Vanessa Waldref

Vanessa Waldref, former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, is a trial lawyer who fights for people who have been injured or treated unfairly, and holds powerful corporations and institutions accountable when they cause harm. A partner and founding member of Singleton Schreiber's Washington office, she represents survivors of sexual abuse and victims of institutional misconduct, along with clients in wildfire litigation, catastrophic personal injury, and environmental and toxic-exposure cases. Standing with victims directly — and giving voice to those who have been harmed — is at the heart of her practice.

For more than a decade, Ms. Waldref's work has centered on a single principle: when those with power cut corners and endanger the public, someone has to hold them accountable. As U.S. Attorney — the first woman to serve in the role for the Eastern District of Washington, nominated by the President and unanimously confirmed by the Senate — she pursued that accountability on behalf of the public. Today, she is proud to represent victims directly, and to seek compensation and justice for the people who were wronged: survivors of sexual abuse in detention facilities and other institutions, families who lost homes to preventable wildfires, workers and communities exposed to toxic substances, and individuals injured by negligence and misconduct.

Ms. Waldref is a nationally recognized leader in environmental enforcement and public-health protection. As U.S. Attorney, she was tasked by the Attorney General to lead national environmental enforcement efforts and built the Eastern Washington Environmental Task Force, bringing together partners from every level of government to focus resources on the repeat bad actors causing the greatest harm to community health and safety. Her command of complex environmental enforcement is a significant asset in cases involving toxic exposure and worker and public safety.

As U.S. Attorney, Ms. Waldref delivered concrete results for Washington residents and built partnerships among federal, state, local, and Tribal law enforcement to make communities safer. A leader on Native American issues and a champion for fraud-fighting efforts, she worked closely with Tribal Nations to protect treaty rights and address the crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP), and led a team that recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for taxpayers under the False Claims Act.

Before her appointment, Ms. Waldref served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington and as a Trial Attorney in the Department of Justice's Environment and Natural Resources Division, and worked in private practice in Spokane and Washington, D.C., representing Tribes, companies, labor unions, and individuals in employment, trade secret, and other high-stakes litigation. She brings first-hand experience representing whistleblowers and negotiating at the highest levels of the Department of Justice, and continues her commitment to civil rights as Board President of Human Rights Spokane. A Distinguished Visiting Assistant Professor of Law at Gonzaga University School of Law, she is passionate about mentoring the next generation of attorneys and teaches Environmental Law, Labor & Employment Law, and Conflict of Laws.

Ms. Waldref received her B.A. from Georgetown University and her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, after which she clerked for the Honorable John D. Bates on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. A proud Spokanite, she loves raising her family in her hometown and spending time outdoors with her husband and two kids, who share her joy of reading, thrift-store shopping, and building Lego.

Professional Awards and Commendations

YWCA Women of Achievement Award, Government & Public Service (2024)

Justice Mary Fairhurst Passing the Torch Award, Washington Women Lawyers (2023)

Certificate of Appreciation from Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General for Exemplary Collaboration and Performance in Addressing COVID Fraud (2023)

Women of the Year, Spokesman Review (2021)

Myra Bradwell Award, Gonzaga University Law School (2021)

Gonzaga University Public Interest Law Project Hero of the Year (2018)

Environmental Protection Agency Office of General Counsel Bronze Medal (2014)

Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Outstanding Achievement Award (2010)

Affiliations

WSAJ – Washington Association for Justice.

TAF Coalition - The Anti-Fraud Coalition 

AAJ – American Association of Justice

LSO - Leadership Spokane Organization

Membership

Washington Women Lawyers

Spokane County Bar Association

News

"The Alien Tort Statute After Sosa: A Viable Tool in the Campaign to End Child Labor?", 31 Berkeley J. Empl. & Lab. L.160 (2010)

"Reagan's National Labor Relations Board: An Incomplete Revolution", 16 Geo. J. Poverty L. & Pol'y 285 (2008)

Speaking Engagements

Press Releases

Blog Posts