Alison Gaffney is a fighter. Once she takes on a client-as a partner in Keller Rohrback’s nationally recognized Complex Litigation Group or as a cooperating attorney with the ACLU-she commits to doing everything she can to fight for justice for her client.That tenacity was evident in her pursuit to reunite Somali refugee Joseph Doe with his family after their separation was prolonged because of the Muslim Travel Ban. Alison is a member of the team that sued the Trump Administration on behalf of Doe and other individuals and organizations harmed by the travel ban in Doe, et al. v. Donald Trump, et al. (W.D. Washington). Three weeks after the court granted Doe’s motion for a preliminary injunction, Alison had the honor of seeing Doe reunited with his wife and three sons in Seattle.
Alison is passionate about using litigation to combat complex world problems. In the National Prescription Opiate Multi-District Litigation, Alison represents over 70 city, county, and tribal governments in their fight to hold prescription opioid manufacturers and distributors accountable for the devastating effects these drugs have had on their communities. She has played a key role within Keller Rohrback’s Opioid Litigation team, and in the national MDL she has been involved in drafting the master complaints, dispositive briefing, discovery, and preparing and defending medical experts. In addition, Alison represents school districts and counties in litigation against JUUL Labs, Inc. and other e-cigarette manufacturers for targeting youth with their marketing and product design and addicting a new generation to nicotine.
Both before and during law school, Alison’s passion for justice and human rights drew her to immigration law and policy. She completed a master’s degree focused on international migration, and as a law student, she interned with the Seattle Immigration Court and the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) in Tacoma, where she gave “Know Your Rights” presentations at the Northwest Detention Center. She represented clients in deportation proceedings through NWIRP as well as the law school’s Immigration Law Clinic, and she continues to volunteer as a pro bono attorney for NWIRP.
When she is not fighting for her clients, Alison is busy keeping up with her two sons, scrambling and climbing with The Mountaineers, and generally enjoying the beauty of the Pacific Northwest.
Recognitions
Honors & Awards
•Selected to Super Lawyers list in Super Lawyers - Washington, 2025
•Selected to Rising Stars list in Super Lawyers - Washington, 2020-2022
AV Preeminent®: The highest peer rating standard. This rating signifies a large number of the lawyer’s peers rank him
or her at the highest level of professional excellence for their legal knowledge, communication skills and ethical standards.
Distinguished: An excellent rating for a lawyer with some experience. This rating indicates the attorney is widely
respected by their peers for high professional achievement and ethical standards.
Notable: This rating indicates that the lawyer has been recognized by a large number of their peers for strong ethical standards.
