Douglas K. Sheff

Douglas (“Doug”) Sheff has nearly four decades of experience litigating personal injury cases, earning a reputation for obtaining consistent, superior recoveries for his clients. Building upon the legacy of his father Irving (“Chick”) Sheff, he has led the fight for families and individuals who have suffered extreme wrongs in the form of catastrophic injury and wrongful death.

A Legacy of Empathy & Excellence

Chick Sheff founded Sheff Law Offices in the 1950s. He served in the U.S. Army abroad during World War II. Upon his return, he went to law school and then opened a small office which evolved to focus on the area of personal injury. Chick served as a special Assistant Attorney General, working with the Honorable Edward McCormick, a Boston icon. He enjoyed obtaining justice for those who were unable to stand up to large corporations and insurance companies.

Doug grew up around his dad’s clients, who were often injured or disabled. He inherited his father’s desire to utilize law and politics to obtain justice for vulnerable folks who need it most. Sheff Law Offices, later known as Sheff Law, steadily grew from a solo general practice firm to a leading advocate in the highest-profile cases involving wrongful death and personal injury.

In 2022, under Doug’s leadership, Sheff Law merged with KJC Law Firm to form Sheff & Cook, joining forces with fellow leading personal injury litigator Kathy Jo Cook to expand the resources that can be brought to bear against some of the biggest defense firms in the country.

An Advocate for All

Doug is known to say, “We do the most good as lawyers when we help those whom we do not represent.” His record includes a plethora of high profile seven- and eight-figure verdicts that have set new legal benchmarks and made significant changes to health and safety, locally, nationally, and globally, including:

• The extraordinary case against Columbia Gas Company for the wrongful death of 18-year-old Leonel Rondon of Lawrence, following multiple explosions in Lawrence, Andover, and North Andover, Massachusetts. Doug served on the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee in the Consolidated Litigation against Columbia Gas and its efforts assisted the group in reaching a global settlement with Columbia Gas for all residents impacted by the disaster.

• The successful wrongful death case against infamous ex-New England Patriot Aaron Hernandez on behalf of the family of Odin Lloyd. This case involved professional sports, celebrities, murder, suicide, and countless challenging legal issues, but was eventually settled in favor of the Lloyd family.

• Representing the families of the victims of the tragic Lowell fire of 2014, the worst in Massachusetts in nearly a century.

• The recovery of $7+ million on behalf of a family of an Exxon employee who was killed at work. Following the case, Exxon instituted greater measures to protect workplace safety for workers responsible for loading fuel tankers at its oil facilities.

For decades, Doug has also represented victims of traumatic brain injury (link to Practice Area page), utilizing cutting-edge medical resources to assist clients in the determination of the nature and extent of their injuries and has been successful in obtaining superior recoveries on behalf of these victims. His record in this area includes recovering:

• $10 million for a traumatic brain injury resulting from a motor vehicle accident

• $9 million in a case where the brain injury occurred outside the United States

• $5 million for a construction site injury resulting from a building collapse

Doug chairs the Traumatic Brain Injury Task Force, addressing the needs of countless individuals who are victims of traumatic brain injury with involvement from the Bar and Judiciary, football players, doctors, government officials, and other specialists.

Outside the Courtroom

Doug has received numerous honors and awards for his work as a lawyer, a consumer advocate, and an educator. An accomplished writer and speaker, he regularly educates attorneys inside and outside of Massachusetts. Doug appears on television, radio, and in print media frequently as a legal expert or on behalf of clients in high-profile cases.

Doug is extremely proud to be the only attorney in Massachusetts’ history to have held the positions of President of the Massachusetts Bar Association (MBA), President of the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys, Governor of the American Association for Justice, and Trustee of the National College of Advocacy, reflecting his local and national commitment to the betterment of the practice of law and public service.

In Doug’s Presidential year at the MBA, Massachusetts judges received a long overdue pay raise. He also founded and chairs the MBA Workplace Safety Task Force (“WPSTF”), which has brought about positive changes, including legislative changes that protects countless workers from abuse and dangerous work conditions.

Doug was appointed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court to assist in drafting the new voir dire rule, a historical advancement, which promises fairness and justice to all who litigate in Massachusetts Courts.

He has also served as President of the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys (MATA), as a member of the AAJ’s Board of Governors and the AAJ’s Traumatic Brain Injury Litigation Group Executive Committee. He was elected by his peers nationally to chair AAJ’s 100 State Delegates and was later elected to lead its Council of Presidents, representing 50,000 attorneys nationwide.

Doug served for six years as Trustee of the National College of Advocacy, which provides superior education and training for trial lawyers across the United States. He has been awarded Diplomate status for excellence in legal education. Doug is a member of Trial Lawyers for Public Justice, a group of attorneys who support consumer rights nationwide. He is a member of the Academy of Catastrophic Injury Attorneys and a director of the Belli Society, a group recognized for innovative litigation techniques.

Doug has performed significant pro bono work, including representing the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings who suffered traumatic brain injuries.

Attorney Recognition

• Admitted into the inaugural class of the Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Hall of Fame

• Recipient of the Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Lawyer of the Year award

• Recipient of the AAJ Next Generation Award

• Recipient of the Middlesex County Bar Association’s Outstanding Service Award for his leadership in developing public awareness of traumatic brain injury and for his lifelong commitment to equal justice under the law

• Recipient of the ORT Award for Integrity in the Law

• Recipient of MATA’s first annual Excellence in Advocacy Award

• Recipient of the prestigious Wiedeman Wysocki Award on seven separate occasions for his advocacy on behalf of individuals and families injured by the negligence of others

• Consistently named in the Super Lawyer Edition of Boston magazine

Professional Organizations:

• Massachusetts Bar Association, Past President

• Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys, Past President

• American Association for Justice, Governor

• Traumatic Brain Injury Litigation Group, Executive Committee

• Traumatic Brain Injury Task Force, Chair

• Belli Society, Director

• Massachusetts Workplace Safety Task Force, Chair

• Trial Lawyers for Public Justice, Member

• Academy of Catastrophic Injury Attorneys (ACIA), Member

• Supreme Judicial Court Voir Dire Committee, Member

• Massachusetts Bar Foundation, Member, Fellow

• National College of Advocacy, Past Trustee (6 Years)