Our Attorneys

Heather Hamilton

Of Counsel

A native of Illinois, Heather Hamilton serves as of counsel at Mark Barnes & Associates, drawing from her many years of legal and legislative affairs experience in representing the firm’s clients before federal and state regulatory authorities. Ms. Hamilton first joined the firm as a law clerk at the start of her legal career in 1997. She is an expert on the Maryland General Assembly and is admitted to practice in Maryland and the District of Columbia.

As an attorney advisor, Ms. Hamilton develops legal and policy positions that yield positive results for clients. Her services include legislative and regulatory counseling, strategic advice on legislative initiatives, and liaison with members of the Maryland General Assembly and federal agencies seeking to resolve client concerns.

Ms. Hamilton has served as a legal and legislative affairs consultant to numerous businesses. She advised Maryland-based energy companies, assisting with legal matters arising from their daily operations. Key issues included power-purchase agreements and purchase contracts, Transportation Security Administration contracts, and federal and state legal compliance matters for renewable projects. She also provided legislative consultative services to a major energy utility with Maryland assets.

An experienced lobbyist with a proven track record, she has participated in a number of state legislative battles on major issues in which she helped secure fair outcomes for her clients. She advocated for Maryland’s only statewide business organization before the Maryland General Assembly, executive and regulatory agencies on issues including energy, the environment, and land use and natural resources. Significantly, Ms. Hamilton succeeded in forging legislative agreements supported by both the business community and the labor unions.

In the Maryland House of Delegates, she served as policy analyst and legal counsel to the House Economic Matters Committee, where she handled a broad range of issues, drafted legislation, analyzed regulations from state agencies and offered recommendations to the Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive and Legislative Review. She also has testified before Maryland House of Delegates and Senate committees.

Her federal and international experience includes co-representation of a foreign sovereign nation before the United Nations and federal government agencies in complex procurement matters, litigation and international arbitration. Ms. Hamilton also has provided legal and policy support to an international trade association, as well as represented business clients before the U.S. Congress and federal agencies.

Ms. Hamilton received her Juris Doctor degree in 1996 from Valparaiso University School of Law in Indiana. She has a bachelor’s degree with a double major in international studies and German and a minor in European studies from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, graduating in 1992. She is married and has one son, Locke.