1. Professionals Search

Heidi A. Naasko

Member, Leader of Pro Bono Practice

As the leader of the firm’s pro bono practice, Heidi Naasko connects community members and legal aid offices with Dykema attorneys and corporate law departments across the country. Together, they design and implement pro bono projects where legal teams can have the most significant impact.

Pro bono service is a core pillar at the firm, representing more than one percent of Dykema’s annual hours worked. Besides handling her own volunteer case load, Heidi oversees all aspects of the pro bono practice, including screening, training and mentoring, new attorney and summer associate onboarding, risk management, and budgeting.

Heidi consults with C-suite executives and law department decision-makers to implement discrete pro bono projects or design entire pro bono practices. She also pairs them with best-in-class pro bono opportunities that align with their company's brands.

Heidi is also a public interest law trailblazer who designs upstream legal solutions for the community. To assist the traditionally underrepresented, she has launched multiple new clinics, including:

  • The Dykema Free Legal Aid Clinic, in conjunction with a Detroit-area school district
  • The Crisis Clinic for Detroit-Based Nonprofits, a partnership powered by Dykema, General Motors, Children's Hospital of Michigan, and the Legal Aid and Defender Association to provide child patients and their families legal assistance in landlord/tenant SSI disputes
  • Estate Plans for First Responders, an estate planning project for police and fire departments in Michigan and Texas
  • The PPO Legal Clinic, a partnership with the Detroit Bar Association, LADA and Lakeshore Legal Aid, the court, and the clerk’s office to help domestic violence and sexual assault survivors draft restraining orders against abusers
  • An in-person Name Change Clinic for low-income transgender people, in conjunction the ACLU-Michigan, Fair Michigan, and the Ford Legal Attorney Volunteers

Under Heidi’s leadership, the pro bono practice has won numerous state and local awards including:

  • ABA Death Penalty Service Representation Awards
  • Washtenaw County Bar Association's 3rd Annual Pro Bono/Public Service Award
  • State Bar of Michigan’s Cummiskey Award for Pro Bono Service
  • Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association Pro Bono Service Award
  • United Community Housing Coalition Pro Bono Attorney of the Year

The Firm accepts referrals for pro bono services from our partners such as law school clinics, legal aid but not directly from individuals.

If you are looking for an attorney with a criminal matter, this firm cannot assist you directly. You should call the State Bar in your state for a referral.

IF YOU NEED A PRO BONO ATTORNEY, Ms. Naasko cannot assist you directly. If you are in Wayne, Oakland or Macomb County, call  888-783-8190. If you are in Washtenaw County, call 734-665-6181. Any Michigan resident can use michiganlegalhelp.org. Outside of Michigan, www.lawhelp.org can assist your search. 

“In partnership with our legal aid colleagues, I leverage the firm's resources and its brilliant lawyers to meet unmet legal needs in the communities where we live and work.”
    • Boston University, J.D., cum laude
    • University of Michigan, B.A.

  • Bar Admissions

    • Michigan, 1998

    • Leadership Detroit Class XLIII, 2022

    • John Cumminsky Award Winner for the State Bar of Michigan, 2021

    • Karen Smithbauer Legacy Award winner by First Step, the Western Wayne County Project on Domestic and Sexual Violence, 2021

    • Pro Bono Attorney of the Year, United Community Housing Coalition, Detroit, Michigan, 2018

    • Attorney of the Year, Iraqi Refugee Resettlement Project, University of Michigan Law School, 2015

    • Recipient of the Washtenaw County Bar Association's 3rd Annual Pro Bono/Public Service Award, February, 2014
    • Fellow of the Michigan State Bar Foundation, June 2011

    • Recipient of Pro Bono Service Award from the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association, 2009

    • James B. Angell Scholar
    • Hennessey Scholar

    • Lifetime Fellow of the Detroit Bar

    • Member, Justice Initiatives Committee, the State Bar of Michigan, 2022-Present

    • Co-Chair, Law Firm Anti Racism Alliance, Criminal Legal SubGroup 2021-Present

    • Member, Public Interest Externship Committee, Wayne State University Law School, 2015

    • Member, Board of Directors, Association of Pro Bono Counsel, 2015 
    • Member, State Bar of Michigan Domestic Violence Committee, 2006-2010
    • Member, State Bar of Michigan Standing Committee on Justice Initiatives, 2008-2009
    • Member, State Bar of Michigan Pro Bono Initiatives Committee

    • Law Firm Anti Racism Alliance, Board Member, 2024-Present

    • Board of Directors, The National Domestic Violence Hotline 2023-Present

    • Executive Committee, Secretary Board of Directors First Step, 2018-Present

    • Fundraising Committee, First Step: Western and Downriver Wayne County Project on Domestic and Sexual Violence, 2009-Present

    • Board Member, First Step: Western and Downriver Wayne County Project on Domestic and Sexual Violence, 2007-Present

    • Board of Directors, Association of Pro Bono Counsel, 2014-2020

    • City of Plymouth Planning Commissioner, member of subcommittee for revising Zoning Ordinance, 2002

Contact

Ann Arbor734-214-7710

Areas of client focus

Latest News and Insights

Press Releases2.27.24

Tentative Settlement Reached in Texas Endangered Species Act Lawsuit

The Animal Legal Defense Fund and National Foundation for Rescued Animals, an animal exhibitor doing…

Read More

Speaking Engagements1.24.23

Heidi Naasko Presents on Michigan’s Expungement Law to Michigan Judges Association

Heidi Naasko delivered a presentation to the Michigan Judges Association on January 24, 2022. She…

Read More

Press Releases11.7.22

Animal Legal Defense Fund Selects Dykema for Its 2022 Advancement in Animal Law Pro Bono Achievement Award

Dykema, a leading national law firm, is proud to announce that the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF)…

Read More

Load More