Maggie A. Heim attended St. John's College in Annapolis and Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. At Northwestern, she found her passion in a Prisoners' Rights seminar and at the MacArthur Justice Center. She graduated from Northwestern cum laude with a Concentration in Law and Social Policy. She has been recognized by Northwestern both as a student and as an alumni for extraordinary public service.
She began her career with a fellowship at the ACLU National Prison Project. She then joined the Office of the State Appellate Defender, spending time in both the Mount Vernon and Chicago offices. She has argued in Illinois Appellate Court and the Illinois Supreme Court many times (most recently obtaining a unanimous double jeopardy win from the Supreme Court). After 10 years as an assistant appellate defender, she became the Assistant Director of Training at OSAD, helping to train trial and appellate defenders throughout Illinois. She has taught Legal Research and Writing at Loyola and in the Criminal Appeals Clinic at DePaul.
One of her favorite things to do outside of work is lead Constitution in the Classroom sessions for elementary students in CPS. She also has two ferocious cats named Charlie and Boo who enjoy climbing her curtains and knocking over cake plates.