Wendy R.S. O’Connor, an attorney with 30+ years of experience in the defense litigation arena, has practiced in a variety of areas during the course of career, beginning with environmental insurance coverage and pharmaceutical products liability defense. After taking off time to raise her four daughters, one of whom is intellectually disabled, Wendy returned to the practice of law in the area of business litigation for five years before finding her “forever home” at Marshall Dennehey, where she focuses her practice in general casualty defense, retail premises liability and veterinary liability defense.
Representing local, regional, and national clients in trial and at the appellate level, Wendy has honed her written and oral advocacy over a lifetime of practice in the state and federal courts of Eastern Pennsylvania. Wendy is a prolific writer and presenter on litigation trends and has drafted scholarly articles on topics as diverse as the Peer Review Act and motorist cell phone usage as a basis for punitive damages claims. 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.
Wendy views her role as counsel as both providing a sound, compelling defense as well as shepherding her clients through what can be a stressful and frightening experience. As a former parenting educator, Wendy attended an intensive, fifty-hour course for facilitators that concentrated on communication and has found this training to be an invaluable asset in her legal practice. From a philosophical standpoint, Wendy attributes her success to exhaustive preparation, humility, a hard-won thick skin, and her signature double string of pearls.
A voracious reader, Wendy also enjoys writing about non-legal issues and has authored over one hundred essays on current events, society, and culture. In 2002, Wendy wrote a story for her oldest daughter featuring a family not unlike her own; in the years since, she has penned twenty more such tales which, in addition to her annual scrapbooks, have become family heirlooms. Wendy loves to garden, her Newfoundland dog, Hattie; and her husband of 35 years, Michael, a family medicine physician.
Year joined
2010
Results
Summary Judgment Secured in Pennsylvania Motor Vehicle Case
Automobile Liability
July 25, 2025
We won summary judgment in a motor vehicle case before the Court of Common Pleas of Northampton County, Pennsylvania. The plaintiff was in the course and scope of her employment at the time of the vehicle collision. She filed a workers’ compensation claim, and the workers’ compensation judge ultimately determined that her alleged injuries were not related to the motor vehicle accident. The plaintiff appealed that decision to the Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board, which affirmed.
Defense knocks-out plaintiff
Amusements, Sports & 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
Cell Phone Usage and Motor Vehicle Litigation
Automobile Liability
April 1, 2020
The People v. COVID-19: Are You Ready for Some Litigation?
April 1, 2020
Undoubtedly, we will look back at 2020 as th Defense Digest, Vol. 26, No.
Winning the 'Safety Sweep-Stakes': The Impact of Inspection Protocals on Retailer Slip-and-Fall Litigation
Premises & Retail Liability
January 1, 2020
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
"The People v. COVID-19: Are You Ready For Some Litigation?" Defense Digest, Vol. 26, No. 1, Spring 2020
" 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
