Our Attorneys
Attorney Profiles
Stephen R. McDonnell

Stephen R. McDonnell

E-mail: smcdonnell@gawthrop.com

Stephen R. McDonnell has a diverse litigation background with extensive trial experience with over 50 trials to verdict in State and Federal Courts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. He has represented Fortune 500 companies, local companies, contractors and individuals in a variety of litigation matters including contractual disputes, employment issues, premises liability, products liability as well as other personal injury matters. He has also litigated complex environmental/toxic tort claims in the areas of asbestos, landfill, mold, indoor air quality and latex gloves litigations. He currently focuses his practice on litigation involving corporate/transactional issues, employment, environmental litigation and personal injury matters.

Prior to joining Gawthrop Greenwood, Mr. McDonnell was a partner with a Philadelphia law firm. He has been selected to serve as an arbitrator by his peers and appointed as an arbitrator by the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.

Mr. McDonnell has lived in the Philadelphia area his entire life. He earned a B.S. in Finance from Drexel University in 1990 and was graduated cum laude from the Widener University School of Law in 1994 where he served as an articles editor for the Law Review program.


  • Areas of Practice:

  • Corporate/Contractual Issues
  • Environmental Litigation
  • Premises Liability
  • Products Liability
  • Personal Injury

  • Representative Trials

  • Williams v. Reinforced Earth Company. In this construction/products liability involving a catastrophic work site injuries tried in the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia, resulting in a defense verdict in favor of Reinforced Earth Company after a one week trial.
  • Norton v. Sonoco, Inc. A defense verdict in favor of Sonoco, Inc. after an 8 day trial before the Honorable Judge Sanchez of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania which involved a claim under the American Disabilities Act by a union refinery operator.
  • Mann v. Allan A. Myers. In this wrongful death action, after four days of tria a favorable settlement was obtained for client as compared to other defendants involved in this case.
  • Dumes v. McVickers. Defense verdict in auto liability matter in this matter tried in Superior Court of Camden County, New Jersey.

  • Bar Admissions:

  • Pennsylvania
  • New Jersey
  • U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania
  • U.S. District Court Western District of Pennsylvania
  • U.S. Court of Appeals Third Circuit
  • U.S. District Court District of New Jersey

  • Education:

  • Widener University School of Law, Wilmington, DE
    Honors: Cum Laude
    Law Review: Law Review, Articles Editor
  • Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, B.A. in Finance

  • Published Works:

  • Effective Pennsylvania Share Act, Mealey's Publication, August, 2002
  • Pennsylvania and New Jersey Defense Litigation Manual, Litigation Forum
  • Geyer v. Ingersoll Publications Co.: Insolvency Shifts Directors' Burden from Shareholders to Creditors, The Delaware Journal of Corporate Law, Volume 19, 1994

  • Professional Associations and Memberships:

  • Chester County Bar Association   Member
  • New Jersey Bar Association   Member
  • Pennsylvania Bar Association   Member
  • Philadelphia Bar Association   Member
  • Defense Research Institute (DRI)   Products Liability Committee