Sokolove Law
Sokolove Law is an American personal injury and mass tort law firm headquartered in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1979 by attorney Jim Sokolove, the firm operates as a national practice with offices in nearly all 50 states. Known primarily for its work in asbestos-related and mesothelioma litigation, the firm also handles birth injuries, nursing home abuse, sexual assault, and medical malpractice cases, and has reported recovering more than $10 billion in compensation for clients nationwide.
History
Sokolove Law was founded in Boston, Massachusetts in 1979. In 1982, Sokolove became one of the first attorneys in the United States to use television advertising on a sustained national scale to inform potential clients of their legal rights.
The firm expanded rapidly during the 1980s and 1990s, broadening its practice from personal injury into mass tort litigation, with a particular focus on mesothelioma, lung cancer, and other asbestos-related diseases. By the early 2000s, Sokolove Law had become a national practice operating across multiple states.
Jim Sokolove retired as chairman in 2013. Michael Skoler subsequently became chief executive officer, and Ricky A. LeBlanc serves as managing attorney.
In 2026, CEO Michael Skoler commented publicly on Arizona's Alternative Business Structure framework, which permits non-lawyer ownership of law firms, describing it as a significant development for the legal industry.
Practice areas
Sokolove Law focuses on plaintiff-side personal injury and mass tort claims. Principal practice areas include:
- Asbestos and mesothelioma litigation
- Birth injury claims
- Nursing home abuse
- Sexual abuse claims, including litigation against organizations such as the Boy Scouts of America
- Product liability and pharmaceutical claims, including Roundup glyphosate litigation against Monsanto/Bayer
Managing attorney Ricky LeBlanc has commented publicly on the U.S. Supreme Court's 2026 argument in Monsanto v. Durnell, a case concerning federal preemption in Roundup-related injury claims.
Business model
The firm has been described in the legal trade press as one of the most prominent examples of high-volume legal advertising in the United States, and is widely credited with helping shape the modern practice of attorney advertising. The firm's first national commercial featured a slow-motion staged car crash filmed on a road in Weston, Massachusetts.
According to a 2014 ABA Journal report, the firm spent between $30 million and $40 million annually on advertising, and was ranked fifth in projected legal advertising spending in 2015 by Kantar Media
Jim Sokolove was among the first attorneys to build a sustained national direct-to-consumer legal advertising practice in the United States, following the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Bates v. State Bar of Arizona (1977) which established the constitutional right of attorneys to advertise their services.
The firm operates through a network of attorneys across the country, maintaining joint responsibility for cases and collaborating with local legal teams for on-the-ground representation.
Charitable activities
Along with 20 other companies, Sokolove Law has supported mesothelioma research and awareness through sponsorship of Miles for Meso, an annual 5K run and walk in recognition of National Mesothelioma Awareness Day. Along with mykple other law firms and corporate sponsors, Sokolove Law has acted as a Diamond Sponsor of the event, proceeds from which benefit the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO).