After graduating from John F. Kennedy University in 1984 Ms. Shaw joined a small insurance defense firm in Oakland. The firm name changed the following year to McGraw & Shaw. Ms. Shaw litigated a wide variety of third party insurance defense matters. Her practice included defending insureds in personal injury and wrongful death claims arising from auto accidents, slip & falls, general premises liability, assault and battery and molestation cases. She also represented insured's in landlord tenant disputes and construction defect claims. Ms. Shaw handled hundreds of subrogation suits on behalf of insurance carriers that included product liability, auto and general negligence matters.

In 1993 Ms. Shaw joined Examen, Inc. (presently LexisNexis Examen, Inc.) as a Senior Consultant providing legal cost management services to insurance carriers, private companies, corporations and local and state governments. Ms. Shaw traveled throughout the United States working with clients in developing billing and legal services guidelines and performing onsite legal expense and legal management audits of law firms.

In 1995 Ms. Shaw returned to insurance defense litigation and became a partner in the insurance defense firm of Jageman & Shaw in Walnut Creek and then later, a partner in the firm of Pave, Bogaards & Shaw in San Francisco.

Ms. Shaw is presently a partner with McDowell, Meshot & Shaw in the Walnut Creek office. She joined the firm as an associate in 1998 and was made a partner in 2005. Ms. Shaw has continued her general litigation practice defending insured's in third party liability matters including auto and general liability cases that involve soft tissue, serious injury and wrongful death. Since joining the firm Ms. Shaw also specializes in handling first and third party SIU matters.

Her practices includes handling first party claims involving arson, burglary, theft and coverage issues. She also litigates suspicious third party cases that involve medical build up, stuffed passengers and staged accidents.

Ms. Shaw has successfully tried over 20 jury trials and 25 court trials. She has arbitrated and mediated hundreds of cases. She has taken and defended thousands of depositions and has taken scores of examinations under oath. Ms. Shaw regularly provides training to insurance company personnel on SIU and general claims topics.

Ms. Shaw is admitted to practice in all state and federal courts in California. She is a member of the Northern California Fraud Investigators Association and a member of the Association of Defense Counsel of Northern California and Nevada.

Practices
Civil Litigation and Trials
First Party SIU Investigation
Examinations Under Oath

Education
John F. Kennedy University, J.D. 1984

Walnut Creek Office

email: pshaw@mcdowelllaw.com

© 2006 McDowell, Meshot & Shaw