Litigation Practitioner: Sophie Zavaglia

Partner
SWMW Law
St. Louis

Sophie Zavaglia’s civil litigation practice is shaped by personal experience. Having lost a parent at a young age and experienced significant childhood trauma, she brings firsthand knowledge of grief and powerlessness to her clients. Zavaglia noted that her goal is to restore power to those she represents and level the field against large corporate interests.

Her community work spans neighborhood advocacy, economic development and public health. From 2016 to 2018, she served as president of the Carondelet Business Association, leading 40 businesses in an economically disadvantaged neighborhood and creating a micro-grant program for local development. She served on the Demolition and Public Health Task Force from 2020 to 2021 to protect residents from lead and asbestos exposure and has raised more than $25,000 for the American Lung Association Leadership Board.

In 2023, Zavaglia secured a $9.7 million verdict in a wrongful death asbestos cancer case after a two-week trial in Milwaukee and seven years of litigation. She said the best advice she ever received was “don’t pull tricks in litigation.”