Meet an Attorney: Heather Baker-Mushkatel
As a child growing up in Arizona, Heather Baker-Mushkatel developed a love for acting and the theater. Today, as an attorney, Heather is drawn to another performance space – the courtroom.
“It does sort of remind me of acting,” says Heather, who focuses her practice in the areas of family law and criminal defense. “I like public speaking. I like talking to juries. And I like the challenge of trials.”
Heather earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2001. After considering an acting career, she chose to instead focus on becoming a trial lawyer. She graduated from Brooklyn Law School in 2004 and returned home to Arizona to practice law.
First, Heather served as an attorney with the Maricopa County Public Defender’s Office. In that role, she handled a wide range of criminal matters, ranging from minor infractions to the most severe and complex cases. While practicing criminal defense, she also gained ample experience as a trial attorney by going to court nearly every day for six years.
In 2012, Heather joined Mushkatel, Gobbato, & Kile, P.L.L.C., where her primary area of focus is family law. She works with clients in a variety of matters, including divorce, community property, child custody, child support and pre-marital and post-marital agreements. She also continues to maintain a criminal defense practice.
Heather has served on a number of committees with the Arizona State Bar, including the Criminal Practice and Procedure Committee as well as the Mentor Committee. Previously, she served as an executive board member of the Young Lawyers Division of the Arizona State Bar. She was also selected to be a participant in the 2012-2013 Arizona Bar Leadership Institute.
Heather is a member of the Maricopa County and West Maricopa County Bar Associations. In 2015, she was selected to participate in the Justice at Stake judicial mentor program. She has also served on numerous panels to educate young lawyers and law students on various aspects of law.
In recent years, Heather has been able to follow her passion for acting by participating in occasional commercial projects. However, she devotes most of her spare time to her family and to her children’s school activities.
About the Author
Zachary Mushkatel discovered his affinity for the law by chance. As a political science major at the University of Arizona, he first aspired to become a professor. But an unexpected invitation to participate on a mock trial team at the university encouraged him to turn his competitive spirit and drive…
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