About Mary Alexander

Mary Alexander is the founding attorney of Mary Alexander & Associates, P.C., and has built her career advocating for people whose lives have been severely impacted by the negligence and misconduct of others. Before entering law, she worked as a medical toxicology researcher and served as director of environmental health at Stanford Research Center. That science background shapes her approach today, particularly in cases involving toxic exposure, product liability, and complex medical issues.

She earned her J.D. from Santa Clara University School of Law in 1982 and was admitted to the California bar that same year. She is a past president of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA) and the Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC). Her litigation record includes a $305 million settlement against paint manufacturers over lead paint sold for use in California homes (alongside a $1.15 billion bench verdict)

  • a $32.7 million settlement with the City of Oakland for Ghost Ship warehouse fire victims
  • a $45 million verdict for a woman rendered quadriplegic in a red-light collision
  • a $21.4 million wrongful death verdict in a benzene cancer case
  • and a $13 million judgment for a child sexually abused by a soccer coach

She has been inducted into the Lawdragon Hall of Fame, named Consumer Attorney of the Year by CAOC (2019), and recognized repeatedly by the Daily Journal as a Top Plaintiff Attorney, Top Woman Lawyer, and Top 100 Attorney in California.

Proven verdicts and settlements

$305 million (settlement); $1.15 billion (verdict)Settlement

Mary Alexander & Associates served as co-counsel for seven California counties and three cities in a landmark public-nuisance action that secured a $1.15 billion trial judgment (later reduced on appeal to pre-1951 homes) and ultimately resolved in 2019 for $305 million to fund lead paint abatement across California residences.

Santa Clara County Superior Court, CA · 2019Product LiabilityRead the full story →
$32.7 millionSettlement

Mary Alexander served as lead plaintiffs' counsel representing 13 of the victim families in litigation against the City of Oakland over the December 2016 Ghost Ship warehouse fire, which killed 36 people, securing a $32.7 million settlement covering 32 families and a survivor.

Oakland, CA (City of Oakland) · 2020Wrongful DeathRead the full story →
$21.4 millionVerdict

A Contra Costa County jury returned a $21.4 million verdict against Chevron Corp. in March 2019 for the benzene-exposure deaths of brothers Gary and Randy Eaves, who spent years spraying a benzene-based solvent onto tires at an Arkansas plant without respirators, protective clothing, or safety warnings.

Contra Costa County Superior Court, CA · 2019Wrongful DeathRead the full story →
$13.3 millionVerdict

Mary Alexander helped win a $13.3 million jury verdict in Fresno County for Mary Hall, a University of Arizona student left permanently quadriplegic after a Yosemite rental company re-rented a bicycle it knew had defective brakes.

California (Fresno County / Yosemite / Curry Company)Premises LiabilityRead the full story →
View all 4 proven verdicts →

Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Each case is unique and depends on its own facts.

Practice areas

Education

Santa Clara University School of Law
J.D., 1982
University of California, Berkeley
Undergraduate, 1976

Bar admissions & credentials

State Bar of California, admitted 1982

Other attorneys at Mary Alexander & Associates

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Proven verdicts and settlements from other San Francisco firms

Dolan Law Firm, PC Personal Injury Lawyers
Dolan Law Firm, PC Personal Injury Lawyers
$61 million · FedEx Ground Hit With $61 Million Verdict Over Racial Harassment of Two Drivers
Walkup Personal Injury Lawyers
Walkup Personal Injury Lawyers
$540 million (reduced post-trial; $1.04 billion gross verdict) · Dallas Federal Jury Awards More Than $1 Billion Over DePuy Pinnacle Hip Implants
GJEL Accident Attorneys
GJEL Accident Attorneys
$111.7 million · GJEL Secures $111.7 Million for Patients Who Underwent Needless Heart Surgery at Redding Medical Center
Harris Personal Injury Lawyers, Inc.
Harris Personal Injury Lawyers, Inc.
$21.5 million · $21.5 Million Settlement After Exposed Trolley Rail Left Man Paralyzed at San Diego Transit Station
Arash Law
Arash Law
$41.95 million · $41.95 Million Verdict Against Walmart After In-Store Baseball Bat Attack