Siobhan Briley is an attorney at Ellis & Winters LLP in Raleigh, NC. She is a multi-talented trial, commercial, and business litigation lawyer who also has vast experience in fiduciary and estate litigation, bankruptcy litigation, criminal defense, and appellate law. Before joining Ellis & Winters, she was a partner at Pugh Hagan Prahm PLC in Iowa where she handled a large and diverse caseload of litigation matters. Prior to building her legal practice in Iowa, Siobhan litigated high-stakes cases for many years in New York City, and Washington, D.C.
A native of Washington, D.C., Siobhan earned her Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, at Georgetown University Law Center, while working as a legal assistant for Walter Dellinger, when he led the appellate practice at O’Melveny & Myers. In fact, it was Walter who initially encouraged Siobhan to attend law school, noting her inquisitive mind, knack for analyzing evidence, and ability to comprehend complex issues quickly and efficiently.
A keen interest in learning new things and a passion for trial law led Siobhan to become very active in a few key professional legal organizations. She connects with people easily and has built a large network of colleagues throughout the country. In addition to her involvement with WWCDA, she is the co-chair of the Bankruptcy & Insolvency Litigation Committee of the American Bar Association Litigation Section, a member of the DRI Litigation Skills Steering Committee, a fellow of the American Bar Foundation, a fellow of Litigation Counsel of America, a member of the Iowa Supreme Court Grievance Commission, was inducted into the Iowa Academy of Trial Lawyers in 2023.
Siobhan earned her B.A. in Literature, summa cum laude, and Master of Fine Arts (MFA) from the University of Oregon. After graduating from law school, she was a law clerk for the Honorable Mary M. Schroeder, then-Chief Judge U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She has litigated and tried cases on such a wide variety of subjects, many consider her the “Swiss Army Knife” of attorneys. She always finds the right tool in her arsenal of litigation skills to bring to bear for her clients.
Siobhan and her husband, Chris, a securities attorney, live in Raleigh with their rescue fur-baby, Milo. She is a comedy enthusiast and enjoys spending time in the mountains and hiking the trails in and around the area. Since moving to North Carolina, she has decided to reengage in trail running and Milo could not be happier.