Wendy R.S. O'Connor

Wendy is a shareholder in the firm's Casualty Department where she routinely represents national and local clients in matters involving premises liability, product liability, retail and restaurant liability, and trucking accident cases. In her practice, Wendy defends supermarket and department store chains in slip and fall, personal injury, and negligent security claims and represents clients in jury trials, non-jury trials and arbitration hearings.

Wendy has also assisted in the handling of health care liability matters and has a significant background in the defense of veterinary malpractice actions.

Wendy has presented to many different audiences on a variety of topics, with a focus on health care issues, including Pennsylvania's Peer Review Protection Act, informed consent, the challenges posed by electronic medical records, the impact of social media on the health care defense case, and best practices of EMR charting and documentation. Wendy frequently writes about the practice of law from an interpersonal perspective and has authored articles focusing on client relations, collegiality in the profession, and the importance of mentorship. While in law school, she served as a judicial intern to the Honorable Samuel W. Salas, Court of Common Pleas of Montgomery County. After graduating from law school, she concentrated her practice in product liability, casualty, and professional liability defense.

Wendy is the former president of the Board of Trustees of The Hillside School and is the school's former solicitor. She is also a former member of the Christkindlmart Council of ArtsQuest.

She is licensed to practice before the state and federal courts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Year joined

2010

Results

Defense knocks-out plaintiff

Amusements, Sports and Recreation Liability
December 30, 2019

We obtained summary judgment on behalf of a boxing gym. The plaintiff, a seasoned boxing coach, claimed to have been injured when he fell out of a boxing ring during a sparring match at the defendant’s gym. The plaintiff asserted that while standing on the apron with his back to the ring, he was struck by one of the fighters and propelled out and onto the floor.

Thought Leadership

Marshall Dennehey Announces New Shareholders and Special Counsel

January 4, 2016
Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin is pleased to announce that 14 attorneys were elected shareholders of the firm at the annual shareholders' meeting held December 8 in Philadelphia.

Cell Phone Usage and Motor Vehicle Litigation

Allentown
Automobile Liability
April 1, 2020

Winning the Safety Sweep-Stakes: The Impact of Inspection Protocals on Retailer Slip-and-Fall Litigation

Premises and Retail Liability
January 1, 2020

Avoiding Arbitration Panel Fatigue: Tips For Keeping Your Arbitrators Full Attention

Allentown
Professional Liability
September 30, 2018

May I Finish? The Case Against Interrupting

Allentown
Professional Liability
September 11, 2018

Mentors Teach Young Lawyers How To Be Lawyers

Allentown
Professional Liability
April 19, 2017

•Load More

Classes/Seminars Taught

Hills and Ridges: Defending the Snow and Ice Slip and Fall Case in Pennsylvania, Marshall Dennehey Client Presentation, 2019

Limited Tort v. Full Tort/Verbal Threshold v. Zero Threshold - Which Option Applies? Marshall Dennehey Client Presentation, 2018

A Primer on Legal Malpractice Claims in Pennsylvania, Marshall Dennehey Client Presentation, 2017

Blitz on Damages: Reducing the Plaintiff's Economic Damages Claim, Marshall Dennehey Client Presentation, 2016

The Whittling Away of Protection Afforded Under the Pennsylvania Peer Review Protection Act, Health Care and Health Law Seminar, Marshall Dennehey, November 5, 2015

Documenting Your Care: Good for You; Good for Your Patient, Pocono Medical Center Nursing Staff, October 2015

Informed Consent After Brady v. Urbas - Taking Another Look, Bar Association of Lehigh County, September 23, 2015

Mock Deposition of a Nurse, Pocono Medical Center Nursing Staff, May 2015

Beyond Barrick v. Holy Spirit: Guidelines for Expert Witness Communications, Northampton County Bar Association, March 2015

Anatomy of a Lawsuit and the Impact of the Internet, October 2014

Grievance or Dispute Resolution Clauses, September 9, 2014

Oh, What a Tangled Web We Weave: How the Internet Can Make or Break the Medical Professional Negligence Case, 63rd Annual Joint Meeting of the Lehigh County Bar Association and Lehigh County Medical Society, September 9, 2014

EMR and Electronic Communications with Patients: When is it Okay to Hit Send?, Pocono Medical Center Grand Rounds, December 2013

Litigation Issues Arising From the Use of Electronic Medical Records, Northampton County Medical Society, September 2013

Federal Discovery Abuses: Was That Wrong?

Getting Paid in a Recession Economy: Tips for the Small Business Owner

Documenting the Job: A Guide to AIA Forms for the Construction Manager

The Importance of Patient Communication, Sacred Heart Hospital Family Practice Residents, Winter 2012

Nursing Care Best Practices, Moravian Village of Bethlehem, Spring 2011

Recent Updates from Pennsylvania's Appellate Court: Civil Litigation, 2005

Publications

Cell Phone Usage and Motor Vehicle Litigation, The Pennsylvania Bar Association Quarterly, April 2020

Winning The ‘Safety Sweep-Stakes’: The Impact of Inspection Protocols on Retailer Slip-and-Fall Litigation, Counterpoint, newsletter of the Pennsylvania Defense Institute, January 2020

The 21st Century Litigator: You're Only As Good As Your Technology, Network Magazine, October 12, 2018

May I Finish? The Case Against Interrupting, ABA Journal, September 11, 2018

Avoiding Arbitration Panel Fatigue: Tips For Keeping Your Arbitrators' Full Attention, The Pennsylvania Lawyer, September/October 2018

Mentors Teach Young Lawyers How to Be Lawyers, The Legal Intelligencer, April 20, 2017

You Don't Have to be a Jerk: The Case for Civility in the Profession, Pennsylvania Bar Association, Civil Litigation Section, Civil Litigation Update, Winter/Spring 2017

Every Dog Has Its Day...In Court - Things to Keep in Mind When the Fur Starts to Fly, Network Magazine, Summer 2016

Does Your 'Bedside Manner' Need a Checkup? The Pennsylvania Lawyer, July/August 2016

The Peer Review Protection Act ( PRPA ): Looking Back, Looking Ahead, The Pennsylvania Bar Association Quarterly, April 2016

Informed Consent: What Every Pennsylvania Physician Needs to Know, Physician's News Digest, October 19, 2015

Medical Professional Negligence - What’s In A Name? If You’re The Plaintiff, It Doesn’t Matter, Defense Digest, Vol. 20, No. 3, September 2014

Pro Bono Activities

Support for Child Advocates, Philadelphia, PA, 1990-1994