Hon. Shannon Frison, Esq, USMC, Trial Lawyer

Shannon Frison is the voice of the people. She is a dynamic powerhouse in the pursuit of justice. When Shannon is representing you, your mind can rest. She has been speaking on behalf of the oppressed, accused and downtrodden for three decades both on and off the bench.
 

Shannon first opened Boston-based Frison Law Firm, P.C. in 2007.  And she reopened it in Washington D.C. in 2023 after 14 years on the Massachusetts judicial bench. Her passion for justice and equality led her back to the pivotal role of advocate after serving the country and the Commonwealth. 
 

Shannon was appointed in 2009 to the Boston Municipal Court, beginning her tenure on the bench at age 39. In 2013, Justice Frison was next appointed to the Massachusetts Superior Court at age 42. The judge has presided over matters involving medical malpractice, wrongful death, tobacco litigation, employment litigation, commercial disputes, estate disputes, trusts, real estate disputes, murder, rape, robbery, child rape, larceny, home invasion, assault & battery, failing to register as a sex offender, sexually dangerous persons, motor vehicle homicide, manslaughter, conspiracy, trafficking in fentanyl and narcotics,  and unlawful possession of weapons. 

Prior to joining the bench, Shannon practiced locally and abroad as owner of Frison Law Firm, P.C.  Her practice focused on “blue collar” criminal law and military justice. Shannon spent seven years as a litigation associate at the former white collar defense firm, Dwyer & Collora, LLP in Boston prior to opening her own firm.
 

Shannon graduated from Hyde Park Career Academy in Chicago in 1988 and earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Government from Harvard University & Radcliffe College in 1992. She went on to receive her Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University Law Center in 1995. Shannon was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 1995, and began her legal career as an Assistant District Attorney with the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office where she served at the Quincy District Court.
 

Shannon holds the rank of Major in the United States Marine Corps, and is a Marine Corps Judge Advocate. She completed Officer Candidates School and accepted her commission in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1994. She next completed The Basic School and Naval Justice School in 1997. From 1997-2000, Shannon was the sole prosecutor aboard Marine Corps Air Station New River in Jacksonville, North Carolina.
 

Since the beginning of the hostilities in Afghanistan and Iraq, Shannon has been mobilized to active duty twice in support of the Global War on Terror in both legal and nonlegal capacities. Her duties have taken her to the G-5 War Plans Branch of the Marine Forces Pacific in Hawaii as well as the Keystone Judicial Circuit in Japan. In addition to serving the country and practicing law, Shannon served as a Guberman Teaching Fellow at Brandeis University for three years teaching Introduction to Law,” as well as appearing as guest lecturer at Brandeis on military justice and military tribunals. Shannon was also a member of the Boston Bar Association’s “Task Force to Prevent Wrongful Convictions” and has taught for Harvard Law School’s Trial Advocacy Workshop for more than 10 years. Shannon is a jurist, a Major of Marines, and a mentor to trial lawyers.
 

Shannon has tried several high profile murder, rape, and conspiracy cases in Massachusetts and in the military courts of North Carolina, Pensacola, Florida, and Okinawa, Japan. Her final case before taking the bench was a tragic and complex quadruple murder that occurred in Dorchester and was tried in Suffolk Superior Court. In that matter, she defended the man accused of all four murders of four young men in a basement music studio. The trial lasted over a month and included more than 60 witnesses.
 

Shannon serves on the Criminal Justice Advisory Board at Roxbury Community College,  the Advisory Board of the Massachusetts Women of Color Coalition, and the Board of Directors of Life After Prison nonprofit organization. She is also the past president the Massachusetts Black Judges Conference, a position she held for three years.