Associate

Heather Sciacca-Smith joined Hager & Dowling in 2019. Her practice area focuses on civil litigation with an emphasis on insurance bad faith, personal injury, employment, public entity, contract, business and real estate litigation.

Prior to her work with Hager & Dowling, Heather was lead trial counsel for a Los Angeles based defense firm in their Santa Barbara office where she took to verdict more than 25 civil jury trials on matters ranging from business, contract, personal injury, employment and insurance bad faith. In 2003, she transitioned from civil litigation dedicating her law practice to mediation, assisting in the resolution of cases venued in the Santa Barbara and Ventura County Superior Courts. She has recently returned from working abroad where she advised foreign companies regarding FDA compliance and US Import regulations. She is fluent in Spanish.

Heather attended UCSB, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degrees in both Economics and Political Science. She received her Juris Doctorate degree from Arizona State University. She is very involved in the Santa Barbara community and has served on the Board of Directors for the California Women Lawyers, Santa Barbara Women Lawyers and the Best Day Foundation. She is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, California Coast Chapter. She is actively involved with the Channel Island Mammal Wildlife Institute and the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Program.