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Heidi E. Siegmund Partner

Richmond T +1 804 775 1049 F fax +1 804 698 2315
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Heidi’s practice focuses on a wide range of education and employment-related issues, and Heidi defends employers and educational institutions facing litigation in both federal and state court. Heidi also counsels employers on compliance with various federal and state laws and regulations, including Title VII, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and the Family and Medical Leave Act, and the Virginia Human Rights Act.

In addition, Heidi advises both public and private educational institutions on a variety of issues, including Title IX, Title VI, FERPA and privacy issues, tenure denial and revocation, Department of Education and/or Office of Civil Rights investigations, athletics compliance, contract negotiation and management, and faculty and student conduct matters.

Heidi also has experience advising clients on data privacy and intellectual property issues, and uses this experience to assist employers with matters such as ownership of intellectual property, licensing, trade secret protection, restrictive covenants, non-disclosure, and data rights.

Before joining McGuireWoods, Heidi clerked for the Honorable Robert E. Payne, United States District Judge of the Eastern District of Virginia. She also completed a judicial internship with the Honorable David J. Novak, United States Magistrate Judge of the Eastern District of Virginia.

Heidi earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia, where she served on the editorial board of the Virginia Law & Business Review.

Experience
  • Won summary judgment for a national bank in a case alleging violations of employment-related background check provisions of the Fair Credit Reporting Act and California law.
  • Secured the dismissal of a lawsuit brought against a private university alleging violations of Title IX, breach of contract and numerous tort claims; the Fourth Circuit affirmed.
  • Obtained injunctive relief in Delaware state court to stop the raiding of a client’s employees in violation of non-solicitation agreement.
  • Secured dismissal of a lawsuit against a home appliance company alleging breach of contract, misappropriation of trade secrets and numerous related torts.
  • Representation of a school board and superintendent in a lawsuit alleging defamation and violation of the First Amendment.
  • Representation of numerous clients across industries, including retail, technology, food, insurance, engineering and pharmaceutical in prosecuting and defending against enforcement of restrictive covenants.
  • Prosecution of and assistance with tenure revocation proceedings for public and private universities.
  • Representation of clients (both as plaintiffs and defendants) in trade secrets misappropriation litigation.
  • Representation of charter schools in litigation regarding breaches of charter contracts.
  • Defense of financial institutions in cases (both individual and class actions) alleging violations of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Fair Credit Billing Act, the Truth in Lending Act and the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
  • Representation and defense of various clients in senior executive-level investigations.

Events

  • Speaker, "Back to the Future II: Employment Law Updates, Trends, and Predictions 10-Months into the 2nd Trump Administration" and "Panel Session: Navigating Regulatory Crossroads: The Impact of Policy Shifts on Education and Philanthropy," 22nd Annual Nonprofit Seminar, November 2025
  • Speaker, "Can’t We Just Get Along? Political Speech and Social Activism in the Nonprofit Workplace," 21st Annual Nonprofit Seminar, October 2024
  • Speaker, Navigating the New Title IX Regulations, June 12, 2024
  • Presenter, "The Challenges of Compliance: Preparing for the Latest Title IX Regulations," Career Education Colleges and Universities, May 29, 2024
  • Speaker, "Department of Labor Independent Contractor Rules," Controllers Executive Roundtable, May 10, 2024
  • Speaker, "The Latest Developments on Noncompete Agreements and the Federal Trade Commission’s Proposal to Ban Noncompete Agreements," 33rd Annual Employment Law Update Seminar, Virginia CLE, May 7, 2024
  • Speaker, "Animal, Vegetable, Employee, or Contractor? New Federal Independent Contractor Tests for 2023," 20th Annual Nonprofit Seminar, September 2023
  • Speaker, K-12 Employment Issues, March 15, 2023
  • Speaker, "Social Media and Data," Protect Your Brand and Advance Your Marketing Strategies, February 28, 2018

Insights

Selected for inclusion in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch, Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Labor and Employment, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025

Selected for inclusion in “Legal 500 United States,” Education, 2024; Intellectual property: trade secrets (litigation and noncontentious matters), 2024, 2025

Named to “Leaders in the Law,” Virginia Lawyers Weekly, 2022

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