Heather J. Kelly is a seasoned trial attorney whose true professional calling is fighting for patients harmed by the health care providers they trusted. After spending nearly twenty years representing doctors and hospitals in complex medical malpractice cases, she now uses her deep knowledge of how doctors, hospitals, and the professional liability insurance companies that defend malpractice cases to the benefit of injured patients.
Heather joined the Gilman & Bedigian team in 2025 and brought with her decades of experience trying medical malpractice cases before juries in Maryland, Washington, DC, and Virginia. She has been specially admitted in Utah, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Washington state to represent injured patients, including families whose children were catastrophically harmed during labor delivery by the negligence of their doctors and nurses. She has helped families obtain multimillion dollar settlements to care for their children and pay for their lifetime support needs, and has achieved countless successful jury verdicts and settlements for her clients.
Heather understands each client and each case is unique, and she prides herself on being accessible to her clients. She devotes time to getting to know each of them and their needs and goals so she can provide the personalized representation they deserve. Her dedication to her clients runs so deep, she continues to be in contact with many of them, years after their cases have been resolved.
In addition to medical malpractice, Heather has extensive experience representing clients in claims involving serious personal injury, sexual abuse, intentional injury, and Federal Tort Claims negligence cases against the United States government.
Education and Background
From 2019-2023, Heather taught the Medical Liability course to upper-level law students at the American University, Washington College of Law, and she continues to mentor her past students. Heather has also taught the Legal Research and Writing course to first year law students at George Washington University Law School, where she earned her law degree.
Heather discovered her passion for the courtroom in law school when she won a trial competition and was selected as a member of the GWU Law Trial Court Board. She was honored with the opportunity to represent her law school in national competitions against some of the most talented students in the country. She was selected as Dean’s Fellow in Legal Research and Writing during her final year. After graduating, Heather served as law clerk to the Honorable William D. Missouri in the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County, Maryland. Heather has judged scores of law students’ trial advocacy classes, and moot court, and trial competitions, and enjoys fostering students’ passion for the courtroom.
Bar Admissions
Heather has been an active member of the American Association for Justice, Maryland Association of Justice, and DC and Virginia Trial Lawyers Associations.
Her deep commitment to access to justice extends beyond her law practice. She remains an active member of the NAACP, where she was appointed to two terms as Chairperson of the Arlington Virginia Criminal Justice Committee. During her tenure, she collaborated with the executive committee, membership, and county and state representatives to pass local laws in 2021 to provide community oversight of cases of serious police misconduct. For her efforts, the NAACP awarded Heather the 2023 NAACP President’s Award, one of the greatest honors she has ever received. The Virginia Access to Justice Commission recognized Heather in 2023-2025 for her hours of pro bono service contributions between 2022 and 2024.
