Our Team
MARY HIGGINS, ESQUIRE
Throughout her years in practice, Mary has represented plaintiffs in the areas of Personal Injury and Workers’ Compensation, and acted for clients before other boards and licensing commissions in the States of Delaware and New Jersey. Mary gained insight into the defense perspective on litigation through valuable experience defending large corporations in complex multi-party litigation.
She has also performed pro bono representations and was appointed as a guardian ad litem in Delaware Chancery Court to oversee the affairs of a developmentally challenged adult subjected to abuse. Mary also serves as a Fair Hearing Officer to conduct Fair Hearings for the State of Delaware Department of Health and Social Services.
Mary has always followed a passion for public service. She obtained her Master’s Degree in Public Administration before going to law school. Based on her record of public service, she was chosen by the University of Delaware College of Urban Affairs and Public Policy to receive a Public Service Fellowship. In addition, she was chosen as a Graduate Woman of Excellence and became a Legislative Fellow with the Delaware State Senate Majority Caucus. The Legislative Fellows Program is a joint partnership of the Delaware General Assembly and the University of Delaware’s Institute for Public Administration.
In law school, Mary was a member of Phi Delta Phi Harrington Inn Honor Society and represented Widener University School of Law for the Philadelphia Bar Association Judge Irvin Stander Memorial Prize in Administrative Law. She was awarded a certificate of achievement in Administrative Law. After law school, Mary served as a Law Clerk to the Honorable William L. Witham, Jr., in Delaware Superior Court.
Mary currently lives in Delaware with her husband, their dog, and three adopted cats. They often serve as an American family homestay to international students learning English at the University of Delaware English Language Institute.
Heather D. Yoc-Santos
Heather has over 20 years of experience working in the legal field – Primarily with Personal Injury (motor vehicle accidents, motorcycle accidents, dog bites, premises liability) and Workers’ Compensation matters. She works each case as if it were her case, how she would expect to be treated, and how she would expect the case to be handled. While Heather solely works with the Plaintiff’s side of litigation today; at one point in time, she worked on the defense side. When asked why she left defense, she said, “the defense side was not for me, so I returned to the Plaintiff’s side.”
Heather’s tenacity is proven through her past. While in college, she worked full-time, raised three children, and was pregnant with her fourth all while attending the evening program. (Last we knew, she is not a vampire) It took Heather nearly 10 years to earn her Bachelor’s degree because during this time of her life, she was also dealing with thyroid cancer and taking care of her terminally ill father, who was only in his 50’s. She also worked full-time, raising five children and attended the evening program at law school. (We do think she may be related to the Energizer Bunny.)
When asked why she chose the legal industry as a career, Heather stated, “I chose to work in the field because when I was young, I experienced a traumatic situation. At that moment, I realized that “what I did not know about the law” had a great impact on my family. I made a promise to myself that as long as I could help it, nothing like this would ever happen to my family or me again. I honestly remember the moment I decided that I needed to be a voice for others and educated myself about the law. Shortly after, I completed my college application for Wesley College. I genuinely want to be a voice for others and help people who need someone in their corner.”
Education:
Bachelor’s Degree in Legal Studies from Wesley College – Dover, Delaware, May 2010
Juris Doctor Law Degree in Law – Delaware Law School – Wilmington, Delaware, December 2020
Scholarships:
Honorable Alan B. Levin Scholarship
Nancy and Howard Finkelman Scholarship
Community Service:
Volunteer as a Catechist – Religious Education Teacher at St. Bernadette’s Church. Over 15 years. “ I genuinely enjoy working with children. I have 5 children of my own and now I have two grandsons.” Stated Heather.
In addition, over the years, she has volunteered for fundraisers, visited nursing homes, and just truly enjoys giving back to the community.
Heathers Favorite Quotes:
“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”
~ Mother Teresa
“Your passion is waiting for your courage to catch up.”
~ Isabelle Lafleche.
Liz Foster
Liz graduated Cum Laude from Wilmington University in 2020 with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and completed a Post-Bachelors Paralegal Certificate in 2022.
In her free time, she enjoys reading, hiking and other outdoor activities, and spending time with friends. I chose to work in this field because I have been fascinated with the law and judicial processes ever since my college legal studies course.
Education:
Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, Wilmington University, Delaware – 2020
Paralegal Certificate, Post Bachelors, Wilmington University, Delaware – 2022
McKenzie Waide
McKenzie comes from a large family of healthcare professionals, and she has chosen to branch off while helping the injured through law. She attended Misericordia University as a Pre-Doctorate of Physical Therapy major with the hope of working with those who had TBI’s and suffered from strokes. Throughout her undergraduate studies, she took a healthcare law and business law class and ultimately decided that physical therapy was not what she wanted to do.
She moved back to Delaware and began the track to obtain her Associates in Legal Studies and Paralegal Certificate at Delaware Technical Community College. When asked why she chose this path, McKenzie stated, “I have always enjoyed helping others and realized that I could still do that through the law. I am proud to be working with the Law Office of Mary Higgins because of the exhaustive and diligent work ethic of Mary and her ability to advocate for her clients.”
McKenzie has a love for hiking and backpacking. In her free time, she is trying to complete the different sections of the Appalachian Trail. She also enjoys spending time at the beach, reading murder mystery books, and doing puzzles. She has two labs; a silver lab named Belle and a chocolate lab named Kandy. McKenzie was born and raised in Selbyville, Delaware.