When people first meet Mary Anne Sedey, they often know her reputation before they know her story. They may have heard about the U.S. Supreme Court win, the multimillion-dollar verdicts, or the class action that opened doors for hundreds of women. But when we listen to her talk about why she chose this work and what still drives her, we see the person our clients meet across the table: direct, committed, and deeply human.
In her own words, she describes herself as “a classic child of the 60s” who wanted “to do good and make a living doing good.” That simple idea has shaped decades of work on behalf of people facing discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or other threats to their livelihoods.
Why Mary Anne’s Story Matters When You’re Facing A Crisis At Work
In the video, Mary Anne introduces herself as a founder and current shareholder of Sedey, Harper, Westhoff. She explains how she gravitated toward the law because she cared about the legal status of women at a time when “there were very few women in the profession.” Women sought out women lawyers to help with life’s most personal legal problems, and employment law quickly became a natural fit.
She talks about those early days with clarity and purpose. Discrimination based on sex was common, and she wanted to stand with individuals who needed someone in their corner. Over time, her work expanded to “anything on behalf of an individual that had to do with work,” which lines up closely with what we do every day at Sedey Harper Westhoff: represent people, not corporations or insurers.
Mary Anne also shares a simple but telling detail about herself: “I’m kind of a warrior type, and it works for me.” That line captures what many clients see in her. She enjoys the courtroom, and she brings that same energy to negotiating resolutions that help clients move forward.
The Warrior Mindset & Client Relationships
On paper, Mary Anne’s results speak for themselves. She helped obtain a $47 million settlement and hundreds of new jobs for women in the class action sex discrimination case against Rent-A-Center. She worked on the race and retaliation claim against the Adam’s Mark Hotel, where a jury awarded nearly $5 million to two employees—the largest employment verdict in St. Louis.
She received a unanimous decision from the U.S. Supreme Court in Forrester v. White, which established that judges can face discrimination suits as employers. She led the trial team in Katz v. Anheuser-Busch, a three-week televised trial involving claims that a top female executive was underpaid by millions of dollars a year.
Those outcomes matter, but the way she talks in the video shows what sits underneath those numbers. She says, “First of all, I love my relationships with my clients. I love being able to help a person who’s in trouble.” She focuses on the human moment: someone walks into our office because something at work has gone very wrong. She wants to understand that problem, get involved, and use the skills she has built over the years to help solve it.
Her written bio echoes this balance: “I am a trial lawyer and I love the court room, but I am also a problem-solver. Sometimes my client needs a zealous advocate at trial and sometimes my client needs to get good severance and move on. I love working with clients to achieve their goals.”
That mix of courtroom focus and practical judgment fits how we practice at Sedey Harper Westhoff. We prepare for trial when a case calls for it, but we also know that many clients want security, closure, and a path forward—whether through a verdict, a settlement, a severance agreement, or accommodations that allow them to keep working.
Respect, Dignity & The Client Experience
For many people, calling a lawyer can feel overwhelming. In the video, Mary Anne speaks directly to that experience. She explains that she sees it as part of her role “to assure that the client is respected in the process, is taken seriously, and that the client feels like it was an experience that was good for them.”
That focus on respect runs through her case work. Recent results include:
- $3.5 million verdict for an employee terminated for blowing the whistle on Medicare fraud
- $2.7 million verdict in a sex harassment and race discrimination case
- $350,000 settlement for a woman employee sexually harassed by a top company executive
- $1.1 million severance for a corporate whistle-blower forced out of his job
- Nearly $3,000,000 for a terminated corporate whistle-blower
- $400,000 verdict for women firefighters at the Monarch Fire Protection District
- $417,000 verdict for a bank employee whistleblower in Ozark County, Missouri
- $337,000 verdict for an Arab-American in a hostile work environment claim
- Negotiated return to work for a disabled employee of a major St. Louis company, including the reasonable accommodations she needed to do her job
Every one of these outcomes reflects an individual who faced a serious problem at work and needed someone to stand with them. In both the video and her biography, Mary Anne returns to the same point: “The fact that individual lives have been made better as a result of my work is really important, and I do look back on that as part of my legacy.”
Building A Team That Shares Her Commitment
Mary Anne does not only look back at cases; she also looks around at the team she helped build. In the video, she calls this “the other part of my legacy.” She describes how proud she feels of “this team of lawyers that I have built,” and she emphasizes that they “really care about their clients” and “really care about this area of law and in protecting individuals in both employment and injury situations.”
That matches the broader story of Sedey Harper Westhoff. Our firm, based in St. Louis, represents individuals in employment and personal injury cases. We bring more than 40 years of experience focused on employees and injury victims, and we do not represent employers, corporations, or insurance companies. Mary Anne’s work and leadership helped shape that identity.
Her professional recognition reflects the same long-term dedication. She holds Fellow status in the American College of Trial Lawyers and the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. Since 1993, she has appeared in Best Lawyers in America for Employment Law—Individuals, and since 2005, she has appeared in Super Lawyers in the same category. She served as National President of the National Employment Lawyers Association from 1995 to 1998 and remains active in multiple bar and trial lawyer associations.
When Mary Anne talks about being “very proud of this group of people,” she speaks as a founder who has poured decades into mentoring, leading, and supporting other attorneys who share her focus on standing with individuals.
Seeing The Person Behind The Resume
Clients often want to know who they will work with, not just what that person has achieved. Through the video, we see Mary Anne as someone who still loves her work. She says, “I’ve loved it. It’s been a great career. I consider myself a very fortunate person to do this work.”
We also see how her path fits within our firm’s story. As a founder and shareholder, she helped define the way we approach cases at Sedey Harper Westhoff: with careful preparation, clear communication, and a commitment to treating every client with respect. She has litigated in state and federal courts, including the Supreme Court of the United States, and she continues to focus on representing individuals in workplace disputes.
Watching her speak, many people recognize traits they want in their own lawyer: someone who describes herself as a “warrior type,” but who also insists that the process itself must leave the client feeling heard and taken seriously. Someone who has secured major verdicts and settlements, but who still defines success in terms of individual lives made better.
If you face trouble at work or feel unsure about your rights, learning about Mary Anne’s story can help you understand what it looks like when a lawyer stands firmly on the side of individuals. To talk with our team about your own situation, you can contact Sedey Harper Westhoff at (314) 819-0963. We will listen, explain your options, and work with you to pursue a path that aligns with your goals.