Georgetown Law Appoints Assistant Dean for Career Services

March 29, 2012 — Georgetown University Law Center Dean William M. Treanor has appointed Marcia Pennington Shannon as assistant dean for career services. Shannon will work with the Office of Career Services on a part-time basis until she assumes the position full-time on July 1.

Marcia Pennington Shannon

"Marcia Shannon is one of the most respected professionals in the legal career field," said Treanor. "She has extensive experience with career counseling, professional training and development and outreach to all types of legal employers, as well as deep knowledge of trends in law practice. We are immensely fortunate that she has agreed to lead our Office of Career Services at a time of dynamic change in the legal market."

Shannon has been involved in the field of lawyer career strategy and professional development for more than 20 years. Most recently, she has been a principal at Shannon & Manch, a consulting firm with offices in Washington, D.C., New York, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles. The firm advises lawyers on career options and transitions, provides training on a wide range of professional skills and stays in close contact with employers in both the private and public sector. Prior to working in consulting, Shannon served from 1981-1990 as the assistant director and public interest counselor in the Office of Career Services at the Law Center.

Shannon served as managing editor and co-author of The Lawyer's Career Management Handbook: Your Bridge to a Satisfying Career (West Publishing, 2010) and contributing author to The Art and Science of Strategic Talent Management in Law Firms (West Publishing, 2010). She is also a co-editor of Maximizing Law Firm Profitability: Hiring, Training and Developing Productive Lawyers (Law Journal Press), which is updated twice a year, and a former author of the the award-winning "Managing" column in the American Bar Association’s Law Practice magazine. She is a frequent speaker on a wide range of topics relating to careers in the legal profession. She received her B.A. in psychology from Emory University and M.Ed. from the University of Cincinnati, and is a certified master coach.

Shannon succeeds Gihan Fernando, who has assumed the position of assistant dean for strategic career initiatives. Barbara Moulton, assistant dean for public interest and community service, will serve as interim director of the Office of Career Services until July 1.