Acting U.S. Attorney Patel names Senior Litigation Counsel

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Acting United States Attorney Vipal J. Patel announced today that Assistant United States Attorney Heather A. Hill will serve as the district’s Senior Litigation Counsel.

“Heather has a distinguished career as a federal prosecutor, both in the Southern District of Ohio and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in D.C.,” Patel said. “She has been a mentor in our Columbus office, and will no doubt continue in that capacity, now for our entire district.”

The Senior Litigation Counsel is a federal prosecutor with at least five years of experience who has been recognized as an outstanding litigator. The SLC is responsible for in-office training of other Assistant United States Attorneys. Hill will also serve as the Criminal Discovery Coordinator.

Hill joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio in 2011. In her decade with the Columbus office, she has served as the district’s Project Safe Childhood Coordinator and Human Trafficking Coordinator. She has prosecuted more than 100 cases involving online crimes against children.

Prior to joining the office, Hill did work in the Sex Offense and Domestic Violence Division of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and clerked for the Hon. Robert I. Richter, formerly of the D.C. Superior Court. She attended the George Washington University Law School and received her bachelor’s degree at the University of Missouri.

Hill’s appointment as SLC is pending final administrative approval.

Acting U.S. Attorney Patel commends the office’s prior SLC, Assistant United States Attorney Douglas Squires, for his years of service to the office and the district. AUSA Squires recently began an assignment with the Executive Office of United States Attorneys.

Hill is one of approximately 70 Assistant United States Attorney’s that serves the Southern District of Ohio. The U.S. Attorney’s Office also includes approximately 50 non-attorney personnel and covers the southern 48 counties in the state. The office prosecutes federal crime and represents the United States in civil litigation.

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