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Shelli Calland

​Shelli is an experienced trial and appellate litigator who has successfully represented clients in complex and fast-paced commercial lawsuits in federal and state courts around the country. Her practice focuses primarily on representing policyholders in a wide range of insurance coverage disputes. 

Shelli’s recent and current insurance-related matters include:

• Representing the plaintiffs in a national class action against a major life insurer accused of charging premiums in violation of the “vanishing premium” clause of its policies and imposing improper expense charges and cost-of-insurance deductions.
• Representing a leading defense contractor seeking insurance coverage for its remediation of groundwater contamination at multiple manufacturing sites.
• Representing a corporate policyholder in a first-party property insurance coverage dispute involving extensive damage to Florida hotels caused by Hurricane Frances.
  
  

Shelli’s other matters have included:
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• Representing a state in a natural resource damages lawsuit brought against a large manufacturer.
• Representing several major teaching hospitals and medical schools in their pursuit of multi-million dollar federal tax refund claims relating to their medical residency programs.
• Representing a Fortune 10 national retailer in a variety of high-risk litigations throughout the United States, including prosecution of a lawsuit to recover damages resulting from a boulder that crushed one of the retailer’s flagship stores; defense of a RICO case in which Shelli was the principal author of both a successful motion to dismiss and a successful Sixth Circuit brief; and defense of a nationwide class action alleging fraud in the sale of prepaid phone cards.
• Representing clients in expedited injunctive relief, appellate, and other proceedings arising out of alleged theft of trade secrets, breaches of non-compete agreements, and violations of the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.
  
  

Shelli has also maintained an active pro bono practice since the beginning of her career. Her pro bono matters have included:

• Helping a Sudanese mother of four obtain a divorce from her husband, custody of her children, and a fair marital property distribution.
• Achieving a favorable settlement for an airplane passenger singled out because of her Middle Eastern name who was removed from the plane at gunpoint, strip-searched, and detained for no legitimate reason.
• Drafting a Sixth Circuit amicus brief in support of a non-profit organization’s effort to include its message in a municipal holiday display.
• Representing a tenants’ organization seeking to exercise its right to purchase the apartment complex where its members lived. Representing criminal defendants accused of murder, theft, and assault at trial and sentencing hearings.
  
  

Shelli graduated from Harvard Law School, where she was an editor of the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review. At Harvard University, Shelli was honored with the Sidney Tuschman Leadership Scholar award. Prior to joining Weisbrod Matteis & Copley, Shelli was an associate at Covington & Burling LLP.

(202) 793-2900
scalland@wmclaw.com
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Education:

• J.D., Harvard Law School (2005)
• B.A., Harvard University (2001)
  
  

Bar Memberships

• District of Columbia
• Virginia
  
  

Publications

• “Hiibel v. Sixth Judicial District Court of Nevada: Stop and Identify Statutes Do Not Violate the Fourth or Fifth Amendments,” 40 Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review 251 (2005)