Palmer Heenan currently serves as the Section Chief of the Office of Civil Rights in the Office of the Attorney General of Virginia. The Office of Civil Rights investigates cases in a variety of areas, including housing, employment, public accommodation, police misconduct, and voting. As Section Chief, Palmer supervises and litigates civil rights cases and investigations brought by the Office of the Attorney General. Until September of 2025, Palmer worked in the Office of General Counsel at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. At HUD, Palmer focused on developing systems to increase the ability of the agency to engage in systemic fair housing enforcement. Prior to joining the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Palmer served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Public Advocacy Division of the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia. There, he focused on a wide range of issues affecting civil rights, consumer protection, and fraud. Palmer previously served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Civil Rights in the Office of the Attorney General of Virginia. Prior to joining the Office of Civil Rights, Palmer was an Equal Justice Works fellow at the Central Virginia Legal Aid Society where he coordinated eviction defense for thousands of tenants, focusing his practice on tenants’ civil and consumer rights in order to help them secure safe and stable housing. Palmer started his legal career as a public defender in Miami, where he tried dozens of cases, conducted depositions, and conducted appellate oral arguments.