Obituary: James Clark Shannon

Richmond attorney James Clark Shannon died Sept. 22. He was 75.

Born in Charleston, South Carolina, Mr. Shannon was a two-time University of Virginia graduate, earning his undergraduate degree in economics in 1971 before earning his law degree.

At UVa., Mr. Shannon was a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity and president of the fraternity during his law school years.

During his five-decade legal career, Mr. Shannon maintained an active practice, appearing in all but three circuit county courthouses in the commonwealth. Often, he would travel via backroads, scenic vistas and historic sites when going to court, marking his travels in a well-worn gazetteer of Virginia.

Mr. Shannon was a leader in the Richmond legal community, serving as chairman of the Richmond Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Section in the 1980s. He went on to serve as a member of the board of directors and in a variety of leadership roles, culminating in a term as Richmond Bar Association president from 1996 to 1997.

In 2019, Mr. Shannon was honored by the Richmond Bar Association with the Hunter W. Martin Professionalism Award, recognizing his life and career in the law where he “best exemplified the conduct and high ideals embodied in the Bar’s Principles of Professionalism.” He taught ethics at the Virginia State Bar’s Harry L. Carrico Professionalism School from 2017 to 2020.

In recent years, Mr. Shannon volunteered for the Virginia Dental Association Foundation’s Mission of Mercy, aiding in navigating patients to dental services across Virginia. During the COVID pandemic, he drove more than 2,200 miles delivering personal protective equipment to medical facilities in rural Virginia, earning a volunteer of the month award in 2020.

Mr. Shannon is survived by his wife, Mary Beth; his stepchildren, Caroline and Hollis; his brother, Bonnar; his niece, Heather; and his nephews, John, Shannon and Drew.