Heather applies her experience in the areas of complex business and commercial litigation to represent a variety of clients. Her practice includes the representation of corporations and individuals in corporate contractual and partnership disputes, customs, imports, and trade matters, real estate and leasing issues, and litigation related to leases and guaranties, bankruptcy adversary proceedings, commercial transactions and disputes, and issues of employment law and benefits. Heather is vice-chair of the firm’s Customs, Imports and Trade Remedies practice. Based in Minneapolis, the practice is one of the only full-service trade practices based outside coastal hubs. She also serves as the co-managing partner of the Minneapolis office.
Heather handles contract disputes, commercial and private loan disputes, business liquidation priority issues, lease obligations, receivership appointments, real estate transactions, insurance claims, import-export contracts and litigation, and employment and labor disputes. Further, Heather's experience in bankruptcy litigation includes years of representing both debtors and creditors in significant adversary disputes and work-outs, including clawback litigation both in Minnesota and other states.
Heather advises both domestic and international clients on strategies for foreign-based manufacture, importation, and distribution of goods and how to safeguard against anti-competitive trade barriers, regulatory systems, and trade remedies. She represents clients in matters before U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Department of Commerce, the International Trade Administration, and the U.S. Trade Representative. Cozen O’Connor’s Customs, Imports, and Trade Remedies lawyers also represent the interests of clients before the United States District Courts, the U.S. Court of International Trade, and the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
Heather is involved in all aspects of litigation, from initial pleadings through discovery, motion practice, negotiated resolution, trial, and any necessary appeals. Her extensive litigation experience gives her perspective on how best to achieve her clients’ goals in a cost-effective and positive manner, in even the most competitive of business environments. Having obtained significant appellate victories, she can also provide clients with the insight and excellence to understand how to protect their significant legal victories. She has authored numerous articles detailing both litigation mechanics and emerging issues in litigation involving business clients and frequently leads seminars for human resource professionals in regard to cutting-edge human resources developments.
Heather has been recognized in Minnesota and nationwide for her legal experience. She was recently named to the 2023 Minnesota Lawyer Magazine "Top Women in Law" list based on her leadership, professionalism, accomplishments, and passion for making a difference. In 2021, The American Lawyer named her to its inaugural Midwest Trailblazer list. The trailblazers are agents of change who have moved the needle at their respective firms, making significant marks on practice, policy, and technological advancements in their areas of legal practice.
She has been previously recognized by Minnesota Law & Politics as one of its Rising Stars and by Minneapolis/St. Paul Magazine as one of the Top Women Attorneys in Minnesota. For her pro bono work, she has been consistently recognized since 2016 with a North Star Lawyer distinction from the Minnesota State Bar, for providing more than 50 hours of pro bono legal service annually to the community.
Heather is a graduate of Gustavus Adolphus College (B.A, 1999) and Georgetown University Law Center (J.D., 2002). She is also currently an adjunct professor at the University of St. Thomas Law School, where she teaches the bankruptcy litigation clinic.