Overview
Heather Thomas, Esq., specializes in birth injury and medical malpractice cases. She came to Spangenberg Shibley & Liber from Morgan & Morgan P.A., where she successfully built a national birth injury department.
Heather was born and raised on the west side of Cleveland, Ohio. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in nursing from The University of Akron and her Master of Science in nurse anesthesia from Case Western Reserve University. Heather began her anesthesia career specializing in sports medicine and was a main anesthesia provider for Cleveland professional sports teams. She then expanded her practice to general surgery, spine, liver, heart, vascular, obstetrics, plastics, pediatrics, and outpatient procedures as well as regional pain management.
After 20 years of practicing within medicine, Heather decided to expand on her lifetime dedication to patient advocacy and received her Juris Doctor from Cleveland State School of Law with a full Dean’s scholarship, Cali high excellence award, and Dean’s honor list. In addition to her Juris Doctorate, Heather also graduated with certifications in Health Law Policy and Health Care Compliance. Additionally, she was also the president of the health law society.
Within her anesthesia practice, Heather attended and provided care in nearly one thousand births and over 10,000 surgical procedures and has personally witnessed the catastrophes that can result from negligent care. As an advanced practice provider, she believes it is her duty to advocate for the patient and the patient’s loved ones. Heather has acquired extensive medical knowledge through her education and experience, which puts her in an ideal position to litigate medical malpractice cases.
Heather clerked under 8th District Court of Appeals Judge E. Gallagher and externed at the USAAO where she contributed to the landmark opioid case with Cuyahoga and Summit counties.
Additionally, Heather has worked as a medical-legal consultant/expert for a variety of high-profile plaintiff's firms and has proven to be key to the investigatory process. In fact, it was the first consulting job, a five-week birth injury trial, that ignited her love for the law. Within one year, Heather was enrolled full-time at Cleveland State with a full scholarship.
Heather is also the wife of an Army Lt. Col. and the mother of 3 daughters, including a 22-year-old daughter in the Army National Guard. Heather has a deeply rooted connection to veterans and volunteers on one of the only veteran alternative treatment courts in the region. She is also active in volunteering with veteran organizations.
Heather's background as a healthcare provider, mother, advocate, medical expert, and attorney put her in a unique position to provide an exemplary and thorough understanding of her clients’ situations.