Michael J. Shevlin

Michael J. Shevlin is a principal attorney at Shevlin Smith, P.C., in Fairfax, Virginia. He represents people injured through negligence and families bringing medical malpractice and serious personal injury claims. His work includes cases involving medical errors, catastrophic injury, and wrongful death. He has focused his legal career on injured plaintiffs in Virginia and Washington, D.C., addressing both the legal and financial consequences of preventable harm.

Michael earned a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame in 1989 and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1992. He was admitted to the Virginia Bar in 1992 and the District of Columbia Bar in 1995. His legal education and decades of trial practice support his assessment of medical evidence, expert testimony, liability questions, and the damages raised in serious injury lawsuits.

Michael has represented injured clients and families in medical malpractice and substantial personal injury litigation for more than two decades. His cases may involve negligent treatment, delayed diagnosis, surgical mistakes, birth injuries, and traffic-related harm. He has also spoken to legal and medical audiences about medical malpractice strategy, expert witness designations, and reducing medical-legal risk. Those activities reflect his sustained involvement in litigation where medical facts play a central role.

Michael J. Shevlin was named Best Lawyers’ 2025 Lawyer of the Year for Personal Injury Litigation in Washington, D.C., and received its 2023 Lawyer of the Year honor for Medical Malpractice Law in that market. His distinctions include Best Lawyers, Virginia and Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers, and an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell. He brings long-term plaintiff-side experience to cases requiring careful investigation and courtroom preparation.

Law Office Affiliations

• Principal, Shevlin Smith, P.C.
• Member, Virginia State Bar
• Member, District of Columbia Bar
• Leaders Forum Member, American Association for Justice
• Board Member, Fairfax County Bar Association (2010 – 2016)
• Vice Chair, Fairfax Law Library Committee (2009 – Present)
• Chair, Fairfax Bar Association, Judicial Screening Panel (2018)
• Member, Virginia Trial Lawyers Association
• Member, Trial Lawyer Association of the District of Columbia
• Judicial Screening Panel, Fairfax Bar Association (2014)
• Member, Fairfax County Bar Association Budget Committee (2012 – 2015)
• Member, Brain Injury Association of Virginia, Inc.

Licensed State

• Virginia
• District of Columbia

Education

• University of Virginia School of Law
  Juris Doctor (JD)

Awards & Badges