Shepard O’Donnell, one of the top asbestos personal injury law firms in Massachusetts for 25 years, announces that Co-Managing Partner Erika O’Donnell has been named to the 2023 Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly “Top Women of Law” list. This highly competitive honor celebrates the exceptional accomplishments of women attorneys as leaders, educators and mentors. The award also recognizes attorneys for their pro bono, social justice, advocacy and business efforts.
O’Donnell’s practice focuses on asbestos litigation, management of the firm, and more recently, her position as Plaintiffs’ Liaison Counsel in the Massachusetts Asbestos Litigation (MAL) docket. Throughout her nearly 20-year career, she has achieved numerous multi-million-dollar settlements and verdicts in cases involving mesothelioma, lung cancer and other asbestos-related diseases, smoking-related cancers and pharmaceutical drugs and devices. Additionally, O’Donnell is a role model and mentor to other attorneys and paralegals at the firm. In recognition of her many contributions, O’Donnell was named co-managing partner in 2023, and the firm rebranded to Shepard O’Donnell.
“Erika has been an instrumental component of our success, and I can’t think of anyone more deserving of this prestigious honor,” said Founder Michael Shepard. “For the many years I have known her, Erika takes initiative and dives into the complexity of asbestos and toxic tort litigation without hesitation, all while mentoring the next generation of legal professionals. She is everything you want a personal injury lawyer and a partner to be. Congratulations on this amazing achievement!”
As an active member of the Boston legal community, O’Donnell is a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association, the Worcester Bar Association, the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys and the American Association for Justice. O’Donnell is a founding member of a prestigious national group of female toxic-tort litigators, Women of PALS. In addition to her recognition as a “Top Women of Law,” she has been recognized by Massachusetts Super Lawyers and The Best Lawyers in America.
Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly reports decisions issued by all the state and federal courts in Massachusetts, as well as changes to court rules, verdict and settlement reports, bar-discipline notices, and all other news vital to attorneys in the commonwealth. It also covers hundreds of rulings from state and federal trial courts in Massachusetts.
