney, I had the opportunity to serve as co-prosecutor in a three-week, three-defendant fraud trial in Florida. In this and other cases, I have responsibility and autonomy, but I am also supported by a knowledgeable, sincere, and kind group of coworkers and managers. This support, along with formal training, also extends to pro bono work. I appreciate the fact that Justice makes it easy for attorneys to take on pro bono cases by providing monthly opportunities and area-specific training sessions.

But the main appeal of working at Justice for me is the nature and importance of the litigation I have the opportunity to handle on behalf of the United States. The Office of Consumer Protection Litigation was particularly appealing to me because of its mission to protect consumers, and the wide variety of cases that are part of that mission. My day can go from learning about food-borne bacteria from an FDA expert, to filing a permanent injunction against a distributor of hazardous children’s products, to interviewing a victim witness about how they were defrauded through a business opportunity they purchased. These cases are not only meaningful, but also interesting; they implicate the items and issues of everyday life. I also enjoy the fact that my office handles both civil and criminal cases, offering experience in both types of litigation.

Few new attorneys have the opportunity to begin their career with this level of responsibility for cases with national importance – and I feel lucky to be one of them.