GOVERNMENT TRANSPARENCY
Megan Shannon represents government agencies responding Pennsylvania Right to Know Law requests and appeals. She works to help large organizations comply with their obligations in a cost-effective way. When agencies receive a complicated RTK request or appeal, she partners with them to create an efficient but thorough plan to search for responsive records as well as provide the legal analysis to guide the agency on which records it may withhold.
Megan also represents individuals and businesses seeking government records and transparency, whether it be for commercial purposes, journalistic use, or to help citizens who simply wish to learn more about their government’s activities and spending. She helps requesters determine which government offices would have the information they are looking for, identify the types of documents to request, and draft requests and appeals specifically targeted to avoid drawn-out appeals.
Her goal representing agencies and requesters is always to efficiently resolve disputes without litigation, but when a novel legal issue or controversial document is involved, she is a zealous advocate throughout the appeals process. She handles all levels of RTKL appeals: mediations, Office of Open Records appeals, first level judicial review before Courts of Common Pleas and the Commonwealth Court, and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
Megan has worked on matters involving other public records laws in a range of Offit Kurman’s offices, which span from New York to South Carolina. She has worked on matters involving the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Maryland’s Public Information Act (MPIA) and New Jersey’s Open Public Records Act (OPRA).
PERSONAL INJURY AND PROPERTY DAMAGE LITIGATION
Megan represents clients in personal injury and property damage disputes, as well as in commercial disputes. She has successfully defended organizations against multimillion-dollar lawsuits related to motor vehicle accidents, property defects, and other claims. Her broad experience representing clients in tort and business disputes includes:
- Internal investigations on behalf of large corporations.
- Negotiating pre-litigation settlements.
- Representing clients in disputes of all sizes, ranging from small claims court to federal jury trials.
- Venue disputes: whether your case is heard in state or federal court, your home state or your opponent’s state, or one county or another in the same state, has a huge effect on the length and cost of litigation. I help clients strategize and have their case heard in the proper venue.
- Administrative agency hearings.
INSURANCE RECOVERY
Megan Shannon represents policyholders in disputes with insurance companies involving a wide range of insurance policies. She advises clients on the insurance coverage available to them when they suffer a loss or are named as a defendant in litigation. Ms. Shannon helps clients present claims to their insurance company to efficiently claim all benefits.
REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS
- Friedman v. Public Utility Commission: appeal of a Pennsylvania Office of Open Records final determination that certain Public Utility Commission records do not contain Confidential Security Information and therefore must be disclosed (currently pending before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court).
- City of Philadelphia vs. Shannon: won a Pennsylvania Office of Open Records appeal, resulting in the OOR ordering the City of Philadelphia to release a copy of its proposal to Amazon to host its new headquarters, Amazon HQ2.
- UrbEd v. School District of Philadelphia: lead counsel alongside the ACLU of Pennsylvania representing a student group and teacher group challenging the Philadelphia Board of Education’s restrictive public comment policy.
PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS
