Heather Hodges

Heather L. Hodges recently joined Neighborhood Legal Services Program as the new Pro Bono Counsel after over a decade in private practice with the law firms of White & Case LLP, Arnold & Porter LLP and Crowell & Moring LLP. She is also the recipient of a 2010-2011 Women's Law and Public Policy Fellowship from Georgetown Law School which is awarded annually to public interest lawyers who are committed to advancing women's rights throughout their careers.

Heather is an alumni of Tulane Law School with substantial experience in all aspects of civil litigation at both the trial and appellate level. She also serves on the Board of Directors of CentroNía (an education and family services provider in Columbia Heights), the D.C. Bilingual Public Charter School and the Women’s Bar Association of The District of Columbia (“WBA”). Heather is also involved with GirlsRock DC!, a summer music and arts camp for girls. She was recognized for her commitment to public service in 2006 when she received a District of Columbia Mayor's Community Service Award.

Throughout her legal career, Heather has had an extremely active, pro bono practice focused on affordable housing, immigration and international human rights issues including:

  • serving as member of team responsible for researching and drafting a Joint Submission to the United Nations Ninth Session of Universal Periodic Review Working Group on behalf of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and a coalition of civil rights groups. The report analyzed U.S. compliance with two key, international human rights treaties.
  • representing the victims of a five-alarm fire as counsel to the 3145 Mt. Pleasant Street Tenants' Association. She has also successfully defended low-income tenants in eviction actions and participated in rulemaking activity before the Office of Administrative Hearings regarding the procedural rules governing the litigation of rental housing cases.
  • regular visits to local detention centers to interview immigration detainees as a volunteer with the Capitol Area Immigrants Rights Coalition and serving as legal counsel to new detainees during their “credible fear” interviews.

Heather is also very active at the national and local level in advocating for increased diversity in the legal profession and improved, educational opportunities for low-income, minority children. Her advocacy includes the following:

  • serving as member of the Board of Directors of both the District of Columbia Bilingual Public Charter School and CentroNía, an education and family services provider, which together serve more than 600 infants, children, youth, and families in the District of Columbia. Her advocacy on behalf of these institutions has included political lobbying efforts and media appearances.
  • serving as Board Liaison to the Policy Council for CentroNía’s Early Head Start Program in Langley Park, Maryland.
  • election to the WBA Board of Directors. She also serves as a member of the WBA's Initiative Task Force on the Retention and Development of Women Attorneys and in 2008 she was a member of the planning committee for a city-wide survey and summit on the advancement and retention of female minority attorneys of color, Creating Pathways to Success for All.
  • serving as a member of two new national, task forces established by the Center for Women in Law at the University of Texas School of Law. The first task force is focused on developing programming and research on issues relating to diverse, women lawyers. The second works on law school student and pipeline issues.
  • representing the 144,000 members of the Young Lawyers Division of the American Bar Association as their liaison to the ABA Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession.
  • serving as a member of a WBA delegation that met with the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission's Office of Federal Compliance Working Group in 2010 to discuss barriers to equal employment opportunities for women in federal government.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

  • "Expert Issues Unique to Types of Expertise: Scientific Experts," ABA Section Of Litigation, Expert Witness Committee (forthcoming October 2010). Author: Heather Hodges.
  • "Fifty State Survey: Plaintiff's Medical Care and Treatment, Summary of District of Columbia Law," ABA Section Of Litigation, Product Liability Committee -- Pharmaceutical Subcommittee (forthcoming publication). Co-Authors: Barry M. Parsons, Heather Hodges, and Kathryn Almar.
  • "The Final Report of the Women's Bar Association of the District of Columbia, Initiative on Advancement and Retention of Women: Navigating the Corporate Matrix: Advancing Women in Corporate Law Departments." (May 20, 2010). Reporters' Committee: Heather L. Hodges.
  • "Three-year Strategic Plan for the Women's Bar Association of the District of Columbia." (May 18, 2010). Chair, WBA Strategic Planning Committee: Heather L. Hodges.
  • Lawyers Committee For Civil Rights Under Law: Joint Submission to the United Nations Ninth Session of Universal Periodic Review Working Group (April 18, 2010). Co-Author: Heather L. Hodges.
  • "Wyeth v. Levine: Limits on the Scope of FDA Preemption And Implications for Drug and Medical Device Manufacturers," BNA's Pharmaceutical Law & Industry Report (April 2009). Co-Authors: Karen A. Gibbs, Heather L. Hodges and Kristina M. Pisanelli.
  • "In Wake of Wyeth Pharma Decision, Congressional Democrats Introduce Bills to Nullify Supreme Court's Riegel Medical Device Preemption Ruling," Crowell & Moring Life Sciences & Torts Alert (March 6, 2009). Co-Authors: Karen A. Gibbs, Cathy L. Burgess, Heather L. Hodges and Kristina M. Pisanelli.
  • "California Appeals Court Ruling May Lead to Direct Liability for Pioneer Drug Manufacturers in Suits Involving Generic Products," The Federal Lawyer (February 2009). Co-Authors: Heather L. Hodges, Cathy L. Burgess and Karen A. Gibbs.
  • "Watching for Wyeth: High Court Decision Could Have Strong Implications for Medical Device Manufacturers," MX: Business Strategies for Medical Technology Executives (November 2008). Co-Authors: Karen A. Gibbs, Heather L. Hodges and Cathy L. Burgess.
  • "Inchoate Toxic Injury: Lessons For Defense Counsel," Product Liability Law360 (July 2008). Author: Heather L. Hodges.
  • The Final Report of the Women's Bar Association of the District of Columbia, Initiative on Advancement and Retention of Women: Creating Pathways to Success for All (May 15, 2008). Reporters' Committee: Heather L. Hodges.

RECENT PRESENTATIONS

  • "Practicing Law in the District of Columbia," Columbia University School of Law, New York (February 24, 2010). Panelist: Heather L. Hodges.
  • "North Korea: Refoulement and Refugees," City Bar of New York -- Asian Affairs Committee (February 24, 2010). Lecturer: Heather L. Hodges.
  • "Presentation and Self-Promotion," Ms. JD’s Third Annual Conference on Women in Law (November 20, 2009). Faculty Member: Heather L. Hodges.
  • ABA Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Subcommittee Meeting, "Supplier Quality and Outsourcing Risks", Schering-Plough (November 12, 2009). Moderator: Heather L. Hodges.
  • "Fleeting Sanctuary: Refoulement and Refugees," Fordham Law School -- Leitner Center for International Law and Justice (November 10, 2009). Lecturer: Heather L. Hodges.
  • "Planning for a Post-Levine World: Implications and Strategies for Manufacturers, U.S. Consumers and the Courts," BNA Legal & Business Edge Audioconference (May 12, 2009). Panelist: Heather L. Hodges.
  • "Leadership Breakfast Series: Challenges and Strategies for Minority Law Students," Hispanic National Bar Foundation (April 30, 2009). Presenter: Heather L. Hodges.
  • "Skills for Better Internal Networking and Self-Promotion," The Law Student Project of the WBADC's Initiative on Advancement and Retention of Women (Feb. 7, 2009). Facuty Member: Heather L. Hodges.

EDUCATION

  • American University, B.A., 1992
  • Tulane Law School, J.D., 2001 - cum laude

AFFILIATIONS

Admitted to practice in District of Columbia and Virginia. Member of Young Non-Profit Professionals Network of DC, D.C. Consortium of Legal Services Providers, American Bar Association, Defense Research Institute, Women's Bar Association of the District of Columbia, International Association of Young Lawyers and the Washington Performing Arts Society Lawyers' Committee, ABA International Human Rights Subcommittee.