E. Richard Ogrodowski

The son of a coal miner, Pittsburgh, PA and WV attorney Rich Ogrodowski represents individuals and families in Pennsylvania and West Virginia in admiralty & maritime, railroad – FELA, oilfield/oil and gas well explosion, serious personal injury and wrongful death, and product liability lawsuits.

From 2006 to 2016, after being nominated by his peers, and following a rigorous balloting and research process, Rich Ogrodowski was listed as a “Pennsylvania Rising Star℠” and from 2017 through 2024 he has been listed as a “SuperLawyer℠” in Plaintiff’s Personal Injury Law and in Admiralty & Maritime Law by Philadelphia and Law & Politics and Pennsylvania & Delaware Super Lawyers magazines.

A Western Pennsylvanian Who Knows Hard Work

Rich grew up in the countryside, in Scenery Hill, Pennsylvania. From the time he was a fifth grader until he went to college, he helped his mother clean offices in nearby Washington, Pennsylvania, including those of law firms. He helped make his way through college with part time work as a warehouseman — unloading tractor trailers and sweeping floors. Rich’s father was a coal miner for Beth Energy at the Mariana Mine until it caught fire and closed in the late 1980s, when he became an electrician. His maternal grandfather and his three great uncles spent their entire worklives at the Mariana Mine. Rich’s grandfather contracted black lung disease working there. At one point, Rich recalls having eight relatives working the mine. His paternal grandfather worked in a mill in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, which produced steel for bridges.

Top Educational and Trial Advocacy Credentials

Rich Ogrodowski graduated from Bentworth High School in Bentleyville, Pennsylvania, winning the Best All Around Male Athlete Award his senior year. He then earned his B.A., magna cum laude, from Westminster College in 1998, majoring in Economics and Political Science, followed by his law degree, cum laude, from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 2001. Rich is also a graduate of the intensive National Trial Advocacy College held at the University of Virginia School of Law in Charlottesville, Virginia.

A Drive to Help Others Obtain Justice

Since he and Fred Goldsmith sat down to discuss forming Goldsmith & Ogrodowski, Rich Ogrodowski has been determined to use his education and legal abilities to help individuals and families obtain justice.

Licensed to Practice Law in Pennsylvania and West Virginia

Rich Ogrodowski is admitted to practice law in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and the United States District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Pennsylvania, Northern and Southern Districts of West Virginia, and Eastern District of Michigan.

Active in the Legal Community

Rich served as the elected President of the Western District of Pennsylvania Chapter of the Federal Bar Association and a member of the FBA’s Chapter Activity Fund Committee from 2013 to 2014, and has stayed aboard as Third Vice President. He is also a member of the Western Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association (and a member of its Board of Governors), the West Virginia Association for Justice, the American Association for Justice (Admiralty Law Section), the Allegheny County Bar Association, and a Proctor Member of the Maritime Law Association of the United States. Annually since 2017, Rich has volunteered as a brief judge for the Judge John R. Brown Admiralty Moot Court Competition.  Rich is a past President and past member of the board of directors of the Riverview Athletic Association, which organizes sports programs for children in kindergarten through 6th grade.  He also served on Session at Oakmont Presbyterian Church from 2010 to 2016.

Sharing His Knowledge With Others

In August 2013, Rich launched the internet blog, PA & WV Accidental Death Lawyer Blog. The blog provides an informative accidental / wrongful death law source, with a personal touch, and covers new cases, statutes, and rules of civil procedure, and other news of interest to readers.

Now Putting His Experience Representing Large Companies and Insurers to Use for Individuals and Small Businesses

Rich Ogrodowski previously worked as a trial and appellate litigator with two mid-sized Pittsburgh law firms where, in addition to his current practice areas, he handled construction litigation and also gained significant experience handling asbestos and other toxic tort lawsuits for the major national (“Class I”) railroads and construction equipment manufacturers.

Speaking Engagements

• Guest Speaker, “Lien on Me,” Medical Cost Boss podcast, Episode 3 (Feb. 3, 2022)
• Speaker, “Your Special Damages May Not be So Special: Current Attempts to Restrict and Destroy the Collateral Source Rule,” West Virginia Association for Justice 63rd Annual Seminar (June 4, 2021)
• Speaker, “The Mechanics of Taking a Witness Statement (and Whether the Statement Is Discoverable),” American Association for Justice, Admiralty Section, Annual Meeting and CLE, Boston, MA (July 22, 2017)
• Moderator, “Social Media in Employment & Personal Injury Litigation,” Federal Bar Association, Western Pennsylvania Chapter (January 10, 2013)
• Moderator, “The Role of e-Mediation in Resolving ESI Disputes in Federal Court,” Federal Bar Association, Western Pennsylvania Chapter (September 6, 2012)
• Moderator, “E-Discovery: Can You Ever Afford It In Small Cases?,” Federal Bar Association, Western Pennsylvania Chapter (February 10, 2011)
• Moderator, “Answering the Most Current and the Most Common E-Discovery Questions,” Federal Bar Association, Western Pennsylvania Chapter (December 9, 2010)
• Moderator, “Review and Analysis of the ‘Top ESI Cases,'” Federal Bar Association, Western Pennsylvania Chapter (October 22, 2009)
• Speaker, “Reflections Speaker, “Reflections on Law School and a Career in the Law,” Westminster College, Distinguished Alumni Lecture (October 9, 2009)
• Moderator, “Outside Counsel, Corporate Counsel, and E-Discovery Consultant: Roles and Responsibilities of Each – Working Together to Solve the E-Discovery Puzzle,” Federal Bar Association, Western Pennsylvania Chapter (May 29, 2009)
• Moderator, “The New Local Rule’s Duty to Investigate and the Top 10 Things that You and Your Client Must Do to Comply With This New Duty” Federal Bar Association, Western Pennsylvania Chapter (March 13, 2009)
• Moderator, “Judicial Views on the Use of E-Discovery Experts at the Rule 16 and Rule 26(f) Conferences and as Court-Appointed ‘Special Masters,'” Federal Bar Association, Western Pennsylvania Chapter (December 3, 2008)
• Moderator, “One Year Later-–Revisiting E-Discovery and Pretrial Conferences: Expectations of a Federal Judge-and How They Can Be Met,” Federal Bar Association, Western Pennsylvania Chapter (September 10, 2008)
• Moderator, “E-Discovery and Pretrial Conferences: Expectations of a Federal Judge–and How They Can Be Met,” Federal Bar Association, Western Pennsylvania Chapter (May 23, 2007)

Rich Ogrodowski’s Articles & Other Publications

• “The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania to the Rescue on Snap Removals” (co-authored with Jason Schiffman), The Advocate, Vol. 34, No. 3 (Spring 2022)  (published by The Western Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association)
• “The Benefits of a Morning Routine,” The Advocate, Vol. 34, No. 3 (Spring 2022)  (published by The Western Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association)
• “Snap Removal and the Erosion of the Forum Defendant Rule”  (co-authored with Jason Schiffman), The Advocate, Vol. 31, No. 2 (Winter 2019)  (published by The Western Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association)
• PA & WV Accidental Death Lawyer Blog” (internet blog, see https://golawllc.com/accidental-death-blog/) (August 2, 2013, to present)
• “U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Plaintiff-Friendly Causation Standard for Railroad and Maritime Worker Injury Claims,” The Advocate, Vol. 24, No. 2 (Winter 2012) (published by The Western Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association)”
• PA & WV Accidental Death Lawyer Blog” (internet blog, see http://paandwvaccidentaldeathlawyer.wordpress.com) (August 2, 2013, to present)
• “An Attack on the Standard of Causation in FELA Cases,” The Advocate, Vol. 23, No. 3 (Spring 2011) (published by The Western Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association)
• “The Discoverability of Written Witness Statements in Pennsylvania State Versus Federal Court Litigation” (co-author with Frederick B. Goldsmith), The Advocate, Vol. 22, No. 1 (Fall 2009) (published by The Western Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association)
• “Law Firm Billing on Trial” (co-author with Frederick B. Goldsmith), MarineNews Magazine (February 2009)
• “When and How to Take a Written Statement,” Trials & Tribulations  (Fall 2008) (published by the Trial Tactics Committee of the Defense Research Institute)