CAVC welcomes new leaders in the Central Legal Staff and in the Office of General Counsel

Megan Heller became the Chief Staff Attorney/Deputy Clerk in the Court's Central Legal Staff on January 26, 2026. Megan comes to the Court with a wealth of experience. Prior to joining the court, she spent nearly twelve years in the General Litigation Division within the Office of the General Counsel at the U.S. Department of Commerce, where she served as the Associate Chief Counsel for the Office of Appellate Services for three years and as Chief of the Division for nearly six years. Prior to joining Commerce, Megan clerked for Magistrate Judge John M. Facciola and Judge Barbara J. Rothstein in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and spent a brief period as an intellectual property litigation associate at a large law firm. Megan has a law degree from Columbia University School of Law, a masters degree in English literature from Rutgers, and an undergraduate degree from the College of William & Mary.

Shabnam Ahmed was appointed the Court's General Counsel on December 15, 2025. Shabnam has been with the Court as an associate general counsel since July 2023. Before that, she worked as a senior attorney at the Social Security Administration for 14 years, advising Administrative Appeals Judges on complex legal and policy issues, leading investigations, counseling senior leadership, and supporting congressional inquiries. Earlier in her career, she practiced investment management law at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP and engaged in pro bono representation for immigrants, asylum seekers, and survivors of domestic abuse. Shabnam has a law degree from Howard University and an undergraduate degree from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.