About Nancy Gertner

Nancy Gertner is a former federal trial judge who has dedicated her legal career, both as a judge and litigator, to standing up for civil liberties, women’s rights, and justice for all. President Clinton appointed Gertner to serve as a U.S. District Judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts in 1994, and she served in that capacity until 2011. Since her retirement from the bench, Gertner has taught at Harvard Law School as a Professor of Practice.

Named one of “The Most Influential Lawyers of the Past 25 Years” by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, Gertner has enjoyed a distinguished career, which began when she founded Silverglate & Gertner in 1973, and continued when she joined Dwyer, Collora & Gertner LLP in 1990. As a trial lawyer, Gertner earned a reputation as a talented, fearless and effective advocate who defended high-stakes criminal cases and litigated ground-breaking civil matters.

Gertner has written extensively, including her memoir, In Defense of Women, and a legal treatise, The Law of Juries, which she co-authored with Judith Mizner. Gertner has spoken around the world, is frequently quoted in the national and local media, and has received countless awards, including the ABA’s Thurgood Marshall Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions in the legal profession to the advancement of civil rights and civil liberties in the United States.

Raised in Flushing, New York, Gertner graduated from Barnard College with a B.A. in Political Science. She went on to earn both a M.A. in Political Science as well as a J.D. from Yale Law School. After graduating, she served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Luther Swygert of the United States Appeals Court for the Seventh Circuit.

While serving as a federal judge, Gertner was also an instructor at Yale Law School, where she taught a seminar on federal sentencing law. In that role, Gertner mentored both William Fick and Daniel Marx, the founding partners of Fick & Marx LLP. In addition, Gertner is a mediator and arbitrator with Resolutions, LLC in Boston and of counsel to Neufeld, Scheck & Brustin, LLP in New York.