Heather Christine Barden

I represent individuals who have been wronged by their employer. The cases I work on involve an illegal act based on an employee's sex, gender, age, disability, need for accommodation, pregnancy, military status, marital status, religion, need to breastfeed, and need for medical leave. Frequently these cases involve conduct by the employer that includes discrimination, retaliation, failure to accommodate, medical leave violations, and/or sexual harassment.

I became an attorney to empower individuals who are treated unfairly by others. I enjoy helping individuals achieve justice by guiding them through the legal process with ease and confidence. As an attorney, I will fight for my client's rights with tenacity and act as their champion every step of the way.

In addition to helping people as an attorney, I am also a registered nurse. I worked in ER Trauma for eleven years before going to law school. Even though my focus now is on representing employees who suffered workplace violations, I continue taking shifts once a month as a nurse at a local hospital. By still working as a nurse, I am able to contribute to the community in a different way and help people with their health issues. My career as a nurse gives me a unique ability to connect with people who are going through a difficult time, which for employment cases often involves physical and mental health difficulties.

I graduated from the University of North Dakota School of Law where I received the award for best moot court oralist in 2014. My bachelor's degree is from Kaplan (now Purdue) University. I earned my CNA certification, LPN license, and RN license from Big Bend Community College in Moses Lake. After finishing law school and passing the bar exam, I founded Smith Law Firm. When I partnered with my husband Jed Barden, we formed Barden & Barden.