Heather Waller is a partner in the Litigation & Trial Department of Latham & Watkins.
Since joining the firm in 2011, Heather has worked on a variety of complex litigation matters in state and federal court. Her experience includes securities, environmental, insurance, and general commercial litigation.
Heather has worked on securities litigation at both the trial and appellate level and has worked extensively defending clients in connection with investigations by the Securities and Exchange Commission and related civil litigation. She also has experience in environmental and insurance matters with a particular focus in mass tort and CERCLA matters. Heather has devoted significant time to pro bono work, particularly in the areas of immigration, domestic violence, and prisoner rights.
Heather currently serves on the firm’s Women Enriching Business committee. Prior to joining the firm, she served as a judicial clerk for Judge Karen Nelson Moore of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. While attending law school, Heather served as the editor-in-chief of the University of Illinois Law Review.
Heather is admitted to practice in the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Experience
Heather's experience includes representation of:
Securities
Multiple clients in digital asset and cryptocurrency industry in SEC investigations
Public company in internal and government investigations relating to accounting and disclosure issues
Former CEO of a public company in internal and government investigations relating to revenue recognition, as well as related shareholder litigation
Public company in an SEC investigation related to tax accounting
Public companies and employee in SEC insider trading investigations
Registered investment advisers in connection with SEC investigations
A global manufacturer in an SEC investigation related to accounting and disclosure issues and in a securities class action
Global online travel company in connection with an FINRA inquiry and shareholder litigation
Gaming industry client in a class action stemming from the company’s merger with a gaming and lottery company
Gaming industry client in an appeal of securities class action
Real estate investment trust in litigation related to a multimillion-dollar fraud against the client that resulted in a disclosure to federal authorities and criminal convictions of perpetrators of the fraud, as well as related insurance issues
Environmental and Insurance
A public university in connection with insurance matters
Paper mill in CERCLA litigation involving the US$1.6 billion remediation of alleged PCB contamination in the sediments of the Fox River in Wisconsin
Defense industry contractor in CERCLA litigation
A pipeline owner and operator in defending toxic tort claims of approximately 400 plaintiffs relating to a gasoline pipeline release
A pipeline owner and operator in claims against a third-party for causing pipeline release and related insurance matters
A Chicago hospital in connection with insurance matters
Other
A variety of pro bono clients in cases related to immigration, domestic violence, and prisoner rights
Qualifications
Bar Qualification
Illinois
Education
JD, University of Illinois College of Law, 2010 summa cum laude, Order of the Coif
BSBA, The Ohio State University, 2005 summa cum laude, with honors in accounting
Firm honored by Law360 for advising startups, financial institutions, VCs, digital asset and Web3 participants, and corporations on their most innovative and complex transactions, investigations, litigation, and regulatory matters.
Despite a downward trend in securities case filings over the past three years, Latham & Watkins LLP has remained one of the most active law firms on the defense side, taking over the top spot from Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP, according to reports released by Lex Machina.
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