Shannon R. Henris

Within a short period of time, Shannon Henris has cemented her reputation as a stalwart advocate for her clients, fighting tooth and nail to achieve their goals with grace and poise. At Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight, LLP, in Washington, D.C., she handles all matters of employment litigation, ranging from discrimination and toxic workplace environment to sexual offenses and wrongful termination, as well as complex and class litigation, civil rights and public interest litigation, and appellate litigation.  

At Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight, Shannon’s practice has focused on employment discrimination, public interest litigation, and complex and class civil litigation. Working with a team of Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight attorneys, Shannon has represented clients including:

• A proposed class of youth with disabilities in the Tennessee juvenile justice system in Disability Rights Tennessee, et al. v. The State of Tennessee, et al.
• A certified class of current, former, and prospective African American Deputy U.S. Marshals and Detention Enforcement Officers who have experienced racism in hiring, promotions, and headquarters assignments from 1994 to the present
• A certified class of participants in UnitedHealth Group’s 401(k), ultimately reaching one of the largest ERISA settlements ever for claims of breach of fiduciary duty for a single plan
• A whistleblower alleging that Invitation Homes, one of the largest corporate landlords in the country, defrauded hundreds of California cities by failing to secure necessary permits for renovation work
• Individuals alleging employment discrimination and retaliation against their employers, including tech companies and health systems
• Whistleblowers in sealed and unsealed qui tam suits under investigation by the U.S. government and other governmental stakeholders

Ms. Henris completed her undergraduate studies in 2016, graduating magna cum laude with her bachelor’s degree in biology and marine science from William & Mary. Ms. Henris received her law degree magna cum laude and Order of the Coif from Georgetown University Law Center, where she was the executive articles editor for the Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law and Policy and advocated for clients facing civil rights violations with the Georgetown Law Civil Rights Clinic.  

With her academic prowess being evident early on, Ms. Henris was awarded the CALI Excellence for the Future Award and included in the dean’s list on numerous occasions. She received her Juris Doctor magna cum laude in 2023, and in the same year, she obtained her license to practice law in Washington, D.C. Later on, she gained admission to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

With deep empathy for the plight of her clients in the difficult positions they find themselves in, Ms. Henris rises above the call of duty to give them every opportunity to overcome their legal cases expeditiously and with grace and poise. She has garnered the adulation of her peers for progressing the standard of client care in her industry to even greater heights through her practice.