GILLESPIE SHIELDS - Key Persons
Christopher B. Ingle earned his law degree in 2007 from the University of Arizona, James E. Rogers College of Law, where he was an editor of the Arizona Law Review and completed an externship with the Arizona Court of Appeals, Division II. Mr. Ingle also holds a Bachelor of Science in psychology, magna cum laude, from Arizona State University, where he was a member of the Barrett Honors College.
During his legal career, Mr. Ingle has represented a diverse array of clients, ranging from individuals and small business to multinational corporations and government entities. His practice focuses on intellectual property, litigation, commercial transactions, social media, and new technology. He is admitted to practice in the Arizona Supreme Court and all lower courts, Arizona District Court, Arizona Bankruptcy Court, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. At a prior law firm, Mr. Ingle served as chair of the Intellectual Property practice group, and before that he had also chaired a Cyberlaw practice group. In 2018 Arizona Business Journal selected him as one of the Top 100 Attorneys in Arizona, and in 2017 Thomson Reuters selected him to receive Super Lawyer and Rising Star status.
Prior to law school, Mr. Ingle worked as an investigator for Child Protective Services. His unit specialized in methamphetamine lab busts, shaken baby cases, high-profile incidents. He completed training on investigation techniques, physical abuse, forensic interviewing, serial killer investigations, gang sign recognition and identification, HAZMAT site safety, and drug identification and testing. On several occasions Mr. Ingle qualified as an expert witness and testified in court.
Mr. Ingle has appeared on televised news programs several times, including "Waymo's self-driving tech needs one big thing to succeed: More humans" (CNBC, 2019), "Cyberattacks on the Rise in Arizona" (KPNX News Channel 12, 2016), and "Your Facebook Account can be Used in Court" (CBS News Channel 5, 2015), and has also been featured in print by the New York Daily News ("Legal social media ‘prenups' can quash embarrassing posts," 2015), and The Arizona Republic ("Internet opens door to free speech that can get expensive," 2014). He has been a keynote speaker for the Thurgood Marshall Inn of Court, the Scottsdale Bar Association, and the Maricopa County Bar Association, and has also taught numerous continuing legal education (CLE) courses, such as "Balancing Free Speech against Disinformation: Discussing the DOJ's Recommended Reforms to Section 230 (2020); Trademark Law Fundamentals (2018); Overview of Online Defamation (2016); Intellectual Property and the Cannabis Industry (2015); Fundamentals of Online Defamation Litigation, (2014); and Cyberlaw: Online Defamation and How to Get Negative Information Off the Internet (2014). He is the author of "Superhero Showdown at USPTO," which The Record Reporter printed in 2015.
In his free time, Mr. Ingle is on the Executive Committee of Greater Phoenix Mensa, where he has served as both Parliamentarian and Treasurer, and he volunteers at Lost Our Home Pet Rescue, a no-kill animal shelter in Tempe. His interests include jogging, racquetball, theoretical physics, invention, reading, and board games.
Jeffrey McCombs was born in Salt Lake City Utah. Jeffrey attended the University of Utah and received degrees in: Political Science with a Certificate in International Relations and Sociology with a Certificate in Criminology. Jeffrey was on the Dean's list and a member of several honor societies. Jeffrey received his law degree from the University of Kansas School of Law. During law school Jeffrey was the recipient of the CALI Excellence for the Future Award for being the top student in alternative dispute resolution. Jeffrey engaged in many activities including: Moot Court Competition; Trial Advocacy Mock Trial and was the treasurer of the J. Reuben Clark Law Society. Jeffrey was admitted to the Arizona bar in 2009.
Jeffrey has a pragmatic and realistic approach towards the practice of law and is dedicated to helping people in their time of need. He strives earnestly to help the parties cooperate to achieve a better outcome than they would have otherwise achieved through conflict alone.
Jenny Jansch was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. She is a married mother of three children. She received her Bachelor of Arts cum laude, in Paralegal Studies from McMurry University in Abilene, Texas. She received her law degree in 2006 from the Thomas M. Cooley School of Law and received numerous awards for her legal writing and advocacy skills.
She was admitted to the Arizona State Bar in June of 2006 and to the United States District Court of Arizona in October of 2007. Prior to receiving her law degree, Jenny worked as a paralegal for the Maricopa County Attorney's Office and the Arizona Attorney General's Office.
After being admitted to the practice of law, Jenny has been an advocate for her clients and has years of experience working in Plaintiff's personal injury. Jenny joined Blake Law Firm in January 2015 and brings extensive knowledge and experience to the firm. She is a long-standing member of the Maricopa County Bar Association, the Arizona Association for Justice, a.k.a. Trial Lawyers Association, and the Arizona Women Lawyers Association.
EDUCATION
Thomas M. Cooley School of Law, J.D.
Bachelor of Arts cum laude, Paralegal Studies, McMurry University in Abilene, Texas
John has been in litigation for over 40 years.
During my time in Arizona , I have been a civil litigator, dependency trial attorney and I worked a year for the Pinal County Attorney. For that period I was the supervisor of the Juvenile Delinquency Unit and worked in the Major Crimes Unit.
Before Arizona, there was Oklahoma. I have tried almost every kind of case there is in adult criminal and civil. As a prosecutor I tried everything from capital murder to misdemeanors. I served as the Juvenile Unit Supervisor which prosecuted both delinquencies and dependency cases. I left prosecution and became General Counsel of Oklahoma's State Juvenile Delinquency Agency. The Agency provided diversion, probation, detention, and secure residential services to the State. I am most proud of bringing closure in federal court of a class action civil rights suit that had been pending over delinquency and dependency for 25 years. After my General Counsel years, I went back to criminal defense and civil litigation where I have tried cases in both state and federal court. Cases have included virtually everything from civil rights violation, to medical malpractice, to employment, to products liability, and to ERISA. There are very few experts that I have not deposed or cross examined.
But the real joy of my life now is my family: my wife Janice and I have 10 kids (5 children and 5 wonderful spouses) and 4 grandkids ranging in age from 16 to 2. I have been blessed in my career and in my personal life.
EDUCATION
Oklahoma Baptist University BA History 1978
Univ of Oklahoma Juris Doctor 1981
John has been in litigation for over 40 years. During his time in Arizona , he has been a civil litigator, dependency trial attorney and worked a year for the Pinal County Attorney. For that period he was the supervisor of the Juvenile Delinquency Unit and worked in the Major Crimes Unit.
Born and raised in Milan, Italy, Mr. Costa is an international attorney knowledgeable in both U.S. and Italian law. He obtained his Italian law degree at the University of Pavia. After practicing for several years in Milan, he moved to Arizona in 2009 where he earned his JD at the University of Arizona. He serves as general counsel for the Italian Association in Scottsdale.
Mr. Costa focuses his practice on employment, immigration, corporate, and business law. He represents employers and employees in labor disputes. He assists clients with business and family immigration, adjustment of status, and naturalization cases. He provides assistance in different areas such as start-up, entity formation, business transactions, contracts, and commercial litigation. He also assists international clients desiring to invest and/or establish a business in the U.S. He also assists U.S. companies and individuals desiring to invest and/or establish a business in Italy or having assets and interests in Italy. Being a European and Italian native-language speaker, he understands the cultural differences between Italy and the U.S. and is able to help to overcome all possible barriers.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner and Family Law Attorney
Mark Shields began with Gillespie, Shields & Taylor back when it was Gillespie & Associates in 1996, prior to his last year of law school. Since that time, Mark has practiced heavily in the area of family law and appeals and has also had extensive experience in civil litigation, juvenile law, and other related fields. Mark is happy to report that his approach to practicing law has changed remarkably little during the recessions that have been endured over the course of his career because he has always sought to deliver true value to his clients. Whether the case involves millions of dollars or no dollars, Mark has consistently sought to provide his clients the best service for the most accessible price.
Mark has been married for twenty-five years and is the proud father of five daughters. He is a native of Arizona and has deep Arizona roots, going back four generations. He is also a third-generation Arizona lawyer. Mark graduated from Washington High School in Phoenix and graduated from Brigham Young University in 1993 with a degree in sociology. Before earning his bachelor's degree, Mark also spent two years in Portugal as a missionary for his church and working with people of varied backgrounds, ethnicities, and cultures. After working for a year or two while his wife finished up her degree, Mark entered the J. Reuben Clark Law School, where he graduated in 1997. Mark's law school class was ranked seventh in the nation for average GPA and LSAT scores, so he was immediately initiated into a highly competitive environment.
Because a family law issue is so important and so personal, it should be handled by someone who cares. Mark believes that being down to earth and an honest, approachable guy is just as important in the practice of law as it is in life in general.
As a veteran courtroom litigator, Robert Newell is experienced in both criminal and family law, as well as the interactions between the two. Robert has appeared in almost every Justice and City court in Maricopa County, as well as frequent appearances in the Superior Court. Whether you have been accused of domestic violence, served with divorce papers, or both, Robert is prepared to protect your family, finances, and future.
Even before he went to law school, Robert Newell knew that he wanted to practice criminal law. In law school, Robert made it a point to take every criminal law course offered, and he interned during his summers for the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. and the Orange County California Attorney's Office. After admission to the Arizona Bar, Robert went to work in a small firm in Scottsdale, Arizona. He worked exclusively on criminal cases, from the pettiest misdemeanors in city court to the capital murder Baseline Killer case.
Robert came to GillespieShields in 2012. Although he continues to represent defendants in criminal courts across Maricopa County and beyond, Robert has also branched out into family law and has been lead counsel in hundreds of family cases. He especially enjoys being able to help reunite children with their parents.
Robert describes his legal philosophy as follows: "My goal in every case is to obtain the best results for you that I can. Sometimes trial is the only option, but mediation and negotiation have their place. It is always better to come up with an agreement you can live with than to be told by the Judge that ‘you're going to have to live with this.' My role as your attorney is to advise you of your options and then carry out your direction, whether that be trial or settlement."
Robert comes from a military family. Though he was born in Texas, his earliest memories are from when his family was stationed in West Germany. After his father was discharged honorably from the U.S. Army, his family settled in California, which was a great place to grow up. He attended university and law school in Utah, spent two years on a church mission in Michigan, and six months on two internships in Washington, D.C., with the U.S. Senate and Department of Justice, respectively. In 2010, Robert and his family settled in sunny Phoenix, which they have made their home.
The best thing Robert got out of law school was his wife, Natalie, who is also an attorney and formerly worked at GillespieShields. They met on the first day of law school at Brigham Young University and have been inseparable ever since. Robert is the proud father of two children, a boy and a girl. In his infrequent leisure time, he enjoys reading novels and watching college football.
Outside the courtroom, Robert serves as a leader in his local Cub Scout troop and is active in his church and community. He likes to keep up to date on current events and is well-read in matters of literature, history and political science.
Robert believes in weighing every option and exploring every potential solution to his clients' legal troubles. He does everything in his power to give them the best options to choose from, and advises his clients as they make the final decisions on how to proceed.
Wayne is a practical, trustworthy, down-to-earth attorney who cares about his clients and provides each with exceptional legal service. As an estate planning attorney and probate litigator with over twenty (20) years of experience, he is uniquely qualified to deliver useful, comprehensive, and high quality legal advice and solutions.
Wayne is a personable, experienced, down-to-earth attorney, who listens carefully to his clients' needs and works tirelessly with them towards the achievement of their reasonable legal goals. As he sees it, Wayne's duty as an attorney is to use his legal knowledge to make life a little fairer for his clients.