After graduating from the University of Virginia in 1986, Heaphy taught at a private school for a year and then joined the staff of Senator Joe Biden (D-Del.) He returned to Charlottesville, Virginia in 1988 to attend law school, graduating in 1991.[3]
In 2003, Heaphy joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Virginia based in Charlottesville, Virginia. After three years, Heaphy returned to private practice, serving as a partner with the law firm of McGuireWoods.[5] In 2009, Heaphy was nominated by President Barack Obama to became the United States attorney for the Western District of Virginia, assuming that post on December 11, 2009.[4][6]
Return to private practice
He left the U.S. Attorney's office in December 2014 to join Hunton & Williams.[6]
In 2016, Heaphy founded a nonprofit organization that provides low-interest loans to formerly incarcerated persons, The Fountain Fund.
In 2017, Heaphy authored a report, commissioned by the city of Charlottesville, on its handling of the August 2017 Unite the Right rally.[7]