Sara C. Heimberger

Experience

Ms. Heimberger joined Shaw Bransford & Roth in September 2026 and offers representation to employees and federal agencies in various areas concerning government investigations, disciplinary proceedings, security clearance proceedings, and civil and administrative litigation. Before joining the firm, Ms. Heimberger worked as a litigation attorney for the Retail & Restaurant Liability Defense Group in a mid-size Northern Virginia law firm.

Ms. Heimberger’s portfolio included advising top-tier enterprises in the retail, restaurant, and recreational entertainment brands throughout the Maryland and Washington D.C. markets. Ms. Heimberger oversaw the entire litigation lifecycles in various courts throughout the Greater Washington area and has a record of evaluating risk, negotiating favorable settlements, developing case strategies, and resolving complex procedural and substantive challenges.

Ms. Heimberger also served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Patrick M. Blanch at the 19th Judicial Circuit Court in Fairfax, Virginia, widely acknowledged as the state's highest-volume trial court. In this role, Ms. Heimberger provided legal analysis and support to over 500 civil cases and became intimately familiar with judicial decision-making, procedural requirements, and effective litigation advocacy in a courtroom.

Ms. Heimberger graduated from the William & Mary Law School. While in law school, Ms. Heimberger was the Executive Editor of the William & Mary Business Law Review and served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Teresa M. Chafin at the Supreme Court of Virginia.

Additionally, Ms. Heimberger was a faculty-selected member of the law school’s Leadership Institute and was awarded a grade of excellence in the Lewis B. Puller, Jr. Veterans Benefits Clinic, where she worked with veterans to address employment and disability concerns.

Prior to law school, Ms. Heimberger graduated from the University of Washington and earned a B.A. in Law, Societies & Justice, with a minor in Political Science. Upon graduation, Ms. Heimberger was nominated for the Stotland Prize, a recognition reserved for a select group of graduates with the strongest academic records. Outside of her professional practice, Ms. Heimberger is a former competitive pianist and is fluent in spoken Mandarin Chinese.

Areas of Practice

Judicial & Litigation Experience

• Judicial Law Clerk, 19th Judicial Circuit Court, Fairfax, Virginia
• Supported legal analysis in 500+ civil cases
• Civil litigation experience throughout the Washington metropolitan area
• Experience developing case strategies, negotiating settlements, and resolving complex litigation matters
  

Bar & Court Admissions

• Washington D.C.
• Maryland

Education

• B.A., in Law, Societies & Justics, University of Washington
• J.D., William & Mary Law School
  

Additional Experience & Distinctions

• Judicial Extern, Supreme Court of Virginia
• Lewis B. Puller, Jr. Veterans Benefits Clinic - Grade of Excellence
• Worked with veterans on employment and disability concerns
• Stotland Prize nominee
• Fluent in spoken Mandarin Chinese