Santa Clara University

Fighting Hard

Shawn Wright ’95 works on high-profile white-collar cases in Washington D.C.

Shawn (Boyd) Wright ’95 loves her job, but her favorite part of the day is when she goes home to her family.

“It puts everything in perspective when you are able to spend time with your family,” she says.

Perspective is an important thing for Wright when she is working on high-profile cases, which are the focus of her white-collar criminal and complex civil litigation practice. She is a partner at Blank Rome in Washington, D.C. where she has represented current and former Enron employees, former New Jersey Nets player Jayson Williams, and the former mayor of Atlanta. Although being involved in such high-profile cases can be difficult, Wright says she enjoys them because she gets to work with such extraordinary lawyers.

“High-profile cases are different from other types of cases or trials because you have the added element of the media,” Wright says. “The Jayson Williams trial aired on Court TV and numerous media outlets were present every day. I think I have learned how to utilize external factors to help shape legal strategy. It has been very interesting.”

When Wright was a student at SCU she never imagined she would be the kind of lawyer she is today.

“I remember some sound words of advice given during orientation in my first year,” she says. “All the first years were gathered and Professor Monica Evans said, ‘Don’t be afraid to bring your life experiences and perspectives into your study of the law.’ I always remember and try to adhere to that advice in my practice.”

Wright decided she wanted to go to law school after completing an internship in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C. while she was an undergrad at Howard University. She says being exposed to the practice of law and meeting judges and lawyers inspired her. Since she grew up in Santa Ana, she knew she wanted to stay in California for law school.

“I was also looking for a small school atmosphere where I wouldn’t get lost in the process,” she says. “SCU is a wonderful atmosphere to study law—no stress.”

After passing the bar, Wright clerked for a judge in the District of Columbia who handled a primarily criminal calendar. That experience led her to a job with top criminal defense attorney, Billy Martin.

“It was through the type of cases that Mr. Martin received that my focus began to take shape,” she says.

In the first high-profile case Wright handled, she represented Monica Lewinsky’s mother, Marcia Lewis. She went on to assist in numerous criminal trials involving professional athletes such as Juwan Howard, Rod Strickland, and Riddick Bowe. Her white-collar practice now ranges from securities to environmental to corporate and health care fraud trials.

“My biggest challenge in all these cases is to make sure that I always do the best I can and fight hard for the client,” she says.

Although this challenge can weigh heavily on her, Wright does her best to leave her thoughts of work at the office. Her husband, Joseph, who is a prosecutor in Prince George’s County, Maryland, does the same. Both of them think about the law all day, but when they get home, all thoughts turn to their children, seven-year-old Jalen and four-year-old Joie.

“My daughter thinks being a fireperson or a policeperson is more interesting, and she wonders why neither my husband or I do that,” Wright says. “But we try not to talk about work at home. The focus is really on the kids’ day, not our own.”

KERI MODRALL is a freelance writer in the Bay Area.