Attorney Profiles
Heather Ross
Heather Ross brings a unique blend of personal passion, transactional expertise, and litigation experience
to Ross & Zuckerman LLP, along with a deep, personal commitment to reproductive justice and family
building.
Before co-founding Ross & Zuckerman LLP in 2005, Heather represented low-income women at Legal Aid Chicago (formerly known as the Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago), handling a range of civil matters including family law and juvenile court cases. Earlier in her career, she worked in private practice, focusing on the drafting and negotiation of complex financial transactions.
Motivated by her own experience with infertility, Heather redirected her legal career to advocate for individuals and families navigating the complex world of assisted reproductive technology (ART). Since co-founding the firm with her longtime dear friend and former Legal Aid Chicago colleague, Nora Zuckerman, she has represented thousands of clients in matters involving egg, sperm, and embryo
donation, gestational surrogacy, parentage orders, and related adoptions.
Heather is a frequent lecturer and author on ART law and ethics, having spoken at leading institutions and conferences including the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, the Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys, the American Bar Association, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Family Equality Council, The Society for Ethics in Egg Donation and Surrogacy, and the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education.
In addition to her legal work, Heather is committed to public service and is currently serving her second
term as an elected Village Trustee for the Village of Northbrook. In this role, she has championed policies
focused on affordable housing, sustainability, economic development and community inclusion.
With deep roots in legal aid, contract law, and personal experience with infertility, Heather approaches each case with empathy, expertise, and a client-centered focus.
Nora Zuckerman
She co-founded Ross & Zuckerman, LLP with friend Heather Ross in 2005 to focus exclusively on the evolving legal landscape surrounding fertility and assisted reproductive technology (ART). With a career rooted in advocacy and access to justice, Nora brings decades of legal experience and deep compassion to her work helping build families.
She combines her deep legal expertise with a personal commitment to the field of fertility law. She advocates tirelessly for intended parents and surrogates alike to ensure smooth legal processes. With decades of experience growing and protecting families our experience is your security.
Before founding the firm, Nora served as an attorney at the Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago (now Legal Aid Chicago), one of the nation’s leading nonprofit legal organizations. She is a Fellow and Board Trustee of the Academy of Adoption & Assisted Reproduction Attorneys.