Laura D. Phillips has represented seriously injured people in medical malpractice and personal injury cases in the state and federal courts throughout Pennsylvania throughout her legal career. Her work has included cases involving wrongful death, birth injuries, obstetrical injuries, surgical errors, misdiagnosis and delayed diagnosis, failure to treat stroke, failure to treat DVT and pulmonary embolism, failure to diagnose cauda equina syndrome, and more.
Laura is proud to hold an “AV Preeminent” Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, the highest possible rating by her fellow attorneys for both legal ability and ethics. Due to her trial advocacy skills, Laura is also an invited member of both the Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County and the Academy of Trial Lawyers of Southwestern Pennsylvania.
Since 2019, Laura has been recognized as one of the Top 50 lawyers in Pittsburgh and Top 50 women lawyers in Pennsylvania by Super Lawyers, and in 2022, she was named as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in Pennsylvania. Every year since 2013, Laura has been recognized as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer or a Super Lawyers Rising Star in the field of plaintiff’s medical malpractice litigation. Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. Super Lawyers Rising Stars are considered the top up-and-coming attorneys in their field who have been practicing for fewer than ten years. She is also a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, whose membership is limited to attorneys who have achieved verdicts and settlements on behalf of their clients in excess of one million dollars.
Laura has served on the Board of Governors of the Western Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association and the Board of Governors of the Pennsylvania Association for Justice (PAJ). She is a former Chair of the Future Leaders Section of the PAJ and former President and Vice-President of the Young Lawyers’ Division of the Washington County Bar Association. Laura is also a member of the Women’s Bar Association of Southwestern Pennsylvania, American Bar Association, American Association for Justice, Allegheny County Bar Association, and Allegheny County Bar Foundation.
Laura earned her Bachelor of Science from Georgetown University, where she was a member of the International Politics Honors Program. She received her Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center, where she was a Legal Research and Writing Fellow. While in law school, Laura was selected to be a member of the Appellate Litigation Clinic and represented clients in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth and D.C. Circuits. She was raised in Washington, Pennsylvania and is a proud alumna of Mount de Chantal Visitation Academy in Wheeling, West Virginia, the only all-girls school in West Virginia between 1848 and its closing in 2008.
Laura is frequently invited to teach continuing legal education (CLE) courses, and she has spoken on topics including trial tactics, professional ethics, courtroom technology, and proving damages.
Laura resides in Thornburg Borough with her husband and their young son.
Areas of Practice
Bar Admissions
- Pennsylvania
- U.S. District Court, Western District of Pennsylvania
Education
- Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, District of Columbia
- Juris Doctor, 2004
- Honors: Legal Research and Writing Fellow, Appellate Litigation Clinic
- Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia
- Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service, 2001
- Honors: Dean’s List, Second Honors, International Politics Honors Program
Classes/Seminars
- 20th Annual Symposium on Civil Trial Practice, Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County, 2019
- 19th Annual Symposium on Civil Trial Practice, Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County, 2018
- Effectively Preparing Your Expert for Trial, Women’s Bar Association, 2017
- Opening Statements: The Lawyer as Storyteller, Pennsylvania Bar Institute 2014, 2015
- What’s it Worth?, Pennsylvania Association for Justice, 2013
- How to Conduct an Effective Direct and Cross-Examination, Pennsylvania Bar Institute, 2013
- Ethical Rainmaking in Challenging Times, Washington County Bar Association, 2011
- Maximizing Recovery in Challenging Times, Pennsylvania Bar Institute, 2009
- Using Technology to Make Your Case, Washington County Bar Association, 2009
- Lawyer Advertising: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Washington County Bar Association, 2008
Professional Associations and Memberships
- Pennsylvania Association for Justice, Board of Governors, 2008 to 2017
- Pennsylvania Association for Justice, Future Leaders Section Chair, 2011 to 2012
- Western Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association, Board of Governors, 2007-2022
- Washington County Health Partners, Board of Directors, 2009-2013
- Washington County Bar Association, President, Young Lawyers’ Division, 2008
- Women’s Bar Association, Member, 2013 to Present
- Pennsylvania Bar Association, Member, 2006 to Present
- American Bar Association, Member, 2004 to Present
- Allegheny County Bar Association, Member, 2006 to Present
- American Association for Justice, New Lawyers Division Board of Governors, 2009 to 2010
Published Works
- My First Trial(s), PA Justice News, Fall, 2008
- Interview with the Hon. Debbie O’Dell Seneca, PA Justice News, May, 2011
Representative Cases
- Pscolka v. Boehme, 987 WDA 2014, 2015, Pa. Super.
- Phillips v. Washington Co. Trans. Auth., et al., 986 A.2d 925, 2009, Pa. Commw.
- Olatunji v. Ashcroft, 387 F.3d 383, 2004, 4th Cir.
