MY LEGAL LIFE 25 About Shannon Shannon Dorvall is an experienced general counsel who has transitioned from a strong multi-year history of practicing as a trial attorney in criminal defence. Shannon graduated from The University of Montana School of Law and is skilled in trial practice and postconviction appellate and habeas work. She is licensed to practice in all California state and federal courts as well as the Supreme Court of the United States. About the Firm Imhoff & Associates is one of the largest criminal defence law firms in the United States, with a strong presence in most states as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Its team handles a wide variety of criminal cases, including DUI/DWI, white collar crime, violent crime and more. The firm also assists in matters involving expungements, parole violations, criminal appeals and bail reduction. Even convictions that should be automatically sealed require vigilance to make sure a person gets the relief they deserve on the local and state level. Please tell us about your journey into law. I am one of those people who always wanted to be an attorney without having a clear idea of what they did. There were no other attorneys in my family, but my aunt was a barber who cut hair for many of the local lawyers. I would sit in her shop for hours and talk to various attorneys about the law, why they became lawyers and what they loved about their job. I would listen, completely enraptured, as they discussed a big trial or a hard-fought motion. The litigators were characters who both then and now remind me of street brawlers. I won my first ‘trial’ in eighth grade. We were doing a project on American History and were assigned roles where we put actions from history on trial in front of a jury to decide if the actions would now be a crime. I was given the role of defence attorney. A local attorney volunteered to assist with the mock trial. My side won and our teacher was very upset because I was supposed to lose. The attorney calmed him down and explained the teacher should appreciate seeing the birth of a future attorney. I was hooked. Not everyone can be Atticus Finch, but I wanted to try, so I applied to law school. What attracted you to work in criminal law, and specifically as a defence attorney? I attended law school at the University of Montana School of Law. Likely due to my eighth grade History project and watching the OJ Simpson trial live in high school, I was drawn to the criminal and Constitutional law courses. I completed a year of clinical work at the Federal Defenders of Montana around the time Crawford v Washington was decided. Watching the tireless dedication of the attorneys in the office combing through every single file they had ever had to see if someone may have qualified for habeas relief was inspiring. I lost count of the number of habeas I drafted that year. I moved to California and have been practicing criminal law with Imhoff & Associates for my entire career. I recently transitioned to General Counsel for our Firm giving me more time to mentor interns and young lawyers. Could you share any advice you may have for aspiring defence attorneys who may wish to follow your career trajectory? Learn everything you can from anyone willing to teach you. Many aspects of life prove useful in criminal defence. I had no idea how much math and science I would need to read police reports, DNA profiles, autopsy reports and every other facet of discovery. Be open to seeing every side of an argument. Being blindsided is never fun, but there are definitely fun aspects to the work. I tell every intern the same thing. Do not assume you are right. Do the work and know you are. About Shannon Dorvall Contact Shannon Dorvall, General Counsel Imhoff & Associates, PC 12424 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA 90025, USA E: shannondorvall@criminalattorney.com www.criminalattorney.com
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