Heather Z. Cooper

Practice Areas:

• Banking & Creditors' Rights
• Bankruptcy & Financial Restructuring
• Civil & Commercial Litigation
• Employment Law

CV:

• Born Kankakee, Illinois, 1971
• University of Houston, Houston, Texas, B.A. English Literature, 1993
• South Texas College of Law, Houston, Texas, magna cum laude, 1998
• Law Clerk to Justice David Richards, Court of Appeals for the Second District of Texas, Fort Worth, Texas 1998-99
• Law Clerk to the Honorable Colleen A. Brown, United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Vermont, 2004-2006
• Member: Rutland County, Vermont, Texas and American Bar Associations; Amercian Bankruptcy Institute

Admitted to Practice:

• U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Fifth, First, and Second Circuits
• U.S. District Courts: Southern and Northern Districts of Texas; District of Massachusetts and Vermont
• State of Texas (1998); Commonwealth of Massachusetts (2001), State of Vermont (2006)

Heather Cooper joined the firm in November 2006 upon completion of a two year clerkship for the Honorable Colleen A. Brown, the United States Bankruptcy Judge for the District of Vermont, where in addition to her assistance to chambers, she assisted the court with the implementation of the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005.  As a contributor to the development of local procedures following the law’s enactment, Heather gained an insightful appreciation to the nuances of the broad-sweeping changes in bankruptcy practice.  As a member of the bankruptcy bar, she continues to contribute to several continuing legal education seminars about the new bankruptcy law and its impact on practitioners and their clients.  Heather has broad experience in federal and state court litigation at the trial and appellate levels associated with bankruptcy-related issues on behalf of Debtors, Creditors, and panel trustees.

Heather graduated magna cum laude from South Texas College of Law in 1998.  After clerking for Justice David Richards at the Court of Appeals, for the Second District of Texas, Heather established a practice in complex commercial litigation in Houston, Texas, which included a broad practice in federal and state courts at the trial and appellate levels.  In 2001, Heather joined a Boston firm where she expanded her practice to include bankruptcy and bankruptcy litigation.

Heather’s relevant experience in commercial litigation includes: lender liability litigation, employment matters, contract negotiation and litigation, fiduciary obligations, technology related issues, collections, bankruptcy, bankruptcy-related litigation, debt restructuring, construction litigation, insurance coverage and some insurance defense.