Kannon Shanmugam
Encyclopedia
Kannon Shanmugam is a partner at the law firm of Williams & Connolly
, focusing on Supreme Court and appellate litigation. He has argued ten cases before the Supreme Court, more than any other lawyer in the firm's history except Edward Bennett Williams
. He joined the firm on October 6, 2008, and is the first partner from outside the firm in 22 years.
Shanmugam previously served as an Assistant to the Solicitor General of the United States. Before joining the Office of the Solicitor General, he was an associate at the law firm of Kirkland & Ellis
, where he worked with former U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Kenneth Starr
in the firm's appellate litigation group. He previously served as a law clerk to Justice Antonin Scalia
on the United States Supreme Court and Judge J. Michael Luttig
on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
.
, and was co-valedictorian of his class at Lawrence High School
. He went to Harvard at age 16, where he majored in classics and graduated summa cum laude. After being selected as a Marshall Scholar, he obtained a master’s degree in classics from the University of Oxford
. He then returned to Harvard Law School
and graduated magna cum laude in 1998; there, he served as executive editor of the Harvard Law Review
and argued the case for the winning side in the Ames Moot Court Competition
.
Williams & Connolly
Williams & Connolly LLP is a prominent litigation firm based in Washington, D.C. The firm was founded by trial lawyer Edward Bennett Williams, who left the partnership of D.C. firm Hogan & Hartson to launch his own litigation boutique....
, focusing on Supreme Court and appellate litigation. He has argued ten cases before the Supreme Court, more than any other lawyer in the firm's history except Edward Bennett Williams
Edward Bennett Williams
Edward Bennett Williams was a Washington, D.C. trial attorney who founded the law firm of Williams & Connolly and owned several professional sports teams...
. He joined the firm on October 6, 2008, and is the first partner from outside the firm in 22 years.
Shanmugam previously served as an Assistant to the Solicitor General of the United States. Before joining the Office of the Solicitor General, he was an associate at the law firm of Kirkland & Ellis
Kirkland & Ellis
Kirkland & Ellis LLP is an international law firm with headquarters in Chicago, known for its profitability and its litigation, bankruptcy, intellectual property and private equity departments. Kirkland & Ellis is currently ranked as the ninth most prestigious law firm in the United States by...
, where he worked with former U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Kenneth Starr
Kenneth Starr
Kenneth Winston "Ken" Starr is an American lawyer and educational administrator who has also been a federal judge. He is best known for his investigation of figures during the Clinton administration....
in the firm's appellate litigation group. He previously served as a law clerk to Justice Antonin Scalia
Antonin Scalia
Antonin Gregory Scalia is an American jurist who serves as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. As the longest-serving justice on the Court, Scalia is the Senior Associate Justice...
on the United States Supreme Court and Judge J. Michael Luttig
J. Michael Luttig
J. Michael Luttig is an American lawyer and a former federal appellate court judge.-Education and early work:Born in Tyler, Texas, Luttig graduated from Washington and Lee University in 1976. He then attended the University of Virginia School of Law, where he received his Juris Doctor degree in...
on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit is a federal court located in Richmond, Virginia, with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:*District of Maryland*Eastern District of North Carolina...
.
Education
Shanmugam grew up in Lawrence, KansasLawrence, Kansas
Lawrence is the sixth largest city in the U.S. State of Kansas and the county seat of Douglas County. Located in northeastern Kansas, Lawrence is the anchor city of the Lawrence, Kansas, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Douglas County...
, and was co-valedictorian of his class at Lawrence High School
Lawrence High School (Kansas)
Lawrence High School is a fully accredited public high school located in Lawrence, Kansas, serving students in grades 9-12. The school is one of the two public high schools located in the city. Lawrence High enrolled 1,260 students in the 2007-2008 school year...
. He went to Harvard at age 16, where he majored in classics and graduated summa cum laude. After being selected as a Marshall Scholar, he obtained a master’s degree in classics from the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
. He then returned to Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
and graduated magna cum laude in 1998; there, he served as executive editor of the Harvard Law Review
Harvard Law Review
The Harvard Law Review is a journal of legal scholarship published by an independent student group at Harvard Law School.-Overview:According to the 2008 Journal Citation Reports, the Review is the most cited law review and has the second-highest impact factor in the category "law" after the...
and argued the case for the winning side in the Ames Moot Court Competition
Ames Moot Court Competition
The Ames Moot Court Competition is the annual upper level moot court competition at Harvard Law School. It is designed and administered by the Board of Student Advisers and has been in existence since 1911.-Format and History:...
.