Felicia H. Ellsworth, partner-in-charge of the Boston Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr office, was named a finalist for Attorney of the Year for the 2025 New England Legal Awards.

Ellsworth represented and delivered for high-profile clients like The New York Times and Lyft, and in her management role, helped make key decisions for the firm, like successfully pushing back against the Trump administration's executive order that targeted Wilmer in March.

On April 22, a Manhattan jury returned a verdict in favor of the New York Times in a defamation case former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin brought against the paper. A defense verdict was awarded in 2022, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reversed the decision, pointing to errors made by the trial judge.

"It was really an exercise in trying to make sure that we took a fresh look at the case and had an opportunity to think about what ... might resonate with the jury in 2025," Ellsworth said. "The jury delivered their verdict in less than two hours, which was an affirmation for us that we had been able to really provide a simple and clear narrative and chronology of what had happened and why it didn't rise to the level of what the plaintiff was claiming."

Ellsworth also represented Lyft in a lawsuit brought by the Massachusetts attorney general, which alleged that rideshare drivers were misclassified as independent contractors instead of employees. Lyft reached a favorable settlement with the attorney general to pay $27 million, but allowed drivers to remain independent contractors.

In her practice, Ellsworth said she is "one of the last living generalists."