Overview

Colleen Shannon is an associate attorney who focuses her practice in the areas of municipal law and general litigation.

Prior to joining Klein, Thorpe & Jenkins, Colleen worked at the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, where she represented the State of Illinois and its employees in Section 1983 cases in the Northern District of Illinois and the Central District of Illinois. Colleen was also a supervisor of the Prisoner Litigation Unit, where she oversaw a team of attorneys handling a variety of federal civil rights lawsuits. During her time at the Attorney General’s Office, she gained extensive litigation experience, chaired several federal jury trials, and successfully defended against claims brought under the First and Eighth Amendments, such as retaliation, excessive force, failure to protect, inadequate medical care, and conditions of confinement. Colleen also counseled state agencies on settlement and negotiated numerous settlement agreements during conferences before federal judges.

Prior to the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, Colleen represented criminal defendants charged with a variety of felony, misdemeanor, and traffic offenses in Cook, DuPage, Lake, and Will County. In addition, she represented individuals in administrative proceedings and disciplinary matters before the Chicago Police Board and Human Resources Board. Colleen also represented plaintiffs in Section 1983 federal civil rights lawsuits.

Colleen received her B.S. in Accounting, cum laude, from Elmhurst College in 2012. She earned her J.D., cum laude, from The John Marshall Law School in January 2015. At John Marshall, Colleen wrote an article for The John Marshall Law Review analyzing the financial impact of certain federal mandatory minimum sentences. In addition, she clerked for the Federal Defender Program in Chicago and the Cook County Public Defender’s Office.