About Rachel
Rachel Ellis built a career that follows a clear path from classroom to courtroom. She earned a degree from Ohio University in 2003 and completed legal studies at the University of Denver in 2008. Those years set the stage for a practice centered on employment law and workplace disputes.
Her early professional experience included a position at Sweeney & Bechtold, LLC, where she joined the firm in 2011. She handled litigation and client counseling there, developing practical courtroom experience and a working knowledge of state and federal employment statutes. That time in a firm setting preceded her move into leadership roles.
In 2014 she founded Ellis Employment Law and became its managing partner. The firm provided representation for employees dealing with wage-and-hour matters, discrimination claims and wrongful termination cases. Three years later she helped launch Livelihood Law LLC and took on the managing partner role in 2017. That transition reflected a shift toward a broader platform while maintaining a steady emphasis on employment disputes.
Ellis has maintained an active presence in professional circles. She is a member of the State Bar of Colorado and has been active in the Denver Bar Association since 2010. Since 2012 she has served on an ad hoc board of the Colorado Women’s Bar Association, a role that has involved planning and participation in events addressing legal issues and professional development. She also holds membership in the Plaintiffs Employment Lawyers Association, reflecting ongoing engagement with peers who litigate on behalf of employees.
Colleagues describe her approach as pragmatic. She balances courtroom readiness with efforts to resolve matters short of trial when clients’ interests make settlement the better option. Her work over the years has included both individual claims and collective actions, and she has handled pre-litigation investigations, administrative filings and jury trials.
Outside of casework she has participated in bar activities that emphasize resources for women lawyers and plaintiffs’ practitioners. Those activities have included speaking, mentoring and committee work tied to professional development and access-to-justice issues.
Ellis now practices at Livelihood Law LLC, where her current work concentrates on employment disputes, workplace investigations and related litigation.
