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Former BP Associate General Counsel Joins Vorys

Vorys announced today that Jeffrey (Jeff) Heller joined the firm as of counsel in the Houston office. Prior to joining Vorys, Heller served as the associate general counsel for labor and employment law as well as BP’s alternative energy businesses. He was an attorney at BP (and Amoco Corp.) for 28 years.

“We’re extremely excited for Jeff to be joining our firm. He brings a set of unique in-house experiences that will enhance the services we provide to our clients,” said Steve Browning, the managing partner of the Vorys Houston office.  “Jeff’s career at BP is nothing short of impressive, specifically his experience with managing legal teams across the country and globally.” 

While serving as BP’s associate general counsel for labor and employment law, Heller’s duties included managing the global employment legal team and for several years, the global alternative energy legal team. Additionally, he directed investigations into serious misconduct, handled executive legal matters and separations, and advised the Group VP of HR and the Group of General Counsel and other senior leaders on employment law matters. 

Heller will join the labor and employment group. 

“Through my work with BP, I had the opportunity to work with Vorys attorneys over many years,” Heller said. “Every experience I had was positive.  Making the decision to continue my career at this firm not only provides me the ability to help other companies, but to do so with colleagues who I genuinely enjoy.” 

Heller is also actively involved in the ABA Labor and Employment Law (LEL) Section.  He is a past Co-Chair of the ABA LEL Annual Conference, the largest CLE event for labor and employment lawyers.  He also served for five years as a Program Chair for the Employee Rights and Responsibilities Committee. 

Heller received his J.D. from Cornell Law School, where he was a member of the Order of the Coif and the articles editor for the Cornell Law Review. Upon graduation, he was a law clerk for the Honorable Richard D. Cudahy in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.     

About Vorys: Vorys was established 1909 and has grown to be one of the largest Ohio-based law firms with nearly 375 attorneys in seven offices in Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Akron, Ohio; Washington, D.C.; Houston, Texas; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Vorys currently ranks as one of the 200 largest law firms in the United States according to American Lawyer magazine.

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