Mark B. Shepherd

Of Counsel
Direct | 206-805-1491
E-mail | MShepherd@PivotalLawGroup.com

Seasoned Trial Lawyer

For over 37 years, Mark Shepherd has successfully represented clients in a wide variety of litigation. He has litigated cases in Washington and Oregon, and in state and federal courts. Mark obtains justice for his clients through settlement negotiations, mediation, arbitration or trial, using the legal approaches best suited to further the interests of his clients. Mark and his litigation team tailor their litigation strategies and tactics to the facts and circumstances of each individual case to meet the client’s needs, reach their client’s goals and achieve just resolutions of serious problems.

Advocate for the injured

Mark represents individuals in traumatic brain injury, wrongful death, serious personal injury, product liability, and medical negligence cases. In his first ten years of law practice Mark defended such clients as large manufacturers, hospitals, medical providers, insurance companies and even a Nobel Prize winner. In the mid-nineties, Mark began to practice as a plaintiff’s trial attorney. Most of his practice now involves protecting the rights of victims of negligence or defective products. His experience as both a defense attorney and plaintiff’s attorney provides him valuable insights and tools to efficiently and effectively advocate for his clients. In the past ten years, Mark has sought justice for clients from five continents and from many states around the country.

Here are several representative results Mark has obtained for clients over the past several years:

• $4,000,000 for a young man permanently incapacitated by severe head injuries from a preventable beating by his cellmate in state prison (believed to be among the largest settlement paid by the State in such a case);
• $1,375,000 for the family of a 55 year old worker who died from severe lung damage after an explosion at a manufacturing plant;
• $512,500 for a client injured when a negligently installed window blind crushed her arm;
• $764,000 for a migrant family tragically impacted by a preventable truck collision;
• $425,000 for a man who had part of his foot nearly chewed off by a police dog during an unnecessarily brutal arrest;
• $5,850,000 for clients who suffered heart damage from a diet drug;
• $125,000 for an elderly man who was harmed when given the wrong prescription medication by a pharmacy;
• $125,000 for a young woman for a negligent surgery on her jaw;
• $215,000 for an infant who lost part of one finger due to negligent medical care.

Experienced Employment Lawyer

Mark conducts a robust employment law practice. This practice includes litigating and resolving workplace disputes involving incidents of discrimination, harassment and wrongful termination. He guides clients concerning employment contracts, termination, separation agreements and severance packages. Mark helps employers understand applicable employment law and implement appropriate policies and practices.

Mark also represents victims of discrimination, retaliation or harassment in the workplace, wrongful withholding of wages and wrongful termination. Here are some representative results that Mark has obtained for his clients over the past several years:

• $776,000 judgment consisting of a plaintiff verdict of $365,000 plus a court application of 1.5 multiplier award for attorneys’ fees of $411,000 to a male Ethiopian Muslim case worker against Washington State Department of Social and Health Services;
• $300,000 for several women subjected to sexual harassment and discriminatory treatment in the workplace;
• $160,000 for a woman exposed to explicit sexual conversations at work and then fired when she complained;
• $325,000 for 2 Hispanic women who were victims of sexual harassment at work and several coworkers who were retaliated against when they stood up for the women; $150,000 for 2 young women sexually harassed by their supervisor at work;
• Large, confidential settlement in a class action suit to recover unpaid wages.

Champion of Clients’ Rights

Mark is proud and gratified when his efforts can lessen the pain and improve the lives of persons whose lives have been needlessly shattered. Mark has earned the rating “AV” by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest rating a lawyer can obtain, confirming his preeminent legal ability and exceptional ethical standards.

If you or a family member has suffered a serious injury because a person or corporation was negligent, or needs help with any employment matter, please contact Mark. The initial consultation is free. If he accepts your case, he may charge no attorney’s fees until he wins or settles your claim.

Practice Areas

• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Serious Personal Injury
• Medical Malpractice
• Wrongful Death
• Product Liability
• Employment Law (Discrimination, Harassment, Wrongful Termination, Contracts, Severance)

Professional Affiliations

Admitted to Practice:

• Washington State
• Oregon State
• U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington
• U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Washington
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit

Memberships:

• Washington State Bar Association
• Oregon State Bar Association
• King County Bar Association
• Washington State Association for Justice
• American Bar Association
• American Association for Justice

Education

• University of California at Berkeley, J.D., 1983
• University of Washington, B.A. Economics, 1979