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Education
Harvard Law School, J.D., cum laude, 1994
Bowdoin College, B.A., Economics with a Mathematics minor, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, 1991
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Bar and Court Admissions
Massachusetts (1994)
U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts (1996)
U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (1999)
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Sara Jane Shanahan
Partner
Sara Jane Shanahan is vice chair of the firm's Litigation Department and co-chair of the Business Litigation and Social Media and Digital Technology Practice Groups. Her practice focuses on complex business litigation and insurance coverage disputes. Sara represents a variety of clients such as hedge funds and investment managers, generic pharmaceutical manufacturers, national retailers, insurers, insureds, shareholders of closely-held corporations and officers and directors of public corporations.
Prior to joining the firm in December 2008, Sara was partner at Griesinger, Tighe, & Maffei, LLP and junior partner at Hale and Dorr LLP. After law school, Sara clerked for the Hon. Nathaniel M. Gorton, U.S. District Judge for the District of Massachusetts.
 Representative Experience
- Hedge funds and the investment manager with regard to claims against their third party administrator
- National retailer in arbitration and litigation with third party business brokers
- Hospital patent-owner in licensing dispute with medical device manufacturer
- Generic drug manufacturers in False Claims Act and products liability litigation
- Insurers and insureds in complex insurance coverage disputes
- Minority shareholders in closely-held corporations regarding breach of fiduciary duty and voting trust claims
- Homeowners in arbitrations regarding construction disputes
- Successfully obtained summary judgment on securities fraud claims for defendant; Federal District Court denied plaintiffs' motion for class certification
- Internet operating and development company prevailing on all claims in two week jury trial regarding insurance coverage
Memberships
Community Involvement
Speaking Engagements and Publications
- "Cornwell ruling a warning to investment managers," Boston Business Journal, March, 2013
- "Cornwell's $50M Jury Award Wake-Up Call For Advisors," Private Wealth Magazine, February 21, 2013
- “Cyberbullying and Social Media Misuse: Prevention and Response,” Magna Online Seminars, August 15, 2012
- "RE and Social Media: A Legal Perspective," The Real Reporter, July 13, 2012
- "Social Networking Policies: Mitigating Risks and Reaping Rewards," ALM General Counsel Conference, June 12, 2012
- "How to Protect Your Students from Cyberbullying," The Chronicle of Higher Education, March 20, 2012
- "Why You Should Protect Your Employees' Twitter Accounts," CFO, December 12, 2011
- "Social Media Policies and Practices Your Company Can 'Like'," moderator, New England Legal Foundation Fall Breakfast Program, October 26, 2011
- "Privacy and Privilege When Communicating With Clients Via Email," speaker, Boston Bar Association Luncheon, October 6, 2011
- "Slow the Trigger When Firing Over Twitter," CFO, September 29, 2011
- "Litigation Potluck: How to Avoid Litigation and How to Manage It Effectively If You Can't," panelist, Association of Corporate Counsel Northeast Chapter, July 13, 2011
- "Preparing Your Company for Social Media Challenges," panelist, 23rd Annual Corporate Counsel Conference East Coast, June 8, 2011
- “Bad Faith Claims Handling - G.L. c. 93A and G.L. c. 176D,” with Thomas F. Maffei, Massachusetts Liability Insurance Manual 2011, chap. 13, 2nd edition, Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Inc., 2011
- “To Preserve and Protect: Warding Off Wiki-Like Attacks,” Corporate Counsel, January 2011
- “Directors Urged to Submit Comment to SEC on Whistleblower Provisions,” with Jason Drori, Corporate Board Member, December 2010
- “Warding Off Shareholder Derivative Suits: Diligence and Faithfulness Are the Keys,” Corporate Counsel, August 2010
- “Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Decision Supports Public’s Rights in the Waterfront,” Sherin and Lodgen LLP Client Advisory, August 2010
- "Looking Inward," Corporate Counsel, June 2010
- "One Size Does Not Fit All: Approaches to Internal Investigations," with Edward S. Cheng and Matthew C. Moschella, panelist, Association of Corporate Counsel, Northeast Chapter, March 2010
- “Conflicting Decisions Lead to Uncertainty for Massachusetts Companies and Auditors Alike,” SumNews, Winter 2009
- "View from Both Sides of the Bench," introduction, Boston Bar Association, January 2009
- "Tensions are rising from IRS victory in Textron case," WebCPA.com, November 16, 2009
- "Another View: The Eroding Attorney-Client Privilege," The New York Times DealBook, November 2, 2009
- "Director and Officer Liability in the Aftermath of Fraud," Suffolk University Law School Seminar, May 2009
- "Attorney-Client Privilege for In-House Counsel," client seminar, April 2009
- "How Private is that Email to the Contract Attorney in Mumbai? Attorney-Client Privilege in the 21st Century," with Edward S. Cheng, Association of Corporate Counsel, Northeast Chapter, February 2009
- "Bad Faith Claims Handling - G.L. c. 93A and G.L. c. 176D," with Thomas F. Maffei, Massachusetts Liability Insurance Manual 2009 Supplement, chap. 14, Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Inc., 2004, 2009
Blogs
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