Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs
Carol Nelson Shepherd
Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2013 
Firm
Feldman Shepherd Wohlgelernter Tanner Weinstock & Dodig LLP
10 Best Lawyers awards
Awarded Practice Areas
Biography
Carol Nelson Shepherd, a founding partner of Feldman Shepherd, has devoted her legal career to helping those catastrophically injured by medical malpractice. For more than 30 years, Carol has represented clients in claims against healthcare providers arising from obstetric and childbirth injuries, delayed diagnosis of cancer, improperly performed surgery, and myriad other types of substandard medical care. Carol has successfully resolved many complex and challenging medical malpractice cases, including a recent $16 million settlement for the negligent management of labor and delivery resulting in permanent brain damage and cerebral palsy.
As a Philadelphia Medical Malpractice Lawyer, Carol has been named by Thomson Reuters as one of the Top 50 Women Super Lawyers in Pennsylvania, as a Top 100 Super Lawyer in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania, and as a Pennsylvania Medical Malpractice Super Lawyer. In 2015, Carol was named by Best Lawyers as Lawyer of the Year in the field of Medical Malpractice Law (Plaintiffs). She is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, The National Trial Lawyers, and the Top 100 Trial Lawyers. Carol was named as a Top 100 Litigation Lawyer in Pennsylvania by the American Society of Legal Advocates (2014) and is the recipient of The Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association’s Justice Michael Musmanno Award (2000). Carol has been a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers since her induction in 2006 and a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America since 2010.
A distinguished lecturer and frequent publisher of articles regarding medical malpractice and trial preparation, Carol has also held prominent leadership positions in regional and national legal organizations, including serving as the first woman president of The Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association and president of the Pennsylvania Association for Justice. She serves on the board of directors of the Lawyers’ Club of Philadelphia and as the 2015-2016 President of the Board of the Homeless Advocacy Project (HAP), an organization that addresses the unmet legal needs of Philadelphia’s homeless and shelter populations.
When Carol isn’t practicing law or spending time with her husband, four wonderful children, and two wonderful stepdaughters, she enjoys cooking, reading, and writing legal thriller novels.
Carol, a Syracuse University College of Law graduate, is licensed to practice in Pennsylvania, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and pro hac vice in New Jersey, New York, Delaware, and Michigan.
Firm
Feldman Shepherd Wohlgelernter Tanner Weinstock & Dodig LLP
10 Best Lawyers awards
Overview
- Syracuse University, J.D., graduated 1978
- Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, 1978
- United States, Pro hac vice admissions in New Jersey, New York, Delaware, and Michigan
- American Bar Association - Member, Prior Vice-Chair – Law & Medicine Committee
- Association of Trial Lawyers of America - Member, Board of Governors and Committee Officer positions, 1988 – 1999
- Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia - Former Settlement Master and Present Judge Pro Tem, 1993 – Present
- Lawyers for Consumer Rights - Board of Directors and Officer, 1988 – 1991
- Million Dollar Advocates Forum - Member
- Pennsylvania Association for Justice - Member, President, 1997 – 1998, Board of Directors and Officer positions, 1982 – 2001
- Pennsylvania Bar Association - Member, House of Delegates, 1987 – Present, Officer positions, 1986 – 2000
- Philadelphia Bar Association - Member, Board of Governors, 1985 – 1988, Officer positions, 1986 – 2002
- Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association - Member, President, 1987 – 1988, Board of Directors and Officer positions, 1979 – 1987
- The Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania - Former Chair, Hearing Committee Member
- Trial Advocacy Foundation of Pennsylvania - Statewide Seminar Committee, 1986 – 1995
- Women’s Law Project - Board of Trustees, 1999 – Present
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 1978
- Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, 1978
- United States, Pro hac vice admissions in New Jersey, New York, Delaware, and Michigan
- American Bar Association - Member, Prior Vice-Chair – Law & Medicine Committee
- Association of Trial Lawyers of America - Member, Board of Governors and Committee Officer positions, 1988 – 1999
- Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia - Former Settlement Master and Present Judge Pro Tem, 1993 – Present
- Lawyers for Consumer Rights - Board of Directors and Officer, 1988 – 1991
- Million Dollar Advocates Forum - Member
- Pennsylvania Association for Justice - Member, President, 1997 – 1998, Board of Directors and Officer positions, 1982 – 2001
- Pennsylvania Bar Association - Member, House of Delegates, 1987 – Present, Officer positions, 1986 – 2000
- Philadelphia Bar Association - Member, Board of Governors, 1985 – 1988, Officer positions, 1986 – 2002
- Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association - Member, President, 1987 – 1988, Board of Directors and Officer positions, 1979 – 1987
- The Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania - Former Chair, Hearing Committee Member
- Trial Advocacy Foundation of Pennsylvania - Statewide Seminar Committee, 1986 – 1995
- Women’s Law Project - Board of Trustees, 1999 – Present
- Syracuse University, J.D., graduated 1978
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 1978
Client Testimonials
Awards & Focus
Named "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers® for:
- Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs, Philadelphia (2015)
Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2026 for work in:
- Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs
- Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs
News & Media
Additional Information
Case History
Cases
- $16 Million Settlement for Negligent Management of Labor and Delivery Causing Cerebral Palsy
Attorneys Carol Nelson Shepherd and Patricia M. Giordano represented a mother who, at the direction of her private obstetrician and just three days past her due date, presented at the hospital for induction of labor. Despite evidence that she already was in spontaneous labor, the obstetrician and midwife assigned to manage her care prescribed a powerful medication – Pitocin – to induce labor, thereby causing stress for the baby. A few hours later, the midwife further increased the risk of harm by proceeding to artificially rupture the membranes when the baby’s head was not yet engaged in the mother’s pelvis. The resulting cord prolapse and severe fetal distress could be remedied only by performance of an emergency C-section delivery by an obstetrician.
However, despite being notified of the baby’s perilous condition, the obstetrician failed to act, and by the time he finally concluded that a C-section was necessary, the baby was delivered virtually lifeless. These tragic events were compounded when the physician’s assistant assigned to resuscitate the baby was unable to properly and timely to intubate the infant. As a consequence of the delayed delivery and inadequate resuscitation, the baby girl suffered hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy resulting in severe physical and cognitive impairments, including cerebral palsy.
The case presented a tragic example of the second-class care poorer citizens sometimes receive in the city of Philadelphia. As part of a program to supply physician coverage for “underserved” areas of the city, the United States of America (through an affiliated entity) selected and provided an obstetrician who had numerous other prior malpractice claims against him. The government paid $7.65 million of the settlement, with the balance paid by the private defendants whose identity is subject to a confidentiality agreement.
However, despite being notified of the baby’s perilous condition, the obstetrician failed to act, and by the time he finally concluded that a C-section was necessary, the baby was delivered virtually lifeless. These tragic events were compounded when the physician’s assistant assigned to resuscitate the baby was unable to properly and timely to intubate the infant. As a consequence of the delayed delivery and inadequate resuscitation, the baby girl suffered hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy resulting in severe physical and cognitive impairments, including cerebral palsy.
The case presented a tragic example of the second-class care poorer citizens sometimes receive in the city of Philadelphia. As part of a program to supply physician coverage for “underserved” areas of the city, the United States of America (through an affiliated entity) selected and provided an obstetrician who had numerous other prior malpractice claims against him. The government paid $7.65 million of the settlement, with the balance paid by the private defendants whose identity is subject to a confidentiality agreement.
- $10.24 Million Settlement for Negligent Obstetrics Case in New York
This case resulted in a two-part settlement. At a very early stage of litigation, it was settled for a substantial sum as against the hospital. Plaintiff’s counsel then proceeded to depose the attending obstetricians, who had conflicting reports of the events, and a subsequent settlement was arrived at as to them. The case was unique because of its qualification for involvement in the New York Medical Indemnity Fund (MIF), which provides compensation for all future medical expenses on behalf of any child injured at birth as a result of medical negligence.
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