Janet, Jenner & Suggs Attorney Kimberly Dougherty Takes Top Honor as Massachusetts' "Lawyer of the Year"
BOSTON, March 26, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Janet, Jenner & Suggs' attorney Kimberly Dougherty, whose efforts in gathering and preserving evidence against the New England Compounding Center was key to creation of a now $210 million trust fund for victims, has been named Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly's top 2014 Lawyer of the Year.
Her selection from among 13 finalists was unveiled March 5, at the publication's annual awards ceremony in Boston. Honorees were nominated by their colleagues, clients and other legal professionals for their legal skills and community leadership.
"Kim continues to distinguish herself in mass torts litigation, where she has assumed leadership positions and also broken barriers for women," noted Robert K. Jenner, who heads the JJ&S mass torts department. "She exemplifies the best of the profession, and we like to think reflects the quality of the firm overall," he added.
Janet, Jenner & Suggs is a national plaintiffs firm recognized in the areas of mass torts litigation involving dangerous drugs and medical devices, medical malpractice, birth injuries leading to cerebral palsy, abused children, and toxic site hazards. The firm's expertise and advocacy have resulted in substantial verdicts and settlements for clients, and have earned the firm the highest recognition for ethical conduct and professional excellence among leading peer review organizations.
Leadership Leads to Results
Dougherty, a partner who heads the firm's Boston office, serves on the plaintiff's steering committee overseeing hundreds of lawsuits filed against the now defunct NECC, blamed in over 64 deaths and 751 serious illnesses linked to contaminated steroid injections. After being retained by co-counsel of an injured client, she moved quickly to secure court approval for preservation of evidence and an on-site inspection of the facility, which eventually uncovered gross negligence and proved key to leveraging a settlement and establishing the victims' fund.
The preservation of evidence also helped identify additional responsible parties, many of which have added to the fund, and others who are still being pursued in court.
Dougherty also plays a leadership role in transvaginal mesh litigation consolidated in Massachusetts state court. She was a lead negotiator in a global settlement of some 1,000 cases on behalf of nearly 30 law firms.
Tireless Advocate for Women in the Law
Dougherty is a tireless advocate for women in the law. She is soon to be President of the Massachusetts Women's Bar Association (WBA), and sits on the Executive Board and Board of Governors for Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys ("MATA") where she chaired its Women's Caucus for nearly eight years. In 2014, she received the President's Award from MATA for her contributions on gender equity issues in the profession.
More about Janet, Jenner & Suggs
Janet, Jenner & Suggs' recent high profile cases include a $190 million settlement for some 9,000 patients of a Johns Hopkins gynecologist, accused in the largest sexual abuse case involving a single predator in U.S. history; representation of "Victim 6" in the child abuse scandal involving former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky; and, in 2014 alone, tens of millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts for children who developed cerebral palsy as the result of medical malpractice. In addition to Boston, MA, Janet, Jenner & Suggs maintains primary offices in Baltimore, MD; Columbia, SC; New York, NY; Ashville, NC, and satellite offices in several other states, and the District of Columbia.
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CONTACT: Teresa Kelly
For Janet, Jenner & Suggs
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