SWMW Law, a nationally recognized plaintiffs law firm headquartered in St. Louis, has surpassed $1 billion in recoveries for clients, marking a significant milestone in the firm’s history and close to 15 years of fighting for individuals and families across the country.
Since opening its doors in 2012, SWMW Law has built its practice around a simple principle: Because People Matter. What began as a vision to create a different kind of law firm – one where clients would be treated as people rather than case numbers – has grown into a nationwide practice representing thousands of individuals and families facing some of the most difficult circumstances of their lives.
The more than $1 billion recovered by SWMW Law represents verdicts and settlements secured on behalf of clients across the firm’s practice areas. While the figure marks a major achievement for the firm, Member and co-founder Ben Schmickle said its significance is best understood through the lives and families behind it.
“Reaching $1 billion in recoveries is an incredible milestone, but for us, it has never been about reaching a number,” said Schmickle. “Behind every dollar recovered is a person who trusted us during one of the most difficult times in their life. It represents families we’ve sat with in their homes, stories we’ve had the privilege of hearing, and people we’ve fought alongside when they needed someone in their corner. We started this firm with the belief that we could achieve exceptional results without losing the personal connection that should be at the heart of practicing law. Almost 15 years later, that belief still guides everything we do. I’m incredibly proud of our team and grateful to every client and family who has trusted us to fight for them.”
SWMW Law was founded on August 24, 2012, by Schmickle and fellow Members Steve Wohlford and Matt Morris, three veteran attorneys who shared a vision for a more personal approach to litigation. Lauren Williams, who joined the firm in its earliest days, was elevated to Member in 2021, helping shape the firm’s growth and commitment to client-centered advocacy from the beginning. Starting with a small team that included just two paralegals, the founders traveled the country building relationships, developing cases, and establishing a firm focused on giving each client individualized attention.
Over the years, SWMW Law has grown considerably while maintaining those founding principles. Based in St. Louis with an additional office in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the firm is nationally recognized for its work on behalf of individuals and families affected by mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, and other serious injuries and corporate wrongdoing. The firm’s attorneys bring more than 100 years of collective experience, and its team has represented thousands of clients and families across the United States.
Schmickle brought significant asbestos litigation experience to the firm. Before founding SWMW Law, he was one of the original attorneys and trial team leaders at a nationally recognized plaintiffs’ asbestos litigation firm in Madison County, Illinois, where he worked on cases for hundreds of clients resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in recoveries.
That experience helped establish the foundation for SWMW Law’s approach: combining the resources, experience, and strategy necessary to take on major corporations with the personal attention of a firm that takes the time to know its clients and their families.
As the firm has grown, so has its ability to investigate increasingly complex cases, embrace new technology, and develop individualized legal strategies. Every case receives senior-level attention, with attorneys and support professionals working collaboratively to uncover exposure histories, preserve clients’ stories, identify responsible parties, and pursue every available avenue of recovery.
But throughout that growth, the firm says its measure of success has remained unchanged.
The $1 billion milestone represents thousands of individual stories – workers who spent decades providing for their families, veterans who served their country, spouses and children exposed to dangerous products through no fault of their own, and families seeking accountability after devastating diagnoses, injuries, and losses.
It also represents the work of the attorneys, paralegals, and professionals who have helped transform SWMW Law from a small St. Louis firm into an award-winning, nationwide plaintiffs’ practice.
“From the beginning, we wanted to build a firm where results and relationships mattered equally,” Schmickle said. “Surpassing $1 billion shows what our team is capable of, but it also reminds us why we started doing this in the first place. There are still people and families who need someone willing to listen to their story, do the work, and fight for them. We intend to keep doing exactly that.”
As SWMW Law enters its next chapter, the firm remains committed to the philosophy that inspired its founding more than a decade ago: pursuing meaningful results while treating every client with compassion, dignity, and respect.
Because People Matter.