Shannon E. Phillips

Highly organized and even-tempered, Shannon is praised by clients for her clear communication and collaborative approach – always thinking ahead and providing a clear-eyed assessment of both risks and opportunities.  Shannon’s practice focuses on:

Employment and labor disputes.  Shannon delivers effective, preventive counsel focused on helping clients avoid or minimize the risk of litigation. She helps employers investigate and defend against allegations of wrongdoing, works with agency officials to resolve issues, and presents clear arguments at trial and in settlement negotiations.

A strong advocate for her clients’ interests, she has represented employers in employment litigation and labor disputes in federal and state courts, as well as in arbitrations and administrative hearings before the EEOC, NLRB and PERC. She has defended employers and individual executives against claims of discrimination, harassment, wrongful discharge, wage and hour violations, retaliation, failure to accommodate religion or a disability, and numerous other allegations.

Labor and employment law counseling.  Shannon advises employers on labor law matters (collective bargaining and contract interpretation) as well as a full range of employment law issues, including employee hiring, discipline and termination, and compliance with federal, state, and local equal employment opportunity laws. She works with clients to develop, implement, and enforce policies on a full range of workplace issues.

Clients.  Shannon has represented a broad array of public sector clients including cities, counties, transit agencies, and others, as well as publicly traded and privately held companies and individual executives.

Credentials

Awards & Accolades

• Elected Fellow of the College of Labor & Employment Lawyers (Class of 2023)
• Listed in The Best Lawyers in America® (2012-2025)

• Listed in Washington Super Lawyers (2014-2024), Top 50 Women in Washington (2024)

• Ranked in Chambers USA (2021-2024)

• Listed as a Washington State Litigation Star in Benchmark Litigation (2015-2021) and in Benchmark Top 250 Women in Litigation (2018-2021)
• Avvo Rating Superb
• Included in Leading Lawyers in the Puget Sound Region, Seattle Business (2013)
• Listed in"Rising Star" listing for Washington Super Lawyers (2007)
• Named a "Rising Star" by Washington Law & Politics magazine (2006)

Memberships

• American Bar Association
• Washington State Bar Association

Community Service

• Coach of Jefferson Community High School mock trial team
• Past board member of Washington Low Income Housing Alliance
• Past President of Board of Communities and Parents for Public Schools
• Past board member of the Northwest Women’s Law Center (now Legal Voice)
• Represented numerous asylum applicants on a pro bono basis through the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project

Publications & Speaking Engagements

• "How to Ask for New Business and Seal the Deal," moderator, ABA Women Rainmakers
• "Recruitment and Selection in the Changing World," Association of Washington Cities Labor Relations Institute
• “How Men & Women Can Work Together to Change the Outdated Pyramid Structure in Law Firms,” panelist, Women Legal 2015 Conference
• “Calculating Damages,” National Business Institute-Successfully Litigating Employment Discrimination
• Leading the Charge — Advanced Bargaining Strategies for Chief Negotiators,” Association of Washington Cities Labor Relations Institute
• “What Advocates Want from Arbitrators,” panelist, National Academy of Arbitrators, Labor Arbitrators’ Day
• “Preparing for Grievance Arbitration and Presenting a Good Case,” AWC Labor Relations Institute
• “Selecting and Terminating Employees in Washington,” National Business Institute
• “Finding Your Way Through the Maze of Leave Laws,” Summit Law Group Training
• “Basics of Collective Bargaining” and EEO Compliance, City of Renton, L.E.A.D. Training

Representative Matters

• Civil wage-and-hour class action defense for public agency: Defended the client against wage and hour claims for alleged pre-shift preparations and post-shift activities. After multiple successful partial summary judgment and expert motions, plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed remaining claims. Appeal is pending.
• Civil wage-and-hour class action defense for company: Defended the client against statewide Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and Washington Minimum Wage Act claims based on the alleged denial of meal and rest breaks.
• Civil defense of city: Represented a municipality in defense against claims of wrongful discharge in violation of public policy for engaging in protected union activity. A number of the claims were dismissed in summary judgment on behalf of the city, after which a final jury verdict was achieve in favor of the city on all remaining claims. The verdict was subsequently upheld by the court of appeals.
• Civil contract defense for company and CEO: Defended the clients against claims of breach of severance agreement and willful nonpayment. After obtaining summary judgment dismissing claims of willful nonpayment and a defense verdict in the bench trial on the remaining claims, the verdict was affirmed by the court of appeals.
• Defense of public transit agency charged with unfair labor practice: Achieved the reversal of a PERC decision in a matter affecting public employers throughout the State of Washington.
• Civil defense of public transit company: Defended the client against claims of FMLA retaliation, failure to accommodate a disability, and retaliation for exercising worker's compensation rights.
• Defense of public agencies before Public Employment Relations Commission: Represented employers against unfair labor practice complaints, from initial hearing through arguments before the court of appeals.
• Labor arbitrations on behalf of public employers: Represented clients in discharge and contract interpretation arbitrations.
• Civil defense of employer: Represented a tech company in private arbitration in defense of claimed sex discrimination by female director.

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