Gallagher & Kennedy announced that Shareholder Patrick J. McGroder III is the 2018 Walter E. Craig Award recipient, presented by the Arizona Foundation for Legal Services & Education (AFLSE). This is an honor bestowed upon an attorney who has manifested adherence to the highest principles and tradition of the legal profession and service to the public in the community in which he/she lives. In addition, AFLSE named Shareholder Shannon Clark one of its Top Pro Bono Attorneys of the Year.
For the last 45 years, Pat has focused his legal practice on high profile, catastrophic injury and wrongful death litigation. He is an architect of social change, practicing on the cutting edge of litigation that has led to HMO reform, road design improvement, motor vehicle and aviation safety changes and nursing home regulation. Pat is a Fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, of which he is Past President. He is also a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers. Pat has received numerous honors and awards, including being the first recipient of the American Board of Trial Advocates Kenneth Clancy Memorial Award and a finalist for the National Trial Lawyers for Public Justice “Trial Lawyer of the Year” award. Pat is widely recognized in the legal industry as one of The Best Lawyers in America® for Personal Injury Litigation; one of the Top 50 Lawyers in Arizona for the past 11 years by Southwest Super Lawyers; a Top 10 Lawyer in Arizona by Arizona Business Magazine; and one of the top 500 lawyers in the country by Lawdragon, to name just a few.
Pat’s litigation success is matched only by his commitment to social justice in his community and his philanthropy. While his causes are many, he has shown great initiative in addressing ‘access to justice’ issues by striving to end homelessness. He served as Fundraising Chair for the Maricopa County Homeless Shelter and sat on the Boards of Directors of the Human Services Campus and Central Arizona Shelter Services for the Homeless. Children focused organizations are also close to his heart. He played a key role in creating what is now the international Make-A-Wish Foundation, for which he was given the Distinguished Service Award, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Arizona recognized him for his “exceptional service to fatherless boys”. In addition, Pat sits on the Board of Directors of Childhelp, an international organization devoted to the health, welfare and safety of children.
Also recognized by AFLSE, Shannon Clark is a member of the firm’s Board of Directors and focuses his practice on matters of catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death and appellate cases. His diverse experience includes product liability, motor vehicle accidents, premises liability, medical malpractice, elder abuse, commercial trucking, police misconduct, construction site accidents and insurance bad faith. Shannon has received numerous accolades within the legal industry, including: The Best Lawyers in America® for Personal Injury Litigation and Appellate Practice; Southwest Super Lawyers® Top 50 Attorney in Arizona; Sustaining Member of Arizona’s Finest Lawyers; and National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Trial Lawyers. He is a fierce advocate for the rights of his clients and possesses a compassion and sensitivity to the human element of each of the personal injury cases he handles.
It is this compassion that also drives Shannon to maintain an active philanthropic role in the community. He regularly volunteers his time to Community Legal Services’ (CLS) VolLaw program. Fluent in Spanish, he is often called upon to guide Spanish speaking clients through the CLS program, work that resulted in the Top Pro Bono Attorney recognition. He is a member of the Fund Development Committee for iCan: Positive Programs for Youth and has sat on the Arizona Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired Board of Directors for 11 years. Shannon also is a past member of the 100 Club of Arizona’s Board of Directors.
