Elyse A. Shimada

Elyse A. Shimada practices in the Firm’s Complex Litigation, Pharmaceutical Products, and Toxic Torts & Products Liability groups, where she defends manufacturers in a wide range of products liability matters before state and federal courts across the country. In addition, she has experience in insurance coverage matters, helping clients to recover against insurers for covered claims.

Ms. Shimada has handled all aspects of trial preparation including pre-trial motions, legal research, and witness preparation, and developing direct and cross-examination outlines and demonstratives. She has been an on-site member of multiple trial teams. As part of her practice, she has authored a wide variety of motions and briefs, including appellate briefs submitted in U.S. federal circuit courts. Ms. Shimada has considerable experience in corporate defense and has helped prepare numerous corporate representatives for deposition and trial. She also has extensive experience in preparing expert witnesses. She has managed all aspects of the corporate document review and production process, as well as third-party discovery matters.

Ms. Shimada is named in the 2023 Washington, DC edition of Super Lawyers as a Rising Star for Personal Injury-Products, Defense.

Prior to joining the Firm, Ms. Shimada served as a law clerk to The Honorable Thomas C. Wheeler of the United States Court of Federal Claims. While at the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, she worked on government contract cases (bid protests), patent cases, military pay cases, and takings claims, including a six-week trial of Starr International v. United States, 121 Fed. Cl. 428 (2015).

Ms. Shimada received her J.D., cum laude, in 2014 from George Washington University Law School where she was one of the Managing Editors of the Public Contract Law Journal and a member of the Mock Trial Board. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of California, Irvine, where she was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa honor society.

Ms. Shimada was a member of the Firm's 2013 Summer Associate class. A competitive runner and current member of the Capital Area Runners, she has run four marathons and won the Orange County Half-Marathon in 2011.