Justin Heather

Justin Heather, Partner

Justin Heather represents clients both large and small. He has extensive experience in domestic and cross-border litigation, domestic and international arbitration, internal and government investigations, as well as a host of commercial and transactional matters ranging from due diligence and transactions to contract negotiation and corporate advisory services. He has represented clients in a wide range of matters, including: intellectual property, mergers and acquisitions, international gas and energy issues, complex commercial contracts, securities law, bankruptcy, franchise law, consumer fraud, and Lanham Act issues. Justin previously worked for Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP for more than a decade and has several years of experience in boutique environments. Justin currently serves as General Counsel & Ethics Officer for the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity.

Justin also devotes a substantial amount of time to pro bono cases, including, among others, successfully representing an inmate housed on death row in Mississippi in federal habeas corpus proceedings. He also created and served as the Senior Advisor for Serving Our Seniors, a national pro bono program providing estate planning services to low-income senior.

Justin has substantial leadership experience. Justin currently serves as President of the Dartmouth Class of 1996 and previously as the Reunion Chair for the class’ 20th Reunion. He has also head numerous other positions, including being a member of the Chicago Bar Association Board of Managers, as Features Editor for the CBA Record, and as Content Manager for the ABA Section of Litigation Young Advocates Committee, Chair of the Chicago Bar Association Young Lawyers Section, and is the ex officio Chair of the Public Interest Law Initiative Alumni Leadership Council. Justin has also held a variety of leadership posts with the ABA Young Lawyers Division, The Chicago Bar Foundation, the ISBA Young Lawyers Division, and the Young Professionals Board of the Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago.

EDUCATION

  • J.D. (cum laude), Northwestern University School of Law
  • A.B., Darthmouth College

ADMISSIONS

  • State of Illinois
  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Circuit Courts of Appeals
  • Northern and Southern Districts of Illinois

Justin is a frequent speaker and author and the recipient of several awards, including:

  • Speaker, “International Commercial Arbitration,” CBA CLE in Rome, Italy, March 10, 2011.
  • Co-Author, “Into the Hot Tub . . . A Practical Guide to Alternative Witness Procedures in International Arbitration,” The International Lawyer, Vol. 44, No. 3 (Fall 2010).
  • “Daniels v. Corrigan: Compliance With The Law Does Not Establish Agency,” 97 Ill. B.J. 580 (Nov. 2009).
  • “Weapons of War in Colonial America: ‘The Origins of a National Gun Culture,’” 19 J.L. & Pol. 53 (Winter 2003).
  • Co-Author, “Counting Guns in Early America,” 43 Wm. & Mary L. Rev. 1777 (Apr. 2002).
  • “Liability for Direct-to-Consumer Advertising and Drug Information on the Internet,” 68 Def. Couns. J. 412 (Oct. 2001).2013 Scott C. Solberg Pro Bono Award.
  • 2011 Public Interest Law Initiative Distinguished Alumni Fellow Award.
  • 40 Illinois Lawyers Under 40.
  • 2009-10 National Outstanding Young Lawyer Award
  • Illinois Young Lawyer of the Year Award.
  • The Maurice Weigle Exceptional Young Lawyer Award.

Any testimonial or endorsement on this profile does not constitute a guarantee, warranty, or prediction regarding the outcome of your legal matter. Previous results do not guarantee a similar outcome.