E. Richard Ogrodowski

The son of a coal miner, Rich Ogrodowski is the co-founding member of the firm. He focuses his practice on representing plaintiffs in admiralty & maritime, railroad - FELA, serious personal injury and death, civil rights, and commercial and consumer protection litigation.

Annually since 2006, after being nominated by his peers, and following a rigorous balloting and research process, Rich has been named a Pennsylvania Rising Star^SM in Transportation/Maritime law, by the publishers of Philadelphia and Law & Politics magazines.

A Life Rooted in Western Pennsylvania and a First-Hand Understanding of Hard Work

Ogrodowski was raised in the country, in Scenery Hill, Pennsylvania.  From the time he was a fifth grader until he went to college, Ogrodowski 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.  Ogrodowski's father mined coal 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.  His grandfather contracted black lung disease working there.  At one point, Ogrodowski recalls having eight relatives working the mine.  Ogrodowski's paternal grandfather worked in a mill in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, which produced bridgebuilding steel.

Top Notch Educational Credentials

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. 

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 people obtain justice.

Licensed to Practice Law in Both Pennsylvania and West Virginia

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

Active in the Legal Community

He is a member of the Allegheny County Bar Association, Maritime Law Association of the United States, Western Pennsylvania Chapter of the Federal Bar Association (serving as Second Vice President, CLE Chair, and former Chair of the Younger Lawyers Division), and the Western Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association.

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

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.  Ogrodowski is also well-versed in electronic discovery and information management and speaks regularly on these subjects.

Presentations

• 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)

Publications

• "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 (published by the Trial Tactics Committee of the Defense Research Institute) (Fall 2008)

Return to top ›