Courtney Forrest defends clients in white collar criminal cases, campus disciplinary matters, and civil litigation. She is keenly adept at breaking down highly complex factual and legal issues into clear and compelling case theories that are persuasive to judges, juries, and school administrators alike. She has prepared countless witnesses for depositions and interviews with administrative bodies and skillfully counsels clients about these processes, enabling them to navigate these stressful experiences with confidence and grace.
Since joining Kaiser PLLC in the spring of 2018, Courtney’s white collar defense practice has included representing a key witness in a high-profile federal criminal trial, representing defendants in federal courts in Maryland and the District of Columbia, and representing the head of a federal agency in connection with an Office of Inspector General review. In campus disciplinary proceedings, she has defended students and professors facing suspension, expulsion, or termination for alleged sexual misconduct. In one such matter, Courtney negotiated a highly favorable resolution in which no discipline was imposed on the student and no record of the proceeding will appear on his transcript. In another case, Courtney was able to leverage her civil litigation expertise to convince a school to grant her client’s appeal rather than face a federal lawsuit. Courtney has also successfully represented clients in high-stakes business disputes in federal and state courts.
Courtney’s passion for criminal defense work began during her two years as a paralegal with Boston’s Federal Defender Office immediately after her graduation from Harvard. She maintained close ties with the criminal defense community while in law school, where she was a member of the Juvenile Justice Clinic representing minors charged in delinquency proceedings, as well as while clerking for Judge Roger W. Titus in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, where she worked on a high-profile capital murder trial.
Her eight years of experience as a litigator at Covington & Burling LLP further armed her with a broad range of litigation skills that are highly valuable to the needs of Kaiser PLLC’s clients. While at Covington, she represented corporate clients in high-stakes intellectual property, white collar, antitrust, and insurance matters, and was recognized by Washington DC Super Lawyers as a “Rising Star” in 2017 and 2018 in Intellectual Property Law. She gained a wealth of experience in all aspects of civil litigation including drafting dispositive motions and post-trial briefs; preparing discovery requests and responses; and coordinating preparation of expert witness reports. She also maintained an active pro bono caseload, which involved handling criminal, immigration, and family law matters.
When she is not working on client matters, Courtney has three young children who keep her on her toes. She is currently a parent liaison for the Special Education PTA in Arlington, Virginia, and previously served on the Executive Board of her children’s cooperative preschool. She enjoys decorating birthday cakes and is an avid Buffalo Bills fan.
Courtney is licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the District of Columbia.