Heather A. DeGrave

Heather A. DeGrave is a shareholder in the law firm of Walters Levine & DeGrave, where she practices in the areas of construction, commercial collections and business litigation.

PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS

Heather is a pivotal member of the Firm’s civil litigation team. Her experience in commercial collections litigation and construction related litigation includes the institution of lien foreclosure and contract enforcement actions and the protection of creditors’ rights in bankruptcy and mortgage foreclosure actions. Heather also regularly helps members and shareholders in small businesses in their disputes with fellow members, including through dissolution actions, injunctive relief, and the appointment of receivers. She has also advised construction clients on construction lien and bond law and has assisted in the drafting and review of contracts, subcontracts and credit applications. Heather also regularly speaks on collections and construction related topics for the National Association of Credit Management and the National Business Institute.

Heather is admitted to practice before all state courts in Florida, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Florida.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

Heather is the President of the National Association of Women in Construction – Tampa Chapter; the Vice Chair of the Women of Influence Committee for the Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce; and a Director on the South Tampa Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. She is also a member of the Hillsborough County Bar Association and Hillsborough Association for Women Lawyers. Heather was the 2022 recipient of NAWIC’s Jo-Ann Golden Humanitarian Award, which honors women who have had a positive and powerful impact on their community, their industry, and the environment.

EDUCATION AND SCHOLASTICS

Heather received her Bachelor of Arts degree in International Studies, magna cum laude, from Oglethorpe University with a minor in Spanish. While at Oglethorpe, she studied abroad at the Universidad de Salamanca, in Salamanca, Spain. Heather received her law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center. While in law school, she was a member of the Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics and of the Alternative Dispute Resolution team as well as a law fellow in the Legal Research and Writing Department. As a visiting student at the Stetson University College of Law, she received the Victor O. Wehle Award for Trial Advocacy.