Heiman to Expand Advocacy Efforts and Legal Services for Survivors of Human Trafficking
Heather Heiman
Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service (MVLS), the largest provider of pro bono civil legal services to low-income Marylanders, today announced the addition of Heather Heiman as the organization’s new human trafficking prevention project (HTPP) coordinator. Heiman will be responsible for expanding the organization’s legal services delivered to survivors of human trafficking. These services are focused on addressing the most immediate needs of the survivors, including family, consumer, housing and criminal record expungement cases. The program is a partnership between MVLS and the University of Baltimore School of Law, with funding from the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention.
“We are pleased to welcome Heather to MVLS and look forward to leveraging her experience in leading national programs that support vulnerable populations,” said Bonnie Sullivan, executive director, MVLS. “There are two critical needs in Maryland – one is serving those who are already survivors of human trafficking to give them opportunities to move on with their lives, and the other is to put measures in place to prevent human trafficking. Heather will focus on addressing these two critical needs in a compassionate and empowering way.”
Prior to joining MVLS, Heiman was the senior public policy attorney and forced marriage initiative project manager at Tahirih Justice Center in Falls Church, Virginia. While at Tahirih, Heiman advocated to improve legal protections for immigrant survivors of violence at both the federal and state level. She also launched and rapidly grew the Forced Marriage Initiative (FMI), the first national program to serve individuals facing forced marriage and intersecting forms of violence, including human trafficking. She earned her JD from DePaul University College of Law in Chicago. Heiman is barred in Illinois and is taking the Maryland out-of-state attorney’s exam to practice law in Maryland.
To learn more about MVLS’ human trafficking prevention project, please visit www.mvlslaw.org.
About Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service (MVLS)
Founded in 1981 with a mission to provide access to justice for all, Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service (MVLS) serves Maryland’s low-income residents by offering legal counseling and full representation for civil cases. MVLS matches clients with volunteer lawyers who represent them in a wide range of consumer, family and workforce re-entry situations, including foreclosure, bankruptcy, income tax disputes, landlord/tenant disputes, wills, estate planning, criminal record expungement, divorce/custody and deed changes. For more information about MVLS’ services, visit www.mvlslaw.org.
