Veteran defense attorney Heidi L. Wolf, a 1986 Wayland High School graduate, has announced her candidacy for Allegan County District Court Judge.
Wolf brings more than 30 years of courtroom experience and community roots to the race.
Born and raised in Allegan County, she earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Detroit and her law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy. In 1994, Heidi married her husband Tom Wolf, an Army veteran and physician assistant.
Together, they moved to Allegan in 2006 and have called it home ever since.
Heidi began practicing law in 1994, starting her career in her parents’ dining room before establishing offices first in Plainwell and then Allegan. In 1999, she first served as the court-appointed attorney to Allegan County’s District Court, a position she held for the next 15 years.
Throughout her career, Heidi has built a reputation as a tenacious advocate in criminal defense, civil matters, and family law, with extensive litigation experience in jury trials, bench trials, evidentiary hearings, and preliminary examinations — the full scope of cases that come before District Court.
Beyond her legal practice, Heidi has held multiple leadership roles with the Allegan County Bar Association, serving as president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer. She spent five years on the board of Allegan County Community Mental Health and served on the board of the Allegan County Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect Council.
Wolf developed the Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Program for the CA/N Council, a program that pairs volunteers with children in abuse/neglect proceedings still in use today
She was also instrumental in developing the Mental Health Treatment Court, a specialty program used in District Court that she remains committed to preserving. Her dedication to the community has earned her recognition from readers of the Allegan County News, who have named her Best of the Best Attorneys multiple times.
Wolf has earned broad support from Circuit Court Judges Matthew Antkoviak, Emily W. Jipp, and Margaret Zuzich Bakker; Probate and Family Court Judge Jolene Clearwater; retired District Court Judges William Baillargeon, Steven Sheridan and Gary Stewart, Sr; and Wayland Police Chief Scott Matice.
“Our courts set the tone for public trust in the justice system,” Wolf said. “As your next District Court Judge, I will apply the law with discipline and humility, treat every person with dignity, and ensure that Allegan County’s courts remain places where fairness is not only promised, but practiced.”
She is one of three candidates for the term limited Judge Joseph Scokelos.
I think she is younger than a 1986 grad.