Heather L. Richner is Associate Counsel for the Democracy & Justice Program at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice.

Before joining the Institute, Heather worked at SEIU 32BJ Legal Services Fund, where she provided direct counsel on a wide range of legal services for union members. Previously, Heather served as law clerk to state Superior Court Judge Jeffrey R. Jablonski during his tenure as Hudson County Assignment Judge.

While in law school, Heather was a student attorney in the Human Rights and Gender Justice Clinic at the City University of New York Law School. There she worked with If/When/How researching human rights standards and developing advocacy strategies to combat anti-abortion legislation. She is also a proud graduate of CUNY Law’s Pipeline to Justice Program.

Heather received a B.S. in psychology from Old Dominion University, and her J.D. from CUNY Law.