Professor Shannon Heery joined VLGS in January 2023, teaching Criminal Law, Criminal Practice and Procedure, and Evidence.

Prior to joining the faculty, Professor Heery was a career public defender, practicing in Brooklyn, New York, Howard County, Maryland, and Baltimore, Maryland.

Professor Heery received her BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her JD, cum laude, from Washington University in St Louis School of Law. During law school, she participated in the criminal defense clinic through the Missouri State Public Defender’s Office in St. Louis County. Upon graduation, Prof. Heery began her career with Brooklyn Defender Services in Brooklyn, NY. As a Senior Trial Attorney, she employed a client-centered, holistic approach while representing individuals charged with every type of crime - from misdemeanors to the most serious felonies - at every moment they were involved with the criminal system. While at BDS, Prof. Heery also co-founded the DNA and Forensics Division of Brooklyn Defender Services.

Prof. Heery then worked for the Maryland Office of the Public Defender in Howard County and Baltimore City, Maryland. There, Professor Heery continued to represent numerous individuals facing life sentences during all phases of a criminal case. In her years as a public defender, Prof. Heery has tried numerous cases, conducted countless pretrial motions hearings, sentencings, and bail review hearings, all with a focus on the individual clients she represented. She brings that same individual focus, dedication, and passion to her students in her role as a professor with VLGS.