“Common sense is not so common.”

Shellie's practice emphasizes insurance defense.  She has successfully litigated a wide variety of personal injury cases up to and through trial, including cases involving premises liability, sexual abuse, harassment, discrimination, defamation, wrongful death, and catastrophic injuries like paralysis and traumatic brain injury claims.  She is particularly proud of the work done for one of her carriers, which she tried to verdict in Las Vegas that stemmed from a high-tech scavenger hunt, leaving one of the participants blind, paralyzed, and with catastrophic injuries. She tried this case seeking in excess of 50 million dollars over limits and received a total defense verdict.  Following that victory, she recovered one million for the insurance carrier pursuant to recovery under the offer of judgment statute.  This case went up on appeal in Nevada and was affirmed.

Shellie was nominated and became a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) in 2013 and currently serves as Washington State's Executive Committee Vice President*.  She is AV-rated in the Martindale-Hubbell Attorneys Directory and is admitted to practice in both Washington state and federal courts. Additionally, her love for the art of persuasion led her to teach trial advocacy at the University of Washington for several years.

Shellie is a native of Portland, Oregon, and resides in Bellevue, Washington. She has been associated with the firm since 1987 and became a partner in 1995. Shellie has been at the same firm for the entire duration of her practice, and she is now a senior partner. 

Contact: [email protected]

EDUCATION

• Northwestern School of Law at Lewis and Clark College, J.D. / 1985
• University of Florence School of Law, Comparative Law and International Human Rights / 1984
• University of Oregon, B.S. in Rhetoric and Communications / 1982

MEMBERSHIPS

• American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) (Executive Committee)
• Washington State Bar Association (WSBA)
• East-King County Bar Association
• Seattle-King County Bar Association
• American Bar Association (ABA)
• Washington Defense Trial Lawyers Association (WDTL)
• Defense Research Institutes (DRI)

OUTSIDE THE OFFICE

Shellie loves traveling and is an avid runner. She has summited Mount Rainier, Mount Adams, Machu Picchu, Mount Olympus, and Mount St. Helens.  Whether snow skiing in winter or water skiing in the summer, Shellie enjoys free time spent with her family at the many mountain ranges and lakes across the Pacific Northwest.  

Shellie brings the same drive and competitiveness to her litigation that she shows outside the office.  After three decades of practice, she is still passionate about her main area of expertise —the courtroom and going to trial — and has made a career out of serving her clients. 

*The American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) is an invitation-only organization of attorneys who have earned distinction at trial. The mission of the organization emphasizes promoting appreciation and respect for the civil justice system and its role in democracy, elevating the public understanding and importance of the Seventh Amendment, and inspiring lawyers and law students to serve as ethical, skilled, and civil advocates for the civil justice system.