Eleanor J. Shaffer
About
Prior to joining James Wood Law, Ellie practiced at Gallagher & Kennedy, P.A. for five years and focused her practice in the areas of catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death cases involving product liability, medical malpractice, motor vehicle accidents, and premises liability.
After law school, Ellie worked in New York City at the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem. She represented respondents facing abuse, neglect, and termination of parental rights proceedings in Manhattan Family Court, and represented parents in State Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment (“SCR”) hearings where she was able to prevent parents from being labeled incorrectly.
While in law school, Ellie worked as a research fellow for a non-profit organization for youth empowerment to stop hate-group-led violence and worked to remove invalid racial restriction covenants from deeds in Washington state. She also interned at Court Appointed Special Advocates for DC, where she managed several programs such as the Juvenile Behavioral Diversion Program/Person in Need of Supervision, Abuse and Neglect, Unaccompanied Refugee Minors, HOPE Court, and the Family Treatment Court. Ellie also worked in public defense in Spokane County representing clients facing felony charges and involuntary civil commitment.
Before law school, Ellie worked as a clinical mental health counselor at the Spokane County Jail Mental Health Unit where she counseled individuals with severe and persistent mental illnesses and co-occurring substance abuse disorders. Additionally, Ellie worked as a mental health therapist for YFA Connections, where she conducted therapy sessions, developed treatment plans, and implemented behavioral interventions and modifications for children, adolescents, and adults diagnosed with various disorders stemming from complex trauma or severe mental illnesses.
As a former mental health therapist, Ellie is devoted to helping people address the challenges they face.
Representative Cases
- $2.5M settlement for the family of a wrongful death victim in a medical malpractice suit.
- $2M+ settlement for one hundred plaintiffs involving flooding in a rural community against multiple defendants.
- $2M settlement against a manufacturer for a product liability case involving an adult toy.
- $1.9M for negligence against paramedics who failed to properly intubate client leading to his death.
- $1.8M settlement for a wrongful death caused by anesthesia negligence.
- $1.6M settlement for a pedestrian severely injured after being struck and dragged by a truck.
- $1.5M for a dram shop against a bar that overserved a person who then drove the wrong way and killed our client’s son.
- $1.5M for a pedestrian hit by a vehicle causing a broken elbow.
- $1.3M for a car accident where driver turned in front of client causing a broken leg.
- $1.2M for a medical malpractice case on a failure to diagnose a spinal cord compression that led to temporary paralysis.
- $900K settlement against a medical office that allowed our client with dementia to leave unaccompanied, which led to her death.
- $750K for the family of an inmate who committed suicide while in custody.
- Represented a nineteen-year-old foster youth facing the removal of her newborn due to hearsay.
- Represented a young mother facing the removal of her child due to disability discrimination.
Associations & Memberships
- Arizona Association for Justice, Member, 2022-Present
- The National Trial Lawyers Association, Member, 2023-Present
Education
- Gonzaga University School of Law, JD, 2019
- Gonzaga University, MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, 2015
- Arizona State University, BA in Psychology, 2013
- Arizona State University, BS in Family and Human Development, 2013
Honors & Awards
- The National Trial Lawyers, Top 40 Under 40, 2023-2027
- Best Lawyers in America® Ones To Watch, Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs, 2027; Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs, 2027; Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs, 2026; Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs, 2026; Criminal Defense: General Practice, 2024
- Southwest Super Lawyers® Rising Stars, Personal Injury General: Plaintiff, 2025- 2026
- Phoenix Magazine, Top Lawyer, Personal Injury, 2024
- Gonzaga University School of Law, Pro Bono Distinction
Community & Philanthropy
Ellie has worked on the Parent Legislative Action Network in New York City to help reform laws impacting parents facing neglect and abuse allegations. She has also partnered with educational groups in Washington, DC to implement laws that would disrupt the school to prison pipeline.
News
- G&K Attorneys Ken Ralston and Eleanor Shaffer Featured in ABC15 Investigation on Foster Care Tragedy - April 29, 2026
- 22 G&K Attorneys Recognized as 2026 Southwest Super Lawyers and Rising Stars - April 17, 2026
- Best Lawyers in America® 2026 Recognizes 58 Gallagher & Kennedy Attorneys, Two Named "Lawyer of the Year" - August 21, 2025
- Shannon Clark & Eleanor Shaffer Featured on ABC15, "Arizona Family Fights For Dental Safety Reforms After Son’s Death" - June 17, 2025
- Benson & Shaffer Featured in Women in Law Special Issue - May 29, 2025
- 23 G&K Attorneys Recognized as 2025 Southwest Super Lawyers and Rising Stars - April 17, 2025
- G&K Lawyers Continuing a Family Legacy in Law: The Boatman's - February 28, 2025
- Ellie Shaffer Named to “Top 40 Under 40” by The National Trial Lawyers - September 18, 2024
- Phoenix Magazine Names 11 G&K Attorneys to 2024 Top Lawyers - September 3, 2024
- G&K's Professional Women’s Group Hosts "Pi Day" Bake Sale & Silent Auction in Support of Shoebox Ministry - March 15, 2024
- Best Lawyers in America® 2024 Recognizes 52 Gallagher & Kennedy Attorneys - August 21, 2023
Publications
- Things to Do Before a Car Accident Happens to You - May 21, 2024
- The Kids are Alt-Right: How the Media and the Law Enable White Supremacist Groups Recruit and Radicalize Emotionally Vulnerable Individuals, Vol. XII, Law Journal for Social Justice, Fall 2019
Events
- Artificial Intelligence and International Law: A Call for Regulations and Implementation of Protections for Fundamental Human Rights in the Digital Age, Asian Society of International Law, Manila, Philippines, August 2019
- Prison Psychology: Does Daily Counseling For Guards Have a Positive Impact on Prisoner’s Mental Health?, Washington Counseling Association Annual Conference, Spokane, WA, 2013