Heather R. Rutland

Heather is a shareholder in our Austin Office. Prior to attending law school, she served as a Legislative Aide to the House of Representatives during the 75th Texas Legislative Session. While in law school, Heather competed in and later judged Moot Court and Mock Trial competitions, making the Dean’s list each semester. She served as Editor-in-Chief of the St. Mary’s Law Journal and interned with the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. After graduating law school with honors, Heather clerked for the Chief Justice of the Fourth District Court of Appeals before returning home to Austin to practice law in the private sector.

A native Austinite, Heather has published articles in the Journal of the National Association of Administrative Law Judges. She was both co-author and editor of How It Works…The Texas School Principal’s Handbook (1998) and remains dedicated to providing clients with the tools necessary to avoid litigation.

Heather works extensively with Texas schools, colleges and other educational institutions in the areas of personnel, students, board governance, special education, section 504 compliance and the ADAAA. She routinely advises these entities on employee personnel issues such as termination and nonrenewals, Public Information Act and Open Meetings Act matters, conflicts of interest and governance concerns, IDEA, TEA, and OCR complaints, constitutional challenges and discrimination complaints, drafting Board policy and student and employee codes of conduct and state purchasing protocols and service contract and land use negotiations and disputes. Heather is asked to speak regularly on education law issues and also provides training for teachers, faculty, administrators and trustees throughout the state.

Heather’s paralegal is Nancy Nowell.

Admissions/Affiliations/Bar Memberships

Austin Bar Association
State Bar of Texas, Member, Education Law section
United States District Courts, Eastern and Western Districts of Texas
United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
Texas Counsel of Administrators of Special Education
National School Boards Association
Texas Council of School Attorneys
Travis County Women Lawyers Association
John M. Harlan Honor Society
Phi Delta Phi legal fraternity

Community Involvement

Austin Independent Business Alliance
Austin Theatre Alliance Guild
Special Olympics – Texas
Camp Fire Boys & Girls, WoHeLo Medallion Recipient