MEET Heather Cooper, Associate Attorney of FSDA Advisory Member Baritz & Colman LLP.
We are speaking today with Heather Cooper, please tell us a little bit about yourself.
I have been with Baritz & Colman LLP since 2015, where I concentrate my practice in financial services litigation. Prior to that, I was a Law Clerk with the Office of the General Counsel of the Florida Office of Financial Regulation, where I had the opportunity to work with all four divisions of OFR, giving me a broad range of legal experience in the oversight of Florida's financial services providers.
I was born in Miami, but spent most of my childhood throughout Broward County, Florida. My high school career was focused on journalism and working on the student newspaper, so I followed suit in college, but the long-term goal was always law school. I am a very proud “Double Gator”. I earned my BS in Journalism Summa Cum Laude from the University of Florida in 2010, and I received my JD in 2015 from the University of Florida Fredric G. Levin College of Law. In law school, I was a member of the Corporate and Securities Moot Court Team, editor of the Journal of Technology Law & Policy, and publicity chair for the Law Association for Women. While obtaining my degrees, I also worked as a legal assistant at an Am Law 200 defense firm and made sure to travel internationally as often as I could get away with.
On a personal level, my family, my dogs, and traveling are my passions. Another major priority for me is to support diversity and inclusion initiatives in not only the financial services industry but also the legal profession. I also feel very strongly about promoting the rights of women generally. For the past several years, I have served on the board of the South Palm Beach County Chapter of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers (FAWL) and have been a member of the Southeastern Women in Financial Services (SWIFS). I also currently serve on FSDA’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee, and I sit on the board for the Young Lawyer Section of the South Palm Beach County Bar Association.
Tell us a little about your firm
Baritz & Colman LLP was founded by Neil Baritz in 1996, with offices in New York and Florida. We represent financial firms, clearing and custodial firms, broker-dealers, registered representatives, investment advisors, insurance agents and industry professionals before state and federal courts, AAA and FINRA arbitration panels, and state and federal regulators (including Florida’s OFR, the SEC, and FINRA) throughout the country. We are regularly engaged in matters such as entity formation, registration, licensing, arbitration, litigation, employment, and regulatory inquiries or investigations. Our Firm’s other practice areas include real estate, corporate, commercial litigation and trust and estates.
My firm believes it is important to give back to the community and supports its attorneys in the initiates we feel strongly about. My firm has donated its time and resources to numerous local fundraising events put on by the organizations and associations that I am involved in. Also, through SWIFS, I am able to contribute my time and resources to the Pace Center for Girls. On a personal level, I also like to support Black Girls CODE as well as the South Florida Wildlife Center. I have volunteered at the Center and delivered countless hurt animals there - Birds, squirrels, possums, you name it. If you are local and find hurt or orphaned wildlife, please try and deliver or coordinate a rescue with the Center.
Why is it important for Baritz & Colman LLP, to be a member of the FSDA?
FSDA is an integral advocate for securities firms and professionals in the state of Florida, and the goal of Baritz & Colman LLP is to support the financial services industry, so our involvement with FSDA naturally flows and is a priority of the Firm in order to best serve our clients.
Heather Cooper, thanks for taking time to speak with us today.
