In an interview with Lawdragon, Shannon M. McNulty, partner at Clifford Law Offices, discusses how her career that began in law enforcement inspired her pursuit of seeking the truth and implementing solutions through tort law.
Shannon McNulty‘s path began at the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, where she managed the Chicago Homicide Dataset. Her work focused on using data from violent crimes to predict and prevent future incidents, emphasizing advocacy and community betterment over punitive measures.
With a strong family background in law enforcement, Shannon joined the Chicago Police Department as a civilian and served as the Director of Administration in the Bureau of Operational Services and Chief of Staff to the First Deputy Superintendent. Her path took a pivotal turn during her time here when her police captain, a respected mentor and lawyer himself, encouraged her to attend law school. Recognizing her problem-solving skills and intellectual abilities, he believed that a legal career would provide her with more opportunities to contribute to the community and effect change within large organizations. With his guidance, Shannon took the LSAT and enrolled in law school at DePaul University, where she was drawn to tort law as a means to create broad-scale change.
“Seeing the common denominator of enforcing the law and finding solutions and improving standards of living caused me to gravitate toward practicing in areas of tort law.”
Shannon M. McNulty, partner at Clifford Law Offices
For the past 20 years, Shannon has led Clifford Law Offices’ mass tort, fraud, whistleblower/qui tam matters, and class actions. Her work includes securing significant verdicts and settlements, such as a $34.75 million result in a class action against Proline Casement windows and her role as liaison counsel in the $92 million data privacy suit against TikTok. Shannon has also been instrumental in the landmark opioid litigation, including her co-lead counsel role in the Purdue Pharma bankruptcy proceedings, which resulted in a $250 million settlement.
“I really believe in active, empathetic listening to restore the client to their strongest position, not only in their case but in their life.”
Shannon M. McNulty, partner at Clifford Law Offices
Beyond these high-profile cases, Shannon believes in the power of litigation as a tool for change. She emphasizes the importance of helping clients find their voices and achieve a sense of justice and confidence after tragedy. Through active, empathetic listening, she strives to restore her clients to their strongest positions, both in their cases and in their lives.
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