Claude Heffron of Pashman Stein Walder Hayden. Courtesy photo

Stein Center Welcomes Heffron as Fellow 

The Justice Gary S. Stein Public Interest Center at Pashman Stein Walder Hayden in Hackensack has announced the arrival of Claude Heffron as the inaugural Stein Public Interest Fellow. Heffron joins from the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender, where she worked as an assistant deputy public defender for six years.

Heffron will serve as a fellow for a two-year, full-time term, working with center director CJ Griffin on pro bono amicus curiae work on criminal justice cases pending in the New Jersey Supreme Court, and fee-shifting work relating to police transparency, open government, and civil rights. She will appear before New Jersey state and federal trial and appellate courts.

"Just as the establishment of the Stein Public Interest Center was a ground-breaking initiative, so too is the creation of the Stein Public Interest Center Fellowship," said Michael S. Stein, firm chair and managing partner, in a statement. "Our firm was recently named the 2023 Law Firm of the Year by the New Jersey Law Journal, due in part to our impactful work through the center, and the tremendous advocacy of our director CJ Griffin. Claude's background as a public defender brings additional perspective to the many important social issues that are the focus of the center's work, and we welcome her contributions toward the protection of civil liberties and constitutional rights, as well as an open and transparent government."