Mary E. Alexander
- Location: San Francisco, California
- Phone: (415) 433-4440
- Fax: (415) 433-5440
- Super Lawyers Profile : Click Here.
Personal injury attorney and the founding attorney of Mary Alexander & Associates, P.C., Mary Alexander built her career advocating for people whose lives are severely impacted by the negligence and misdeeds of others. A smart, fierce and relentless litigator, Mary’s success record includes some of California’s most high-profile and high-stakes consumer rights, sexual misconduct, toxic chemicals and vehicular accident cases.
Mary wins large verdicts and settlements for her clients through a combination of trial strength and a deep commitment to accountability. Her work fighting against powerful institutions and pursuing claims other attorneys avoid, especially on behalf of women, children, the disabled and families of those who suffered wrongful deaths, has earned her numerous accolades at both the state and national levels.
Proven Results for Real People
Mary’s litigation record reflects both scale and impact for the people behind each result. Below are just some of Mary’s recoveries:
- $305 million settlement against paint companies that promoted and sold lead paint for homes in 10 California counties while knowing the product was poisonous to children. The settlement helped end two decades of litigation, which also included a $1.15 billion bench verdict.
- $32.7 million settlement with the City of Oakland for some families of the victims, and one survivor, of the deadly Ghost Ship fire that killed 36 people during a concert in December 2016. Mary served as lead plaintiffs’ liaison counsel and helped prove that the City knew of dangerous conditions at the warehouse but failed to take action to protect the public. Additional multi-million-dollar recoveries followed the 2020 settlement.
- $45 million verdict for a woman left quadriplegic after a driver ran a red light.
- $21.4 million verdict in a wrongful death case for families who lost two brothers to cancer after being exposed to the known cancer-causing chemical benzene.
- $13 million judgment for a child who was sexually abused by his soccer coach over several years.
Many of Mary’s matters generate media coverage. In press conferences and interviews with journalists, Mary consistently underscores that these cases are about exposing failures and forcing change while ensuring victims and their families are heard and taken seriously. With a mixture of compassion and authority, she reveals how negligence changes lives with the goals of protecting her clients and, hopefully, preventing future injuries and pain for others.
Strategic Advocacy Built on Technical Insight
Before becoming a lawyer, Mary was a medical toxicology researcher and the director of environmental health at Stanford Research Center. Her interest in protecting the environment, coupled with her deep-seated desire to safeguard vulnerable people from the hazards around us, led Mary to leave her science career behind and enroll in Santa Clara University School of Law.
Mary still puts her science background to work for her clients every day, particularly those involving toxic exposure, product liability and complex medical issues. She translates highly technical evidence into clear, compelling narratives for juries.
A Career Defined by Recognition and Leadership
Mary’s work has earned national recognition, including induction into the Lawdragon Hall of Fame and repeated honors from the Daily Journal as a Top Plaintiff Attorney, Top Woman Lawyer and Top 100 Attorney. She was named a Consumer Attorney of the Year by the California Attorneys Association of California (CAOC), reflecting both her trial results and her broader impact on consumer protection.
She is a past president of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA) and the CAOC — leadership roles that reflect a career defined not only by results, but by advancing the rights of those who need an advocate for justice.
Education
- Santa Clara School of Law, J.D., 1982
- University of California, Berkeley, MPH, 1976
- University of Iowa
Bar Admissions
- California (1982)
- Supreme Court of the United States (2015)
- S. District Court for the District of Arizona (1986)
- S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (1982)
Honors and Awards
- Northern California Super Lawyers (2006–present; noted 2018)
- Best Lawyers (2018-2018, 2023)
- Daily Journal
- Top 35 Plaintiff Attorney in California (2021, 2022)
- Top 100 Attorneys in California (2020, 2022)
- Top Women Lawyers in California (2020-2022)
- California Lawyer of the Year Award (2021)
- Top 30 Plaintiff Attorney in California (2020)
- Top 25 Plaintiff Lawyers in California (2015)
- Lawdragon Hall of Fame (2021)
- Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC)
- Presidential Award of Merit (2004, 2005, 2020)
- Consumer Attorney of the Year (2019)
- Trial Lawyer of the Year, Women’s Caucus (2009)
- Global 100, Civil Litigation Lawyer of the Year – Civil, Boutique, Personal Injury (2020)
- National Law Journal, Plaintiff Trailblazer Award (2019)
- Who’s Who Directory, Top Attorneys of North America (2018–2019)
- The National Trial Lawyers
- Top 25 National Women Trial Lawyers (2018)
- Top 25 National Women’s Award (2018)
- National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys, Top 10 Attorney Award (2018)
- American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys, 10 Best Attorneys (2017–2018)
- Lifetime Achievement Northern California, Top 100 Attorneys (2018)
- Best Law Firms of America (2017)
- 500 Leading Lawyers in America
- “The Heavyweights” (2014)
- “The Influencers” (2012)
- The Recorder
- Best of 2013
- Million-Dollar Settlements (2010)
- Public Justice, Trial Lawyer of the Year (2014)
- San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association, Trial Lawyer of the Year (2014)
- Top Lawyers of San Francisco (Legal Community Recognition), Top Rated Lawyers (2013)
- San Francisco Magazine, Top 50 Women Attorneys in Northern California (2012)
- California State Bar, Litigation Section, Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame (2012)
- Santa Clara School of Law, Honorary Doctor of Law Degree Upon Delivering Commencement Speech (2003)
- Themis, Trial Lawyer of the Year (2001)
- American Association for Justice (AAJ), Marie Lambert Award (1996)
Professional Associations and Memberships
- American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) (1997–present)
- National ABOTA, American Civil Trial Roundtable Co-Facilitator (2022)
- National Board (2005–2006)
- ABOTA Foundation, Senior Life Fellow (2016)
- ABOTA Foundation, Life Fellow (2000)
- American Bar Association (ABA), (1982–present)
- Standing Committee on Medical Professional Liability (2015)
- American Association for Justice (AAJ)
- AAJ Leaders’ Forum (2002–present)
- Board of AAJ Endowment (1998–2017)
- President, AAJ Endowment (2010)
- Treasurer, AAJ Endowment (2009, 1999)
- Secretary, AAJ Endowment (2007–2008)
- President (2003)
- President Elect (2002)
- Vice President (2001)
- Secretary (2000)
- Treasurer (1999)
- Parliamentarian (1998)
- Chair, State Delegates (1996–1997)
- Chair, Council of Presidents (1996–1997)
- Chair, PAC Task Force (1995–1996)
- Chair, Membership Committee (1994–1995)
- National Center for State Courts, Attorney Board Member (2004–present)
- Bar Association of San Francisco, (1984–present)
- Board of Directors (2004–2007)
- Western Trial Lawyers Association, Board of Governors (1995–present)
- Public Justice, (1982–present)
- Board of Governors (1995–1999)
- Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC)
- President (1996)
- President-Elect (1995)
- Vice President (1994)
- Parliamentarian (1993)
- Board of Governors (1988–1992)
- Roscoe Pound Institute, President (2005)
- San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association Board (1984–1999)
- California Women Lawyers (1982–present)
- Association of Plaintiff Interstate Trucking Lawyers of America
- College of Master Advocates and Barristers, Senior Counsel
- National Crimes Victims Association, President
- Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles
- San Mateo County Trial Lawyers Association
- Santa Clara Trial Lawyers Association
- Santa Clara University School of Law Board of Visitors
