
Caroline L. Wolverton
Senior Counsel
Areas of Focus
- Administrative & Regulatory Litigation
- Health Care Litigation & Investigations
- Health Care Reimbursement
- Export Controls & Economic Sanctions
- Freedom of Information Act
- Complex Commercial Litigation
- Class Actions
- Federal District Court & Tribal Court Litigation
Caroline focuses on high-stakes litigation involving government regulation, including class actions based on federal regulatory schemes and administrative litigation under the Administrative Procedure Act. She draws on extensive litigation experience, from threshold motions through discovery to trial, in government and the private sector to represent clients in a range of complex civil matters.
Caroline previously served as a senior trial counsel in the Federal Programs Branch of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), Civil Division, where she litigated class actions and other civil cases of national significance involving regulatory, statutory, constitutional and other challenges on behalf of a diversity of federal agencies. These agencies included the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), Transportation, Education, Defense and State. She also provided counsel to multiple federal agencies on rulemakings, litigation risk and strategy.
Caroline has also served as associate general counsel at the National Gallery of Art, as an associate at another Washington, D.C. law firm, and as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Edward W. Nottingham in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado.
- Defending multiple consolidated consumer class actions based on alleged violation of federal regulations.
- Obtained favorable summary judgment rulings against Small Business Administration on behalf of performing arts businesses denied pandemic relief funds.
- Obtained favorable resolutions of multiple federal court challenges to Small Business Administration decisions denying applications of performing arts businesses and a veteran-owned restaurant for pandemic relief funds.
- Obtained summary judgment in favor of local government agency defendant in high-stakes tort action.
- Defended deposition of local government agency official that prompted voluntary dismissal of lawsuit.
- Defended deposition of high-level government official in challenge to municipal commercial real estate decision.
EducationJ.D., Harvard Law School, 1995
B.A., Harvard University, cum laude, 1991
J.D., Harvard Law School, 1995
B.A., Harvard University, cum laude, 1991
ClerkshipsU.S.D.C., District of Colorado
U.S.D.C., District of Colorado
Bar AdmissionsDistrict of Columbia
District of Columbia
- OFAC, Director’s Award for Partnership.
- DOJ, Meritorious Award and Civil Division Commendation Award.
- Senior trial counsel, Federal Programs Branch, United States Department of Justice (2014-2017)
- Associate general counsel, National Gallery of Art (2010-2011) (detail)
- Trial attorney, Federal Programs Branch, United States Department of Justice (1997-2005, 2008-2014)
- Judicial law clerk, the Honorable Edward W. Nottingham, United States District Court for the District of Colorado (1995-1997).



