A Premier Legal Resource Since 1985

Heidi A. Coughlin

  • President, Managing Shareholder
Heidi Coughlin
Rated by Super Lawyers loading ...
Heidi Coughlin
Rated by Super Lawyers loading ...

Biography

Heidi Coughlin is the managing shareholder of Wright & Greenhill P.C. She is the youngest person to hold this position in over 20 years. In addition to other honors, she has been named a Texas Top 100 Rising Star Super Lawyer, a Texas Top 50 Female Rising Star, and has been selected as a Super Lawyer or Rising Star every year since 2014. Austin Monthly Magazine also named her a Top Lawyer in 2019 - 2021.

She represents individuals, businesses, and corporations in numerous types of civil and commercial litigation. A seasoned trial attorney, she has handled a wide-range of cases in state court, federal court, and in arbitration.

Her practice focuses broadly on employment, commercial and business disputes, as well as personal injury, and civil rights cases. Lastly, Heidi devotes a significant amount of her practice to cannabis regulatory work.

She is one of the first-if not the first-attorney to practice cannabis law in Texas. Since the inception of the Compassionate Use Act, she has served as regulatory counsel for the only Texas-based company lawfully selling low-THC cannabis in the state. She has a deep understanding of these laws and regulations that makes her well equipped to advise companies involved in Hemp or CBD businesses as they navigate this complex legal landscape.

Representative Work

  • Lead counsel on Langley v. International Business Machines (IBM), No. 1:18-CV-00443-DAE, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, Austin Division.
  • Lead associate in charge of prosecuting Texas Medicaid Fraud Prevention Act cases against the largest generic drug manufacturer in the world. Obtained settlement payments of 169 million dollars for the State of Texas and the United States.
  • Successfully represented individuals and businesses in employment, wrongful death/personal injury, business, commercial, defamation, and DTPA lawsuits.
  • Represented businesses and investors in large, multi-million dollar arbitrations.
  • Provided regulatory counsel to emerging-market enterprises.

Community

Ms. Coughlin frequently serves as a speaker and panelist in numerous continuing legal education presentations, and as a faculty member for Texas Association of Defense Counsel's ("TADC") Trial Academy, which trains young lawyers to handle jury trials. She was also previously chosen to serve on Texas Association of Defense Counsel's executive board in three different capacities, and has been active in several different committees for the Austin Bar Association. She is married to an author, and the couple lives in Austin with their children.

Education

  • The University of Texas School of Law, Austin, Texas
    • 2007
  • Texas Tech University School of Law, Lubbock, Texas
    • J.D. - 2007
  • University of Texas at San Antonio
    • B.A. - 2004
    • Honors: cum laude
    • Major: Communications
  • University of Cape Town Faculty of Law, Cape Town
    • 2016
    • Honors: Human Rights Law

Representative Cases

  • Langley v. International Business Machines (IBM)
  • Lead counsel on Langley v. International Business Machines (IBM), No. 1:18-CV-00443-DAE, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, Austin Division

Professional Associations

  • Texas Association of Defense Counsel, Vice President, Chair, 2015 to 2016
  • Texas Association of Defense Counsel, Director at Large, Chair, 2012 to 2014
  • Austin Bar Association, Google Task Force Member, Chair, 2012
  • Austin Bar Association, Bench Bar Fundraising Chair, 2009 to 2013
  • Texas Association of Defense Counsel Trial Academy Faculty, Chair, 2014
  • Texas Association of Defense Counsel, Executive Board

Practice Areas

  • Cannabis Law
  • Civil Litigation
  • Civil Defense
  • Civil Rights
  • Contract Litigation
  • Death and Personal Injury
  • Employment Litigation
  • Internet Law
  • Insurance Defense
  • Defamation
  • Construction Litigation
  • Products Liability
  • Premises Litigation
  • Qui Tam, Whistleblower Actions

Bar Admissions

  • Texas, 2007
  • U.S. District Court Western District of Texas

Classes & Seminars

  • Advanced Evidence and Discovery, Impeachment through Social Media, State Bar of Texas, 2016 to 2016
  • Social Media and The Practice of Law, TADC Spring Seminar, 2014 to 2014
  • Evidence & Expert Testimony: The Art of Persuading A Jury, The Ultimate Trial Notebook, 2013 to 2013
  • Social Media as an Investigative Tool: You Won't Believe What's Out There, TADC Winter Seminar, 2013 to 2013
  • Taming The Social Media Beast, TADC Magazine, Summer, 2012 to 2012
  • Social Media & Litigation, McGinnis Lockridge Litigation Department, 2012 to 2012
  • Social Media's Smoking Gun, Austin Lawyer, Vol. 21 Num. 8, October, 2012 to 2012
  • Horrors of Social Media: Tales from the Dark-Side, Travis County Bench Bar, 2012 to 2012
  • LinkedIn for Lawyers: Be Not Afraid, TADC Winter Seminar, 2012 to 2012
  • Social Media and the Chaos Created by Mark Zuckerburg, Travis County Bench Bar, 2011 to 2011
  • Facebook, Myspace, Twitter and Other Social Networking Media as Tools for Litigation, TADC Summer Meeting, 2010 to 2010
  • Ethical Internet Behavior in Litigation and Review of Proposed Amendments to the Texas Disciplinary Rule, Wright & Greenhilll, P.C., 2009 to 2009

Pro-Bono Activities

  • Austin Bar Association, Bench Bar Fundraising Chair , 2009 to 2013
  • Texas Association of Defense Counsel, ("TADC") Trial Academy, Faculty Member

Current Employment Position

  • President, Managing Shareholder