About Judge Janet B. Heppard

Honorable Janet B. Heppard, Judge

Judge Janet B. Heppard graduated from the University of Houston with a joint JD/MBA in 1993 and earned a BS, Summa Cum Laude, in Geology and Geophysics from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, in 1981. Prior to law school, Judge Heppard worked as a geophysicist at Amoco Production Company in Houston, Texas for 8 years. After her graduation from the University of Houston Law Center (UHLC), she worked for a solo practitioner before being hired as a staff attorney in the UHLC Clinical Program in 1995 where she primarily practiced in the area of family law while providing free legal services to low income members of the local community. She has worked in the clinical program since that time, becoming the Clinic Director in 2008 and a full Clinical Professor in 2019. Since 1995, Judge Heppard has received the Longevity of Exemplary Service to the Houston Bar Association Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program from the Houston Bar Foundation, an Award of Merit from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children for her work on Hague Convention Cases, the Lonestar Legal Aid "Most Litigated Pro Bono Cases" Award, the Lonestar Legal Aid Community Partner Award, and the Ethel M Baker Faculty Award for her leadership in promoting greater interaction between the University and the local community. She is a member of the Houston Bar Association, the Southern District of Texas, and the Houston Burta Rhoads Raburn Family Law Inns of Court. In addition to her work in the clinic, Professor Heppard has also taught doctrinal and writing courses in domestic violence and a course titled Immigration and Family Law. Judge Heppard has also been a speaker on issues in family law, guardianship, and law practice at local, state, and national conferences.

Judge Heppard grew up in Ohio and is married with three children. She is a volunteer with the Girl Scouts and the Boy Scouts as a trainer and archery instructor and has been a volunteer attorney with the Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program.