Pamela A. Nichols

Practice areas

Personal Injury – General: Plaintiff, Personal Injury – Medical Malpractice: Plaintiff, Personal Injury – Products: Plaintiff

Focus areas

Animal Bites, Assault, Birth Injury, Brain Injury, Construction Accident, Delayed or Incorrect Diagnosis, Dental Malpractice, Dram Shop Laws, Informed Consent, Medical Malpractice, Motor Vehicle Accidents, Personal Injury – Plaintiff, Premises Liability – Plaintiff, Sexual Abuse – Plaintiff, Slip and Fall, Toxic Mold, Trucking Accidents, Wrongful Death

Pam has been a Partner at O’Connell & Aronowitz for 23 years, specializing in Personal Injury Litigation. She served as the firm’s managing partner for fifteen years, and her contributions to resolving legal challenges during litigation have been pivotal to the firm’s overall success.

Consistently achieving outstanding results, Pam represents plaintiffs across a wide spectrum of personal injury cases, including wrongful death, medical malpractice, auto accidents, trucking collisions, product liability, child abuse cases, and defective medical devices and pharmaceuticals. Since the enactment of New York State’s Child Victims Act in 2019, her focus has shifted towards advocating for survivors of child sexual abuse in legal actions against both perpetrators and institutions that failed to prevent such abuse.

Pam’s track record speaks for itself. She recently settled an automobile collision involving a pedestrian for $1.25 million, secured an $11 million verdict in a medical malpractice case involving sexually abused children, obtained a $1.8 million settlement in a case concerning a physically abused and neglected child, co-counseled a wrongful death trucking collision settlement of $6.5 million, and achieved a $1.5 million settlement in a ski injury trial. Pam also negotiated a $750,000 settlement for the wrongful death of a three-year-old child.

Pam has recovered millions on behalf of children injured at birth, as well as for adults and children affected by malpractice. She has been a staunch advocate for families in wrongful death cases, fighting for their legal and financial rights so they can focus on their emotional and physical recovery. Pam is tirelessly working to change New York State’s wrongful death law to allow families to seek compensation for their grief, loss of love, protection, comfort, companionship, nurture, guidance, counsel, advice, training, and education resulting from a loved one’s death.

Pam is also dedicated to supporting the L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ community in the Capital Region through her legal representation and the firm’s participation in local events promoting diversity and inclusion.

Beyond her legal practice, Pam is an active volunteer supporting various causes related to health and safety. She joined forces with The Casey Feldman Foundation and EndDD.org in 2012 to combat distracted driving, particularly among high school students. Under her leadership, O’Connell and Aronowitz volunteer attorneys have educated more than 14,000 students in upstate New York about the dangers of distracted driving. Pam has also presented to the NYS Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee and NYS Partnership for Teen Driving Safety.

Pam annually leads the firm in volunteer initiatives, ranging from aiding homeless veterans and providing school supplies to underprivileged children to contributing to domestic violence safehouses and homeless shelters. Her outreach extends to environmental causes, including wildlife conservation and disaster relief efforts across the country.

Pam serves as the Capital Region Affiliate President of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association and is a member of NYSTLA’s Executive Committee. She is an active member of the Leader’s Forum with the American Association for Justice and The Injury Board, a national community of personal injury attorneys dedicated to consumer safety. Recognized as one of the Best Lawyers in America since 2019 and consistently listed on the Upstate New York Super Lawyer’s list since 2012, Pam has earned the highest level of peer recognition with Martindale-Hubbell’s AV Preeminent Rating. She also holds the position of Vice-President of the Downtown Albany Business Improvement District and is a member of the Executive Committee.

Pam represents clients throughout upstate New York, as well as in New York City, where she maintains a residence. In her leisure time, she enjoys reading, traveling, and spending quality time with her husband, four adult children, and her dog, Charlie.