Carol Nelson Shepherd and John Dodig Honored by Legal Intelligencer as Pennsylvania Trailblazers

Feldman Shepherd is pleased to announce that co-founding partner Carol Nelson Shepherd and partner John M. Dodig have been honored by The Legal Intelligencer as Pennsylvania Trailblazers. The award is given to attorneys who have made significant marks on the practice, policy and technological advancement of their practice.

Shepherd was honored for achieving millions of dollars in medical malpractice victories for women, children and others neglected by the healthcare system. Her trailblazing work includes a case that led Pennsylvania lawmakers to mandate a minimum 48-hour hospitalization for mothers and newborns after insurance companies in the 1990s began denying coverage for more than 24 hours in the hospital following birth. Infants, including her client, sometimes went home with undetected jaundice and developed a condition called kernicterus, which causes brain damage and other disabilities. Shepherd also trailblazes in litigation that explores discrepancies in the healthcare system that seem to fall disproportionately on women, especially women of color. She is particularly interested in cases that change how medicine is practiced, so other patients do not suffer the same harm.

Dodig was honored for his work on behalf of victims of catastrophic automobile accidents. He trailblazes in exploring the liability of parties who were peripheral to his client’s loss, such as engineering or construction companies that designed or built a dangerous highway or a government agency that failed to maintain safe road conditions. His work has led to safety improvements on numerous roadways. In 1996, Dodig successfully argued before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court the seminal case finding that police should be held responsible for negligence during high-speed chases. More than two decades later, he continues to represent innocent bystanders who are seriously injured in police chases and to take on cases that lead to policy changes in how police conduct these pursuits.

“Carol and John are not just smart, creative and successful lawyers, they are indeed trailblazers who innovate and establish new theories of recovery that not only help their clients, but others who have been victims of wrongdoing,” said Alan M. Feldman, Co-Managing Shareholder of the firm. “We very much appreciate that their extraordinary lawyering has been recognized by The Legal Intelligencer, the leading publication for our legal community.”