RALEIGH, N.C. — Accomplished attorney and former North Carolina Superior Court Judge Drew Heath is set to join Nelson Mullins in the firm’s Raleigh office in early April of this year. Heath will focus his practice at the firm primarily on government relations and civil litigation. He will also be a registered lobbyist. 

“Heath is a brilliant addition to the team,” said Washington Office Managing Principal and Federal and State Policy Leader Chris Cushing. “His experience not only in the government, but also in the community adds greater dimension to our government relations team.”

Heath comes to the firm from the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts, where he was appointed director by North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul Newby. 

"Judge Heath has been a remarkable director of the Administrative Office of the Courts. It is truly amazing to see his accomplishments during his 26 months as director. He has worked tirelessly to enhance the administration of justice. Judge Heath has helped navigate the court system out of the pandemic. Through his leadership there are 10% fewer cases pending statewide than before the pandemic. He has overseen the successful roll out of eCourts. We are grateful for his years of public service in both the Executive and Judicial Branches. We wish the best for Judge Heath and his family as he begins a new chapter of his professional career and have every confidence that he will be successful in this new position as he has been in every other facet of his career," said Chief Justice Newby.

Heath became a superior court judge at the North Carolina General Court of Justice when he was appointed by Governor Pat McCrory and confirmed by a bipartisan vote of the North Carolina General Assembly. Leading up to this position, Heath practiced law at a regional firm based in the Carolinas, before being appointed chairman of the North Carolina Industrial Commission by Governor McCrory. Heath later worked on the governor’s senior leadership team as state budget director, leading the North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management. Heath is a graduate of the University of North Carolina Asheville and Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law.

"While we will all miss Drew's devoted public service to the judicial system and beyond, I am thrilled that we will have the opportunity to continue working with him in his new role at Nelson Mullins. As an attorney, judge, court system director, and policy leader, Drew has developed a solid reputation for extraordinary integrity, ethics of the highest caliber, and consistency in the exercise of exceptional judgment. He joins a firm that knows their way around our courtrooms and around downtown Raleigh, and he will only add to the firm’s already strong reputation in both venues," said North Carolina Chamber of Commerce General Counsel Ray Starling.

The Nelson Mullins government relations practice aims to deliver measurable results by combining each individual’s legal, political, lobbying, and business experience. This team of professionals is located in Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., and work to bring clients a deeper understanding of how legislative, administrative, regulatory, and political processes operate.

Established in 1897, Nelson Mullins is an Am Law 100 firm that has more than 1,000 attorneys, policy advisors, and professionals with 31 offices in 15 states and Washington, D.C. For more information on the firm, go to www.nelsonmullins.com.