Heather is a senior paralegal in the Labor and Employment Service Line and assists with all aspects of immigration law, including:
- Applications for non-immigrant visas
- Employment-based and family-based immigrant visa petitions
- Applications for naturalization
She also provides I-9 compliance support for employers, and is a Notary Public in the State of Florida.
Before joining Shumaker in 2013, Heather worked at a respected immigration and personal injury firm in the Tampa Bay area for over 13 years as a legal assistant, and now has more than 20 years of experience in a broad range of practice areas, including immigration, personal injury, and medical malpractice.
Shortly after starting with Shumaker, Heather had the opportunity to assist the Immigration Law practice group, and instantly knew it was what she wanted to do. She grew up with her grandfather and grandmother (Abuelo y Abuela) who migrated to the United States from Cuba. They would describe how proud they were to be in the U.S., and contributed to this country in many ways. Her grandfather served in the U.S. military (Army and Air Force), and both grandparents were teachers and extremely passionate about their students. They invested their time and attention in troubled communities, motivating dropouts to go back and complete school by providing tutoring to underprivileged children so they could successfully complete High School or their General Equivalency Diploma (GED). Heather’s grandparents’ passion inspired and motivated her to want to help others through her immigration work.
In her free time she enjoys spending time with her children, working out, fishing, and watching wrestling, football, and lacrosse.