Recognition highlights Alexander’s four decades of advocacy for survivors, consumers and families harmed by institutional negligence
SAN FRANCISCO, June 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Mary Alexander & Associates, P.C. announced today that founding attorney Mary E. Alexander has been named to the Daily Journal’s annual Top Women Lawyers list, recognizing leading women attorneys across California.
The Daily Journal highlighted Alexander’s work in some of the state’s most significant personal injury, sexual abuse, toxic exposure, consumer protection and public safety cases. The recognition underscores a career defined by trial strength, scientific fluency, public accountability and a commitment to representing people whose lives changed because of preventable harm.
“Every case starts with a person or family trying to rebuild after a devastating loss,” Alexander said. “This recognition is meaningful because it reflects the work our firm does to make sure clients are heard, believed and taken seriously – and to hold powerful institutions accountable when they put people in danger.”
Alexander came to plaintiffs’ law after a career in public health and toxicology. Before becoming a lawyer, she worked as a medical toxicology researcher and served as director of environmental health at Stanford Research Institute. That background shaped a legal career focused on complex causation, toxic exposure, product liability, catastrophic injury and institutional misconduct.
The Daily Journal noted that Alexander’s recent work reflects the range and scale of her practice. She represented three former students who alleged sexual abuse by a tutor recommended by school personnel in Jane Doe 1, 2, 3 v. Castilleja School Foundation, 25CV458088 (S. Clara Co. Super. Ct., filed Feb. 3, 2025), a case that resolved for $2.25 million. The publication also highlighted her work for survivors in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles clergy abuse litigation, which produced total settlements exceeding $1.5 billion, including an $880 million resolution covering more than 1,300 survivors.
Alexander also served as liaison counsel for plaintiffs in the Ghost Ship Fire litigation, helping secure more than $32.7 million in settlements for families and a survivor after the 2016 Oakland warehouse fire killed 36 people. The case overcame governmental immunity defenses and helped hold the City of Oakland accountable for alleged failures to address dangerous conditions at the property.
Her career also includes a leading role in the landmark California lead paint public nuisance litigation against major manufacturers. The case spanned nearly two decades, survived multiple appeals and produced a $1.15 billion verdict that contributed to a $305 million settlement for lead hazard remediation across California communities.
“These cases often involve defendants with enormous resources and decades of institutional protection,” Alexander said. “Our job is to cut through that, prove what happened and force accountability that can create real change.”
Alexander’s record includes numerous eight- and nine-figure verdicts and settlements. Her firm bio lists major results including a $45 million verdict for a woman left quadriplegic after a red-light collision, a $21.4 million wrongful death verdict for families of two brothers who died of cancer after benzene exposure, a $13 million judgment involving child sexual abuse by a soccer coach and the $305 million lead paint settlement.
In addition to her litigation record, Alexander has long held leadership roles in the plaintiffs’ bar. She is a past president of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, now known as the American Association for Justice, and Consumer Attorneys of California. Her honors include induction into the Lawdragon Hall of Fame, recognition as a Consumer Attorney of the Year by Consumer Attorneys of California and repeated recognition by the Daily Journal as a Top Plaintiff Attorney, Top Woman Lawyer and Top 100 Attorney.
“Mary has spent her career taking on cases that other lawyers might view as too difficult, too technical or too risky,” the firm said. “Her work has helped survivors of abuse, families devastated by fire, children exposed to toxic hazards and people catastrophically injured by negligence. This honor reflects the impact of that work and the courage of the clients who trusted her to tell their stories.”
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SOURCE Mary Alexander & Associates
