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    Mary Elizabeth Sherwin

    Biography

    Mary Beth is a Member in the firm’s Health Care Group. She chairs the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee and serves on the firm’s Recruiting Committee. Her practice includes insurance defense of personal injury matters in the health care context ranging from the representation of health systems and hospitals to practices and individual healthcare providers. In addition to civil litigation, she also defends health care providers in matters before the Virginia Department of Health Professions to include the respective licensing boards. Mary Beth routinely advises her health care clients on risk management and medical staff issues. She also provides guidance on health care decision-making matters to include guardianship/conservatorship and medical treatment proceedings.

    Representative Matters

    • Counsels health systems, hospitals, nursing homes, physicians and other health care professionals on risk management issues, and handles guardianship and medical treatment proceedings
    • Defends health care professionals when their depositions are requested as treating providers
    • Represents health care professionals before health regulatory boards, including the Virginia Board of Medicine and the Virginia Board of Nursing – most recently defended physician who was fully exonerated by Board despite receiving letter of reprimand from hospital for endangering resident
    • Handles the Medical Malpractice Team’s cases involving female health care professionals

    Recognition & Honors

    • Go To Lawyers; Med Mal: Defense; Virginia Lawyers Weekly, 2024
    • Top Lawyers; CoVaBIZ Magazine, 2019-2024
    • Virginia’s Legal Elite; Virginia Business Magazine, 2014-2023
    • Influential Women of Law; Virginia Lawyers Weekly, 2021
    • Best Lawyers in America, 2021
    • Virginia Rising Stars; Law & Politics, 2008-2015
    • Virginia Rising Stars; PI Med Mal: Defense, 2015
    • LEAD Hampton Roads, Class of 2014
    • AV® Rated; Martindale-Hubbell
    • Law Clerk to The Honorable Rebecca Beach Smith, Chief Judge, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
    • Editorial Board; William & Mary Law Review
    • William & Mary National Trial Team
    • Wellesley College Scholar

    Associations

    • Virginia Bar Association; Healthcare and Litigation Sections
    • Virginia State Bar
    • Norfolk-Portsmouth Bar Association
    • Federal Bar Association
    • Defense Research Institute
    • Bon Secours Mercy Health South Hampton Roads Foundation; Board of Directors

    Court Admissions

    • Virginia
    • U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals
    • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia

    Education

    • Columbia University; Paris France, 1996
    • Wellesley College; A.B., cum laude, 1997
    • William & Mary Law School; J.D., 2000

    Press & Publications