Biography
Prior to his appointment to the federal bench, Hector Gonzalez was a partner at Dechert LLP and was the chair of the firm’s global litigation group. His practice focused on complex commercial, securities and white-collar litigation, and investigations before regulatory bodies. He was a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers.
Judge Gonzalez previously was an Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, where he served as Chief of the Narcotics Unit. He also served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. Throughout his career, he has been involved with several nonprofit legal organizations and has served on a volunteer basis in various governmental roles. For example, for more than 15 years, he was an active board member, including serving as chair, of the New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, a nonprofit civil rights organization that focuses on health justice, disability rights, and environmental justice. Judge Gonzalez also served for six years (including four years as chair) on the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board, an independent city agency responsible for adjudicating misconduct complaints against New York City police officers.
Judge Gonzalez received his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he was a member of the Law Review, and his B.S. from Manhattan College. He also received an M.A. from the City University of New York. Judge Gonzalez was a Fulbright Scholar in Guatemala City, Guatemala, where he taught trial advocacy at the University of San Carlos.