Our People
Shyrell Reed

Shyrell A. Reed

Partner, Associates' Committee

(804) 421-6250
(804) 421-6251 (fax)
sreed@moranreevesconn.com

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  • Medical Malpractice Defense
  • Healthcare Risk Management
  • Healthcare Licensing and Regulatory Matters
  • Professional Liability Defense
  • Premises Liability
  • Workers’ Compensation Defense

Shyrell A. Reed maintains a robust complex litigation practice, primarily in the areas of medical malpractice defense, risk management issues, professional liability, premises liability, and workers’ compensation.

Shyrell’s healthcare practice is focused on the vigorous defense of defending physicians, nurses, hospitals, dialysis centers, long­ term care facilities, and other health care providers against medical malpractice, catastrophic injury, and wrongful death claims filed in both state and federal courts. With 20 years of litigation experience, she has defended practitioners in virtually every medical specialty. She also represents health care providers in disciplinary matters before various licensing boards of the Virginia Department of Health Professions.

Shyrell is listed in the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America for professional malpractice law (defendants). In 2022, Shyrell was named by Virginia Lawyers Weekly as one of their Influential Women of the Law and also as a “Go to Lawyer” for medical malpractice. She has also been selected as a Virginia Super Lawyers Rising Star in the field of medical malpractice defense – a distinction presented to less than 2.5% of attorneys in Virginia. On multiple occasions, Shyrell has been recognized for her trial successes in Virginia Lawyers Weekly’s Million Dollar Defense Verdicts.

Shyrell is an active member of the USLAW network and serves as USLAW’s vice chair of the Medical Law practice group . She has participated in a number of educational panels at USLAW Law forums and served as co-chair for its Women’s Connection Business Development Forum in the fall of 2023.

In 2018, Shyrell was selected as a fellow for the Leadership Counsel on Legal Diversity, and she continues to participate as an alumnus of the program. Shyrell previously served as Moran Reeves Conn’s first Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer, and as Chair of the firm’s Summer Associate Program.

Prior to joining Moran Reeves Conn, Shyrell served as an extern for The Honorable M. Margaret McKeown of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, as well as an extern for The Honorable Monica J. Benton of the U.S. District Court for Western Washington. She also clerked for The Honorable Charles W. Mertel of King County Superior Court. Further, Shyrell has worked as a deputy prosecuting attorney for King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, as well as a medical malpractice defense litigator at an Am Law 200 law firm.

Outside of the practice of law, Shyrell enjoys immersing herself in different cultures by traveling beyond borders with her family and cozying up with a good book on rainy days.


  • J.D., Seattle University School of Law, 2003
  • B.A., Political Science, University of Connecticut, 2000
  • Virginia
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
  • U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
  • Supreme Court of Virginia
  • The National Black Lawyers Top 100
  • Old Dominion Bar Association
  • Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys
  • Richmond Bar Association
  • Virginia State Bar
  • American Bar Association
  • The Best Lawyers in America, 2024
  • Virginia Lawyers Weekly Influential Women of the Law, 2022
  • Virginia Lawyers Weekly “Go to Lawyer” for Medical Malpractice, 2022
  • Virginia Super Lawyers Rising Star for Personal Injury Defense: Medical Malpractice, 2013-2019
  • Fellow of the Leadership Counsel on Legal Diversity, 2018
  • CALI Award for Academic Excellence in Legal Writing
  • Phi Delta Phi
  • Remote Work is Here to Stay: Maintaining Data Security, Ethics, and Your Wellbeing in the New Era of Practicing Law, Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys, Virginia Beach, Virginia, October 2023
  • Back to the Basics – Selecting Experts, USLAW Network Fall Conference, Dana Point California, October 2023
  • The View from a Plaintiff’s Attorney, USLAW Network Medical Law Forum, Dallas, Texas, May 2023
  • Behind the Curtain from the Plaintiff Lawyer’s Perspective, USLAW Network Spring Conference, Miami, Florida, April 2023
  • Defensive Documentation, HCA Healthcare, Reston, Virginia (August, 2021)
  • Defensive Documentation, HCA Healthcare, Hopewell, Virginia (December, 2020)
  • An Overview of the Ethical Implications of Social Media, Hill Tucker Association, 2020
  • Mentor for Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Success in law school mentoring program
  • Pro bono attorney for religious organization
  • Virginia State Bar: Chair, Minority Pre-law Conference of the Virginia State Bar, Young Lawyers Conference, Lexington, Virginia, 2007
  • USLAW, vice chair of the Medical Law practice group, 2023
  • Partner, LeClairRyan, Richmond, Virginia, June 2007 – April 2019
  • Associate, Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore, Roanoke, Virginia, December 2005 – June 2007
  • Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, District Court Unit – Criminal Division, Seattle, Washington, August 2004 – March 2005
  • Law Clerk/Bailiff, The Honorable Charles W. Mertel, King County Superior Court, Judge, Seattle, Washington, August 2003 – August 2004
  • Rule 9 Law Clerk, Ronald A. Peterson Law Practice Clinic, Seattle, Washington, January 2003 – May 2003
  • Extern, The Honorable Monica J. Benton, U.S. Magistrate, U.S. District Court for Western Washington, Seattle, Washington, August 2002 – December 2002
  • Rule 9 Law Clerk, Washington State Attorney General’s Office, Labor and Industries Division, Seattle, Washington, May 2002 – May 2003
  • Extern, The Honorable M. Margaret McKeown, Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, Seattle, Washington, June 2001 – July 2001
  • Dismissal of a suit in Lynchburg, Virginia against a health system, school of medicine, and an agent of the health system on Special Pleas of Sovereign Immunity wherein the plaintiff claimed negligent misrepresentation, negligent maintenance and dissemination of reports bearing a forged signature of the plaintiff, bad faith, and failure to investigate or disclose forgery. The plaintiff appealed to the Supreme Court of Virginia, but the Court found no reversible error of the lower Court’s dismissal of the case and refused the petition for appeal.
  • Dismissal of a suit in Fairfax, Virginia against a hospital involving wrongful death and survival causes of action wherein the plaintiff claimed negligent care of a patient who was treated in the emergency room for intracerebral hemorrhage. The plaintiff appealed to the Supreme Court of Virginia, and it refused the petition for appeal, and later dismissed the petition for rehearing.
  • Forced non-suit in the County of Chesterfield, Virginia against a hospital after arguing a Motion to Strike Plaintiff’s Expert Designation and Motion for In Camera Review of Plaintiff’s Written Expert Certification. The case involved allegations that hospital staff caused the traumatic removal of the plaintiff’s Foley catheter after a cardiac bypass procedure.
  • Dismissal of an infectious disease physician on a renewed motion to strike at trial, and defense verdict of the remaining four defendant physicians in the City of Richmond, Virginia. Throughout the work-up of the case before trial, a dismissal of the hospital entities and multiple other physicians was obtained. The case involved allegations that the decedent’s death was caused by the failure to diagnose and treat a CNS infection.
  • Dismissal of a suit in the City of Richmond, Virginia against an internist and physician assistant wherein the plaintiff alleged falsification of medical records and the unauthorized dissemination of protected health information. The plaintiff thereafter appealed to the Supreme Court of Virginia, but the Court found no reversible error in the judgment and refused plaintiff’s petition for appeal.
  • Dismissal of a suit in the City of Richmond, Virginia against a hospital wherein the plaintiff alleged violation of various constitutional rights and negligence.
  • Multiple dismissals of suits in the City of Richmond, Virginia against a hospital wherein the plaintiff alleged falsification of medical records. The plaintiff appealed to the Supreme Court of Virginia, but the Court found no reversible error and refused plaintiff’s petition for appeal.
  • Dismissal of a wrongful death suit in the County of Chesterfield, Virginia against a hospital and ultimate dismissal of the plaintiff’s appeal to the Supreme Court of Virginia.
  • Dismissal of a suit in the City of Hopewell, Virginia against a hospital wherein the plaintiff alleged that the hospital failed to appropriately treat the plaintiff’s infected finger and inappropriately discharged the plaintiff. The plaintiff thereafter appealed to the Supreme Court of Virginia, but later withdrew his appeal.
  • Forced non-suit and final dismissal of a suit in Henrico, Virginia against a nursing home after filing multiple dispositive motions. The case involved allegations that the decedent sustained a non-displaced tibial plateau fracture during a transfer and an improper discharge from the facility.
  • Forced non-suit and final dismissal of a suit in the County of Chesterfield, Virginia against a hospitalist after filing and arguing just before trial a Motion to Strike Plaintiff’s Expert Witness Designation. The case involved allegations that the defendant failed to properly address, diagnose, and treat the decedent’s pressure ulcers and infection that caused her death.
  • Defense verdict for an otolaryngologist and his practice group in Richmond, Virginia involving the allegations that defendants negligently caused an esophageal perforation and a myriad of other complications as a result of an attempted esophageal endoscopy.
  • Defense verdict for a urogynecologist and her medical group in Richmond, Virginia in which the plaintiff claimed defendants were negligent in not offering further surgery to improve her persistent post-surgery urinary retention and in not obtaining a second opinion outside of the defendant urogynecologist’s medical group.
  • Plea of Sovereign Immunity sustained in the City of Richmond, Virginia on behalf of a nursing home administrator resulting in dismissal of the administrator from the case with prejudice.
  • Forced non-suit and final dismissal of a suit in the City of Colonial Heights, Virginia against a nursing home, administrator, and nurse after threatening to file a variety of pre-trial motions. The case involved allegations that the decedent sustained multiple fractures from a fall at the defendant nursing home and died the day after the fall.
  • Dismissal of a dental case with prejudice in Bowling Green, Virginia wherein the plaintiff alleged the defendant dentist was negligent during surgery of extractions of the plaintiff’s teeth.
  • Forced non-suit and ultimate dismissal of a suit in Richmond, Virginia against a nursing home and nurse after filing various pre-trial motions. The case involved allegations that the defendants failed to appropriately monitor the decedent’s medical condition, which led to her aspiration and death.
  • Defense verdict for a general surgeon in Hampton, Virginia in which a 72-year-old claimed that a subtotal colectomy was unwarranted to treat her two precancerous polyps. Plaintiff claimed the defendant did not obtain informed consent and the surgery caused her to suffer fistulas and chronic diarrhea and undergo additional surgeries.
  • Defense verdict for an emergency room physician in Hampton, Virginia involving the death of a 29-year-old who was stabbed by a “dragon sword” in the internal iliac artery.
  • Defense verdict in Mecklenburg, Virginia in an otolaryngology case alleging severe emotional distress from an unauthorized breast exam.
  • Defense verdict in Chesapeake, Virginia in a matter in which the plaintiff claimed a 69-year-old man died of liver failure from alleged toxicity from Crestor. Defendant did not order liver function testing as recommended by the Crestor package insert.
  • Workers’ Compensation Laws: Virginia, Thompson Reuters Practical Law – Labor & Employment, November 14, 2018
  • Co-author, Recognizing Partner Abuse Torts: Consistent with Awarding Punitive Damages, Litigation News, Vol. XIII No. 2 (Spring 2006)