Cynthia Coe is a civil rights attorney and litigator with decades of public and private sector legal experience.

As a Deputy Chief and Trial Attorney at the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, she worked with community leaders, advocacy organizations, law enforcement agencies, and local governments. She was chosen to lead high-profile civil rights investigations of law enforcement agencies accused of discrimination, excessive force, and First Amendment violations. She also used negotiation and litigation to enforce compliance with federal law enforcement consent decrees, often managing teams of attorneys, paralegals, and investigators. Ms. Coe received numerous commendations for her work, including Assistant Attorney General Distinguished Service Awards.

Before joining DOJ, Ms. Coe was a partner at a major San Francisco law firm specializing in commercial litigation. In that role, she developed complex legal strategies to support client goals. She also handled complex cases at every stage, including drafting pleadings, writing and arguing dispositive motions, and taking and defending dozens of lay and expert depositions.

Ms. Coe clerked in the Southern District of California for the Honorable Earl B. Gilliam. She received her JD from Yale School and her BS from Arizona State University. She is admitted in California, Maryland, and the District of Columbia.