Unable to find work, this single mother begged Masry and Vititoe to hire her as a file clerk. It
was not long after she started to work at the law firm that some medical records she found in a
file on a pro bono real estate case piqued her curiosity. She
began to look into the matter.
Erin’s solo investigation eventually established that the health of countless people who lived in
and around
Hinkley, California in the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s had been devastated by exposure to toxic
Chromium 6. In 1996, as a result of the largest direct action lawsuit of its kind,
spearheaded by Erin
Brockovich and Ed Masry, the giant utility was ordered to make the largest legal settlement in
U.S. history. The story of Erin’s legal triumph and personal issues were dramatized
in the hit
movie “Erin
Brockovich.” Released in March 2000 by Universal Studios, it starred JULIA ROBERTS as Erin and
received 5 academy award nominations.
Erin's Profile
No longer a file clerk, Erin now serves as Director of Environmental Research at Masry and
Vititoe, where she is currently involved in other major environmental lawsuits that she put
together.
She served as spokesperson for Save The World Air and spoke about environmental issues
at the United Nations summit meeting in Indonesia. In 2004, she was nominated for the World
Social Award and received an American Trial Lawyers Association consumer award.
In October 2005, she received the Julius B. Richmond award from Harvard University’s
School of Public Health.
The recipient of numerous other awards, Brockovich Ellis also received the President’s
Award from the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association.
Erin Brockovich has written a book, with Marc Eliot, entitled “Take It From Me, Life’s a
Struggle But You Can Win” and published by McGraw-Hill.
Topic Categories
Celebrities
Motivation, Inspiration
Environment
Presentation Titles
The Power of An Individual
Audience Testimonials
"She demonstrates for us the power of an individual to enforce the law and to achieve justice.
We were honored to welcome her as our commencement speaker for 2005.” -- James L.
Huffman, law school dean and Erskine Wood Sr. Professor of Law.
In Her Own Words
"Take It From Me! Life's a Struggle, But You Can Win."
