Heather Gilbert
Top rated Estate Planning & Probate attorney in White Bear Lake, Minnesota
Gilbert Law PLLC
Practice Areas: Estate Planning & Probate, Closely Held Business, Employment & Labor; view more
Licensed in Minnesota since: 2012
Education: William Mitchell College of Law
Languages Spoken: ASL, English
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2024 - 2025 
Selected to Rising Stars: 2014 - 2022 Details
Heather Gilbert is the president and managing attorney of Gilbert Law PLLC, a firm dedicated to helping people in the Twin Cities 7-County and rural areas with tailored estate planning, employment law and business law needs. She has a primary focus on clients with complex estate planning needs, special needs, tax planning, and family protection. Her goal is to keep your family and loved ones out of court and out of conflict.
Ms. Gilbert’s involvement in the legal community includes service with the Minnesota State Bar Association, Section Chair of the Solo/Small Practice Experience, the Minnesota Women Lawyers Association, and the Minnesota chapter of the National Employment Lawyers Association. As a member of the Ramsey County Bar Association, she also serves on the Second Judicial District Lawyer Ethics Committee as an investigator.
Through the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc., Ms. Gilbert has received a Certificate of Interpretation, a Certificate of Transliteration and a Specialist Certificate: Legal, which she earned through demonstrating specialized knowledge of the language used in the legal system. She is the only practicing attorney in Minnesota with these certifications.
At Bethel College, Ms. Gilbert earned her Bachelor of Arts in sign language interpreting/translating English, and then went on to graduate cum laude from Mitchell Hamline School of Law with her Juris Doctor. Now, she often teaches courses as an adjunct professor at Mitchell Hamline School of Law and shares her knowledge with other legal professionals through presentations at the Minnesota Continuing Legal Education organization.
Committed to clients in St. Paul, Ramsey County, northern suburbs and throughout Minnesota and North Dakota, Ms. Gilbert is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota, the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota and the State Court of Minnesota, and the Western District of Wisconsin.
Practice areas
Estate Planning & Probate, Closely Held Business, Employment & Labor: Employer, Employment & Labor: EmployeeFocus areas
Employment Law - Employee, Estate Planning, Guardianships & Conservatorships, Living Wills, Power of Attorney, Trusts, Wills
- 60% Estate Planning & Probate
- 20% Closely Held Business
- 10% Employment & Labor: Employer
- 10% Employment & Labor: Employee
First Admitted: 2012, Minnesota
Professional Webpage: http://www.gilbertlawpllc.com/heather-gilbert/
- Admitted to U.S. District Court, District of Western Wisconsin, 2019
- United States District Court, District of Minnesota, 2012
- Successful defeat of Defendant's Motion for Summary Judgment in Pagenkopf v. United Parcel Services, Inc. No. CIV. 17-01081 DWF/SER Deaf employee with discrimination claims against UPS for failure to promote to delivery driver prevailed on a denial of UPS’s motion for summary judgment. Burnell v. Tealwood Care Centers et. al. No. CIV. 16-03001 MJD/KMM Temporarily disabled nursing home director prevailed on a denial of Defendant’s motion for summary judgment on her state and federal disability discrimination claims., 2018
- Adjunct Professor of Law at Mitchell Hamline teaching Deals and Dispute Resolutions, Lawyer as Business Owner, and the Expert Witness Academy., 2019
- Ramsey County Bar Association; Board of Directors, 2019
- Minnesota State Bar Association: Civil Litigation Section, Labor and Employment Section
- Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf: National and Minnesota Chapter; Member
- State Court of Minnesota, 2012
- Ramsey County Bar Association: Member, Committee: Solo/Small Firm Section
- National Employment Lawyers Association–Minnesota Chapter: Member
- William Mitchell College of Law: Alumni Mentor and Student Externship Site
- United States District Court, District of North Dakota, 2016
- Minnesota Women Lawyers: Solo/Small Firm Section
- Minnesota Association of Deaf Citizens: Member
- Saunders et. al. v. Mayo Clinic, No. CIV. 13-1972 JNE/HB, 2015 WL 774132 (D. Minn. Feb. 24, 2015)
- Burnell v. Tealwood Care Centers et. al. No. CIV. 16-03001 MJD/KMM Temporarily disabled nursing home director prevailed on a denial of Defendant’s motion for summary judgment on her state and federal disability discrimination claims., 2018
- Pagenkopf v. United Parcel Services, Inc. No. CIV. 17-01081 DWF/SER Deaf employee with discrimination claims against UPS for failure to promote to delivery driver prevailed on a denial of UPS’s motion for summary judgment. , 2018
- Letourneau v. Bank of America
- Read v. City of Oakdale
- Nathanson et. al. v. Spring Lake Park Panther Youth Football Ass’n, 129 F. Supp. 3d 743 (D. Minn. 2015)
- Zimmerman et. al. v. Essentia Health, 15-CV-02441
- Specialist Certificate: Legal, Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, 2009
- Certificate of Transliteration, Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, 2005
- Certificate of Interpretation, Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, 2004
- CALI Award for Pre-Trial Litigation, 2012
- Awarded for outstanding advocacy for the Minnesotan Deaf and hard of hearing community, Access Award, Minnesota Commission Serving Deaf and Hard of Hearing Minnesotans, 2017
- Super Lawyers Rising Star, 2014-2020
- American Association of Justice Mock Trial Competition, William Mitchell College of Law
- National William McGee Civil Rights, William Mitchell College of Law
- Bethel College, Mishawaka, IN, Bachelor of Arts in Sign Language Interpreting/Translating English, cum laude, 2002
- “Working with Deaf Clients and Interpreters” MINNESOTA CLE, May 2016
- “Working with Deaf Clients and Interpreters” RAMSEY COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION, May 2016
- “12 Tips: Advising Closely Held Businesses” MINNESOTA CLE, February 2016
- “Ask the Lawyer: What Are My Rights to Communication Access?” Eau Claire, Wisconsin, February 2016
- “Ask the Lawyer: What Are My Rights to Communication Access?” Repeat locations in Minnesota, Spring 2015
- “Ask the Lawyer Chat: What Happens to My Stuff and My Family When I Die?” St. Catherine University, February 2015
- “Working with Deaf Clients and Interpreters” William Mitchell College of Law Alumni CLE Series, November 2014
- “Accommodating to Your Client’s Disabilities and Special Needs” Ramsey County Bar Association CLE, September 2013
- “Working with Deaf Clients and Interpreters” Ramsey County Bar Association CLE Elimination of Bias, November 2012
- “Interpreting for Legal Conversations and Depositions” ZVRS Interpreter Continuing Education, November 2012
- “Interpreting for Legal Depositions” MRID Fall Conference Interpreter Continuing Education, October 2012
- “Legalese for the VRS Interpreter” ZVRS Interpreter Continuing Education, July 2012
- “Legalese for the Non-Legal Interpreter” Dynamic Communications Interpreter Continuing Education, May 2012
- “Social Media and Your Privacy” MADC State Conference, July 2011
- “Deaf Culture and Communication” Minnesota CLE, October 2009
Selections
- Super Lawyers: 2024 - 2025
- Rising Stars: 2014 - 2022
