Kenneth N Ralston

Eleanor J. Shaffer

Associate

Ellie focuses her practice in the areas of personal injury & wrongful death, and criminal law.

In New York City, Ellie was a legal intern and law graduate at the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem. She represented respondents facing abuse, neglect, and termination of parental rights proceedings in the Manhattan Family Court.

While in law school, Ellie worked as a research fellow for a non-profit organization for youth empowerment to stop hate-group-led violence. She also worked helping to remove invalid racial restriction covenants from deeds in Washington state. She also interned at Court Appointed Special Advocates for DC, where she participated in managing several programs such as 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.

Ellie received a Bachelor of Science in Family and Human Development and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Arizona State University in July 2013, a Masters of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling in June 2015, and a Juris Doctor in May 2019 from Gonzaga University.

See Ellie’s profile on our main website.

Honors & Awards

  • Gonzaga University School of Law, Pro Bono Distinction

Community & Philanthropy

  • Parent Legislative Action Network in New York City to help reform laws impacting parents facing neglect and abuse allegations
  • Partnered with educational groups in Washington, DC to implement laws that would disrupt the school to prison pipeline.

Representative Cases

  • Represented a nineteen-year-old foster youth facing removal of her newborn due to hearsay.
  • Represented a young mother facing removal of her child due to disability discrimination.
  • Obtained $2.5M settlement for the family of a wrongful death victim in a medical malpractice suit.
  • Recovered $500,000 in UM (uninsured motorist) bodily injury + $100,000 for injured victim of a motor vehicle accident.
  • Worked as an associate on a lawsuit against a group home that settled for $500,000.
  • Worked as an associate on a vehicle v. bicycle collision that settled for six figures.
  • Worked as an associate on a negligence case against a grocery store that settled for $300,000.
  • Recovered $283,500 settlement for injuries & damages sustained on the premises of a major store chain.
  • Obtained $227,000 settlement for a couple hit by a fail-to-yield driver for their non-life-threatening bodily injury and vehicle damages.
  • Recovered $85,000 + $25,000 in bodily injury for minor injured by reckless driver.
  • Obtained $100,000 in UM (uninsured motorist) + $25,000 UIM (underinsured motorist) for victim injured during collision.
  • Recovered $60,000 in bodily injury claims against an auto dealer/service provider for personal injury sustained in auto accident caused by inadequate tire repair work.
  • Has worked on numerous adverse/underinsured motorist claims that have settled for six figures.

Representative Experience

  • Represented clients in numerous emergency removal hearings and trials in Manhattan Family Court in which she was able to prevent children being removed from the home. She also represented parents in State Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment (“SCR”) hearings where she was able to prevent parents from being labelled incorrectly affecting decades of their life and ability to work.
  • Represented clients in criminal defense cases, including felonies and those involving competency issues, in Spokane County. She has also represented clients facing involuntary civil commitment in Eastern Washington.
  • Worked as an associate on personal injury cases involving wrongful death, negligence, and products liability.

Published Works

  • The Kids are Alt-Right: How the Media and the Law Enable White Supremacist Groups Recruit and Radicalize Emotionally Vulnerable Individuals, Vol. XII, Fall 2019 Law Journal for Social Justice

Speaking Engagements

  • 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, August 2019, Manila, Philippines
  • Prison Psychology: Does Daily Counseling For Guards Have a Positive Impact on Prisoner’s Mental Health?, Washington Counseling Association Annual Conference, Spokane, WA 2013

Other

Before law school, Ellie utilized her master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling to intern at the Spokane County Jail Mental Health Unit in Spokane, Washington. She provided counseling for individuals with severe and persistent mental illnesses and co-occurring substance abuse disorders. She frequently provided crisis intervention and counseling. Additionally, Ellie worked as a mental health therapist for YFA Connections, Youth and Family Services.  As a mental health therapist, Ellie conducted therapy sessions with children, adolescents, and adults diagnosed with various disorders; she developed and wrote treatment plans, progress notes, and diagnostic summaries for children and adolescents; and she implemented behavioral interventions and modifications as per the treatment plan. She worked with children that had complex trauma and severe mental illnesses.  As a former mental health therapist, Ellie was devoted to the cause of helping people address the challenges they are faced in life.

If you are looking for knowledgeable attorneys, seek Gallagher & Kennedy Law Firm. Shannon Clark and Eleanor J. Shaffer have provided legal representation in my mother’s case. While the personal injury case was quite lengthy, the entire team has been extremely supportive. During the mediation, Shannon advocated for my mother in which the case was able to be resolved outside of court. My mother has received exceptional service and we would highly recommend Shannon Clark, Eleanor Shaffer and his team.

Blanca RuizGoogle

Approximately a year and a half ago, my son was hit by an SUV while walking on the shoulder of a road; he suffered from multiple serious injuries while also sustaining horrific brain trauma. As his mother, I could only hope and pray that he would survive this disturbing event. I was in a state of extreme emotional disbelief being in a position of uncertainty regarding the life of my son. Even if he survived, the uncertainty of the quality of the rest of his life had still proven to be a permanent scar within my mind. This uncertainty was so great, that I had decided to speak to a legal council. By the grace of God, I had thankfully found the most compassionate and intelligent legal team available to me. This legal team had been under the company known as Gallagher & Kennedy Injury Lawyers. Shannon Clark and Eleanor Shaffer were my angels straight from Heaven, blessing me with the promise of legal stability and representation that I had longed for since the incident. They have been there for my entire family throughout this traumatic experience. I can say without hesitation that they have shown the kind of compassion and concern that I desperately needed, which was more than I could have ever hoped for. They had provided attention to the legal aspects of this situation, of which I could not provide because my attention was focused towards the recovery of my son. They had given me the support and care that I had needed in order to push on through this painful event. I can vouch for them in saying that they did not take on this case simply for financial gain, but for moral reasons. If you ever need an attorney to walk you through a case involving an injury, these are the people that you need to contact! They put the victim and their family above all else. God bless everyone at Gallagher & Kennedy who provided all the support and aid to my son, as well as my family.

Mother and Family of Robert

“I highly recommend anyone who is looking for an auto injury attorney to lawyers of G & K. Eleanor, Bob, Karen, and the entire team went above and beyond with my motor vehicle case, they were consistent with follow up calls, 100% on strong work, feedback, and clear guidance in my case with outstanding results. Their detailed follow ups and check-ins calls were always my piece of mind through the entire process. Thank you for your support and dedication to my case!

Jesus R. Y.Google

Shannon Clark and Eleanor Shaffer represented me in a serious car accident case and they did a wonderful job. I felt like they were always available and responsive and they both worked diligently to help me get a great result. I highly recommend anyone looking for an attorney consider Shannon, Eleanor, and the G&K injury team.

GuomingGoogle

Education

  • Gonzaga University
    J.D., 2019
  • Gonzaga University
    M.A., 2015
  • Arizona State University
    B.A., B.S., 2013

Bar & Court Admissions

  • Arizona 2021
  • U.S. District Court, District of Arizona, 2022

Associations & Memberships

  • Arizona Association for Justice, Member, 2022-Present