About Shannon Kilpatrick
Shannon practices at Stritmatter Kessler Koehler Moore in Seattle. She handles civil appeals and consults on appeals (both within and without the firm), and also does legal research and writing projects for the firm. She is licensed to practice law in the state of Washington and has 12+ years’ experience at all levels of the state court system. She served as a former judicial law clerk to Justice Debra Stephens of the Washington Supreme Court.
Shannon handles appeals for most civil procedural and substantive issues, including in areas involving government liability, premises liability, contract disputes, insurance bad faith, workers compensation, evidentiary issues, medical malpractice, consumer protection issues, and others. Since 2018, she has also served as an Arbitrator for the superior courts of King, Snohomish, and Kitsap counties.
A native of the Seattle area, Shannon grew up in Bellevue, WA and earned her BA in History from Whitman College in Walla Walla. She graduated cum laude from Marquette University Law School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where she externed for the Honorable John L. Coffey at the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
Shannon has significant experience volunteering with legal organizations. She serves on the Board of Governors for the Washington State Association for Justice (WSAJ). She was recently appointed to the Washington State Supreme Court Gender & Justice Commission. She served as chair of the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) Court Rules & Procedures Committee from 2015-2018 and a member of that Committee from 2011-2015. From 2017-18 she served on the WSBA Civil Litigation Rules Drafting Task Force. From 2011-2012, she served on the WSBA Admission to Practice Rules Task Force.
Shannon is a frequent speaker at legal seminars and author. She recently published a chapter in the Washington State Association for Justice Insurance Law Deskbook on contractual claims and defenses. She is co-editor of the Washington State Association for Justice (WSAJ) Motor Vehicle Litigation Desk Book, published in 2018, and authored the chapter “Insurance Bad Faith Litigation” and the update to the chapter “Scientific Evidence and the Use of Experts in the Courts in Washington.” Shannon serves on the Board of Governors for WSAJ. Washington Super Lawyers selected her as a Rising Star from 2012-2019. She authors the blog Appeal to Justice, which covers mostly Washington-related legal issues.
In her free time, Shannon loves the outdoors and traveling, and enjoys rooting for Seattle sports teams—some years more than others. She and her husband are Mariners’ season ticket holders and long-suffering fans. They live in Duvall, WA with their cat Hannah. You’ll find Hannah’s bio below.
Shannon also serves on the Board of Directors of Homeward Pet Adoption Center, a no-kill and shelter for cats and dogs in Woodinville, where she also volunteers in the cat room most weekends.
For questions about an appeal, please contact Shannon Kilpatrick. Follow Shannon on Twitter or Instagram.
About Hannah
Hannah, pictured here in 2021, at her “desk” next to mom’s computer.
Office mascot and purralegal, Hannah, has been “assisting” Shannon with her legal work since 2012. She’s a shorthair brown/gray tabbie-tortie mix. Originally from the mean streets of Yakima, Hannah was adopted by Shannon and Dan from the Seattle Humane Society in Bellevue in 2012.
Hannah has a bed on Shannon’s desk at home, where she spends hours sleeping. She’s not very productive or helpful as office staff go. Luckily, she’s cute enough to make up for it.
When she’s not sleeping during the day, Hannah enjoys treats, sleeping on her cat tree, playing with her toys, sleeping on the guest bed, running around the house, sleeping under a piece of furniture, making biscuits, sleeping on a pile of clean clothes, and trying to convince her mom to feed her beginning about two hours before her dinner time.
