ELIZABETH GILBERT

Elizabeth (Liz) Gilbert is a native Arizonan, having grown up in the East Valley. Liz graduated from Westwood High School and then attended Long Medical Institute to become a Respiratory Therapist (RT). Liz worked as an RT at Valley Lutheran Hospital (now Banner Baywood) for 14 years. While working as an RT, Liz decided that she wanted to expand her horizons and went back to school to become a lawyer.

While working full-time as an RT, Liz attended Arizona State University and completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, and completed law school at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at ASU. While waiting for her bar results, Liz worked as a law-trained bailiff for Maricopa County Superior Court Judge I. Sylvan Brown. In this role, Liz worked side by side with Judge Brown and gained an important working knowledge of the inner workings of the Court and courtroom procedure. As a special assignment judge, Judge Brown had the luxury of handling both criminal trials and civil matters. Judge Brown was one of the first Maricopa County judges to conduct settlement conferences in civil matters. As a result, Liz gained a unique and invaluable perspective on the role of alternative dispute resolution in civil cases.

In February 1996, Liz joined the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office as a Deputy County Attorney. During her 12-year career as a prosecutor, Liz handled a variety of felony matters and tried more than 75 jury trials, from simple drug possession to first degree murder. During the majority of her prosecutorial career, Liz was assigned to the gang unit and worked closely with both state and federal law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute criminal street gangs and their members. One of the last investigations Liz completed before leaving the County Attorney’s Office involved a joint investigation between the Glendale Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms (ATF) involving a group of white supremacists who were selling guns and drugs. As a result of this investigation, 41 white supremacists were indicted, prosecuted and imprisoned for a variety of felony offenses. As a result of this prosecution, the ATF awarded Liz the Honor Award for her work on this investigation.

In 2007, Liz left the County Attorney’s Office to work at a firm that focused on representing individuals who had been the victims of elder abuse and/or neglect by those who had been employed to provide care to them. Liz saw this as an opportunity to combine her medical background with her legal knowledge and experience to bring justice to those who had been injured and harmed at the hands of the healthcare entities who had promised, and failed, to provide them with proper care.

In 2012, Liz joined the firm of Jones, Skelton & Hochuli and focused her practice on representing governmental entities, e.g. cities, counties, school districts, etc., in a variety of civil matters, including employment, personal injury and civil rights violations. For the last 5 years, Liz’s practice has focused on the defense of healthcare entities and individual providers in cases of elder abuse and medical malpractice. In this role, Liz gained another unique perspective on the handling of personal injury and wrongful death cases involving care rendered in facilities, both large and small, that cater to the vulnerable adult population. Liz now uses this perspective, experience and knowledge to advocate for and seek justice for our clients.

Liz’s greatest joy comes from her family. When Liz is not working, she focuses her time and energy on supporting and encouraging her nieces and nephews in their various interests and pursuits. Liz can routinely be found on the sidelines of a volleyball court, cheering on her niece, a competitive volleyball player, or banging on the glass at the hockey rink, loudly cheering for her nephew, a competitive hockey player. Liz also enjoys snow sports (snowboarding, snow tubing, etc.) and loves to travel with her husband.