Christopher E. Dougherty, Longtime Leader at Marshall Dennehey, Transitions to Chairman Emeritus After Nearly 30 Years With the Firm
His impending retirement effects leadership changes at the board level and within the firm’s Professional Liability Department.
After nearly 30 years, Christopher E. Dougherty, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Chairman of the Executive Committee and Director of the Professional Liability Department at Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman and Goggin, will step down from those roles on January 1, 2021 and become Chairman Emeritus of the firm. His transition to retirement springboards others to positions of leadership within the firm.
Firm President & CEO, G. Mark Thompson, will replace Mr. Dougherty as Chairman of the Executive Committee, and Howard P. Dwoskin, already an Executive Committee Member, will become the new Chairman of the firm’s Board of Directors.
Replacing Mr. Dougherty on the Executive Committee and as Director of the Professional Liability Department is Board member Craig S. Hudson, current Assistant Director of the Professional Liability Department.
The firm also announced two new additions to its Board of Directors: Kevin E. Hexstall, shareholder in the firm’s Casualty Department in Philadelphia, and Brigid Q. Alford, managing attorney of the firm’s Harrisburg office. Both will serve three-year terms beginning January 1.
“Chris has led this firm with excellence, honor and integrity for many years and it’s honestly hard to imagine this place without him,” said Mr. Thompson. "He embodies everything wonderful about our firm – our respectful and welcoming culture, our commitment to providing best-in-class service to clients. He led by example in thought, word and deed and was loved by clients and employees alike. We are immensely thankful for his leadership, service and friendship and owe him a debt of gratitude for everything he has done for this firm.”
Mr. Dougherty is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and Stetson University College of Law. He joined Marshall Dennehey in 1991, following 13 years of active duty in the United States Marine Corps. In 2004, he retired after 26 years of active and Reserve service as a Marine colonel and having served as a General Courts-Martial certified Military Judge. At Marshall Dennehey, he developed a robust and extensive defense practice in the areas of professional liability, construction litigation and product liability, yet it was his aptitude for managing people and legal practices that led to his leadership roles on the top governing bodies of the firm.
Mr. Hudson has served for the past five years as a Senior Vice President of the firm and as a member of the Board of Directors. Most recently he was the Professional Liability Supervisor and Regional Managing Attorney of the firm’s four Florida offices – one of the firm’s fastest growing markets. During his 27 years at Marshall Dennehey, Mr. Hudson has practiced in both the Philadelphia and Fort Lauderdale offices where he successfully resolved hundreds of professional liability matters. He has also served as the firm’s hiring partner.
“I am confident that Craig will be an excellent addition to the Executive Committee,” said Mr. Thompson. “He is a deeply committed leader who has done a superb job managing our four Florida offices. Widely respected for his legal talent, humility and sense of humor, Howard and I look forward to working with him as we enter a new era of leadership here at the firm.”