ABOUT ATTORNEY EVE SHATTEEN BELL

When I applied to law school in 1998, I already knew that I was destined for a career in civil rights. I was four years old when my mom enrolled in law school, and to this day we joke that I went to law school twice. (I still have very fond memories of accompanying her to those long study sessions at the library.)

Upon her law school graduation, my family moved from snowy Cleveland, Ohio to sunny Dallas, Texas, where I was fortunate to attend Greenhill School, a diverse learning community which continues, decades later, to instill in its students the core values of Excellence, Integrity, Compassion and Courage, and which inspired me to lead a truly purposeful life.

After undergraduate studies at Emory University in Atlanta, I headed up the East Coast to the University of Virginia School of Law, where I graduated with my J.D. in 2002. Because I experienced how my mother’s education changed the trajectory of our family’s life, my professional mission became clear: to protect every student’s right to attend school (at all levels) without fear of unlawful discrimination or harassment, and to use my legal training to ensure the rigorous application of fairness and justice in the educational arena.

For almost a decade, I served as an attorney at the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in Dallas, Texas, where I investigated hundreds of complaints filed by students, faculty, staff and parents in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi ranging from sexual harassment to discrimination based on gender, race, sexual orientation and identity, and disability.

I then decided to bring my OCR experience on campus and worked for six years at two different schools (Southern Methodist University and University of North Texas) in a variety of roles including Assistant Vice President for Institutional Equity and Diversity and Title IX Director.

And my dream career continues on behalf of my Duffy Law clients who are facing intensely challenging situations and who need the wise guidance and dedicated advocacy I am privileged to provide them.

For fun, I enjoy high intensity exercise, like powerlifting and CrossFit. I enjoy spending time with my teenage son. And I am a proud member of Jack & Jill of America, a leadership organization for mothers, with the goal of inspiring children to be leaders who are compassionate members of society.