Sokolove Law is proud to announce that Managing Attorney Ricky A. LeBlanc has been named a Distinguished Leaders winner in Law.com's 2026 New England Legal Awards, which honors professional excellence among attorneys and firms across Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
The Distinguished Leaders category recognizes lawyers who have achieved significant career results and demonstrated the leadership skills that made those results possible, including winning major cases and driving firm growth. Honorees will be recognized at a ceremony on October 8 at The Westin Copley Place.
LeBlanc is among a small group of honorees from the plaintiff's bar in a category otherwise dominated by attorneys from some of the region's largest corporate defense and transactional firms.
Managing a Firm with Deep New England Roots
For LeBlanc, this recognition lands close to home. As a Massachusetts native, he has built his career in the same state where Sokolove Law was founded more than 45 years ago. The firm grew first across New England before expanding into a national personal injury and mesothelioma law firm.
Today, Sokolove Law maintains offices in all six New England states and has secured more than $1.4 Billion for families across the area.
"This region is where our firm started and where a lot of our clients still live and work," said LeBlanc. "Being recognized by my peers across New England, in the same room as the region's largest firms, means a great deal. It's a reminder that the work of representing injured families belongs in that conversation."
Building a National Practice from Greater Boston
LeBlanc has spent the last two decades building Sokolove Law into one of the nation's most recognized plaintiff firms from its Greater Boston headquarters.
Since he joined the firm in July 2006, Sokolove Law has recovered $6.9 Billion for clients nationwide and resolved 7,843 asbestos and mesothelioma lawsuits. Under his leadership, average annual case resolutions have nearly tripled compared with the years before he arrived.
As Managing Attorney, LeBlanc directs the asbestos litigation at Sokolove Law, where he personally reviews all potential mesothelioma claims.
He also oversees other practice areas, including:
- Birth injuries
- Medical malpractice
- Nursing home abuse and neglect
- Dangerous drugs
- Defective medical devices
- Product liability
- Disability denial
"As a product of a working-class family, standing up for the little guy against major manufacturers or insurance companies has always been my calling," said LeBlanc, who was raised by a pipefitter and a factory worker in a Massachusetts mill town.
Recognized for a Career of Service to Veterans & Their Families
U.S. military veterans make up a significant portion of mesothelioma clients at Sokolove Law. With his accreditation through the Office of the General Counsel for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, LeBlanc is permitted to help veterans pursue VA benefit claims for illnesses linked to military asbestos exposure.
He has spent years educating VFW and American Legion service officers about asbestos exposure across every branch of the military, so service members can recognize potential exposure sources in ships, barracks, and military equipment.
Following the September 11 attacks, he also volunteered through Trial Lawyers Care, providing free legal services to victims' families.
LeBlanc is a member of The National Trial Lawyers Top 100, Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers, the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys, the Boston Bar Association, and the American Association for Justice, where he is a 2026 Patron of the AAJ Leaders Forum.
Earlier this year, Martindale-Hubbell recognized his 35-year milestone with the designation that he has been "proudly serving the community since 1991." In July 2026, he was named to the National Association of Distinguished Counsel.
