Wendy A. Mitchell

Wendy A. Mitchell is Of Counsel in the Los Angeles office of Murchison & Cumming. She brings a wealth of experience in complex litigation, mass torts, medical malpractice, wrongful death, products liability, premises liability, catastrophic injury, consumer class actions, and complex commercial disputes. Her practice has included cases involving medical devices, pharmaceutical products, toxic exposures, corporate negligence, and high-exposure injury claims.

Wendy’s career includes significant experience on both sides of the bar, giving her a rare dual perspective on complex matters. She served as lead counsel in major, high-exposure medical-device product-liability and mass-tort matters, handled pharmaceutical-injury cases involving severe or fatal outcomes, and represented clients in sexual-assault claims involving a national youth development organization. Wendy has led discovery in multi-jurisdictional actions, managed attorney teams, and developed strategies for matters involving extensive document production and expert-driven issues. Her attention to detail and ability to pinpoint critical issues in voluminous written discovery are hallmarks of her practice, and she is recognized for synthesizing complex facts and shaping persuasive case narratives through the most demanding phases of litigation.

Prior to joining M&C, Wendy played a pivotal role representing state, local, and tribal entity plaintiffs in the landmark opioid multidistrict (MDL) litigation, the largest civil litigation in U.S. history. She served on trial teams in the national and bellwether opioid trials across multiple jurisdictions, including New York, Ohio, Florida, West Virginia, and Utah, obtaining unanimous jury verdicts and multi-billion-dollar settlements against opioid manufacturers, distributors, retail pharmacy chains, and high-level stakeholders in international pharmaceutical conglomerates.

Raised in Europe and the United States, Wendy has lived in Germany, the Netherlands, France, and England before establishing her legal career in California. She earned her B.A. magna cum laude from the University of Southern California (USC) and her J.D. from Western State College of Law, where she completed an accelerated program in just 2 ½ years while balancing full-time work. During her law studies, Wendy further distinguished herself by attending law school at the prestigious University of Cambridge (Trinity College), in England, and serving as Vice President of the Honors Moot Court. Her academic and professional excellence led to her selection as the recipient of the highly esteemed American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) Fellowship. Additionally, Wendy gained invaluable experience through an internship with the distinguished Judges of the Orange County Superior Court.

Beyond her legal practice, Wendy is deeply committed to giving back to her community. She actively volunteers with unhoused veterans and families in the Los Angeles area, and mentors disadvantaged students as they prepare for college. A passionate supporter of the University of Southern California, where both of her sons currently study, Wendy dedicates time to supporting the university’s initiatives and its athletic program. She also enjoys spending quality time with her family, attending USC sporting events, and maintaining an active lifestyle.