Heather Murray

Heather E. Murray is the Associate Director of the Cornell Law School First Amendment Clinic and the Managing Attorney of the Clinic’s Local Journalism Project. In addition to co-teaching the Clinic’s seminar on free speech and freedom of the press, she manages all aspects of the Cornell Local Journalism Project. Her work includes representation of journalists and news outlets in litigation and counseling and training on non-litigation matters, supervision of staff attorneys, summer fellows, Clinic students and recent alumni co-counsel, representation of amici curiae in free press matters, and grant reporting.

She previously was a litigation associate at two international law firms and during her time there received a 2018 Law360 Distinguished Legal Writing Award from the Burton Foundation. Prior to her legal career, she worked as a journalist at local newspapers in New York.

She is a graduate of Cornell Law School and of Duke University. She credits her law school experience in the Labor Law Clinic and the e-Government Clinic, one of President Obama’s flagship open government initiatives, with inspiring and informing her clinical work. She is a member of the advisory committee of ProJourn, a pro bono initiative for journalists that is housed at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. She also serves as chair of the board of directors of Queens-based child welfare agency Forestdale, Inc.