Heather Donato
she/her/hers
Associate
Heather is a litigator who focuses her practice on product liability, mass tort, class action, and intellectual property matters.
Heather’s experience spans various phases of litigation and client counseling, from drafting discovery responses and dispositive motions to researching and providing pre-litigation risk counseling. Heather maintains an active pro bono practice and focuses on LGBTQ+, police accountability, and capital defense issues.
Heather is a former Winston summer associate. Prior to joining Winston, Heather was a Legal Intern for Legal Assistance of Western New York’s Disability Advocacy Project and a Respondents’ Codes Counselor at Cornell University, where she provided procedural guidance to students, faculty, and staff accused of violating the University’s Student Code of Conduct, Code of Academic Integrity, and Title IX Policies.
Credentials
Education
Heather received her J.D. from Cornell Law School in 2022, where she served as Senior Notes Editor for the Journal of Law and Public Policy, and Bench Editor for the Moot Court Board. She also participated in the Juvenile Justice Clinic and the Capital Punishment Clinic. Heather earned her M.A. in French Studies and her B.A., with honors, in Psychology from New York University in 2014 and 2013, respectively.
Admissions
- New York
Languages
- French
Related Insights & News
Publications
- "Ambiguous Front Label Does Not Prove Fatal: Looking to the Back, 9th Circuit Cuts Front Label Some Slack," Winston & Strawn Class Action Insider, Contributor, June 28, 2023
- “Lane Narrows for Wire and Honest Services Fraud Prosecutions,” Bloomberg Law, Contributor, May 19, 2023
February 7, 2025