About Allison D.
Allison D. Gaffen earned her undergraduate degree from Grove City College, where she studied political science and psychology and took a minor in family studies. She went on to receive her J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 2011. Her legal education included additional coursework in civil litigation, culminating in a Certificate of Advanced Study from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
Her early work in the Pittsburgh legal community included internships at public interest organizations. In 2009 she worked as a certified legal intern at Southwestern Pennsylvania Legal Services. The following year she served as a family law intern at the Neighborhood Legal Services Association. Those placements exposed her to courtroom procedure, client counseling and the everyday demands of family court practice in Allegheny County.
After passing the Pennsylvania bar in 2011, Gaffen opened her own practice in 2012. The Law Office of Allison Gaffen has operated since then out of the Pittsburgh area. She has kept a steady solo practice while also participating in local bar activities. Her memberships include the Pennsylvania State Bar and the Allegheny County Bar Association, where she belongs to the Family Law Section. Since 2016 she has been part of the ACBA Criminal Law Section as well.
Gaffen has balanced private practice with occasional work in legal education. In 2020 she served as an adjunct professor at Duquesne University School of Law’s Paralegal Institute. Students who took her classes encountered practical instruction about litigation basics and the procedural aspects of family law practice. Her practical credentials are supported by training such as Mental Health First Aid, which she completed through Mental Health First Aid USA.
Her civil litigation certificate plus hands-on experience in family court inform how she approaches client matters. She handles filings, negotiations and courtroom hearings. Colleagues note that she stays active in county bar activities and keeps up with developments in both family and criminal law practice areas.
Gaffen continues to operate the Law Office of Allison Gaffen. She is licensed to practice in Pennsylvania and maintains memberships in the state and county bar associations. She currently handles family law and related matters from her Law Office of Allison Gaffen in Pennsylvania.
