Michael N. Shannon

Mr. Shannon has more than 30 years of experience in commercial and other litigation. His practice focuses primarily on complex commercial litigation, commercial eminent domain, class action defense, products liability, e-discovery issues, toxic tort litigation, medical malpractice defense, bid protests, and issues affecting the outdoor advertising industry.

Mr. Shannon has represented a variety of clients in his private practice including shareholders in closely held businesses, owners of nursing homes, automobile auction companies, multi-national automobile and heavy truck manufacturers, outdoor advertising companies, personal watercraft, and recreational product manufacturers, insurance companies, high-wealth individuals, national banking institutions, title insurance companies, and multi-national aluminum and oil companies. He has handled matters in many areas, including government contract bid protests, products liability, personal injury, class actions, consumer fraud, toxic torts, fiduciary actions, ERISA, employment discrimination, antitrust, shareholder disputes, franchisor-franchisee, contractual disputes, annexation, condemnation, and will contests.

Mr. Shannon has successfully represented national clients in protests of contracts and awards by the state of Arkansas. Examples include contracts for the pharmacy benefits manager of the Arkansas Employee Benefits Division, electronic visit verified systems for Medicaid home-based services and to manage dental benefits provided to Arkansas Medicaid recipients. In one case, four companies responded to the bid solicitation from the Department of Human Services. In response to the protest lodged by Mr. Shannon’s client, two of the bidders were disqualified, making way for the client to be declared a successful bidder. In 2022, Mr. Shannon successfully defeated the protest of an Anticipation to Award a $12 million contract to his client for self-directed financial management and counseling services. The allegations that Mr. Shannon’s client did not meet the minimum requirements of the solicitation, the proposals were not properly evaluated and scored, and the solicitation was improper were found to be unwarranted and the contract with the Arkansas Department of Human Services was allowed to proceed. In 2023, Mr. Shannon led a successful protest of an anticipated award where the proposed awardee failed to abide by the pricing requirements set forth in the request for proposal.

Mr. Shannon’s recent trial successes in eminent domain matters include securing a $2,593,000 verdict for a church after a two-day trial ($1,000,000 more than the amount proposed as just compensation) and a jury verdict in an eminent domain matter for the owner of an anchored shopping center valued at more than $1,000,000.00 (more than six (6) times the amount offered by the condemning authority). Mr. Shannon also recently handled a series of condemnation cases involving the partial taking of land from commercial office properties and the redesign of roadways around the office buildings. Favorable legal rulings were obtained regarding the damage done to the value of the remaining buildings by changed, altered, and diminished access. Two cases culminated in settlements in excess of $3,500,000.00, which was approximately three (3) times that offered by the condemning authority. One case was tried to a jury verdict in excess of seven and one-half times (7.5) times the amount originally offered.

Other experience includes successfully defending the owner of a nursing home in a wrongful death action filed by the family of a deceased resident and successfully prosecuting a commercial litigation case resulting in a judgment of more than $10,000,000 for his client. Mr. Shannon successfully represented the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission in an illegal exaction suit where the plaintiff sought a diversion of more than $32 million in gas lease revenues away from the Game & Fish Commission to the State of Arkansas General Fund. The case was dismissed by the Pulaski County Circuit Court for failure to state a claim and the dismissal was affirmed in a unanimous decision by the Arkansas Supreme Court.

A member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), Mr. Shannon is recognized by Super Lawyers in Business Litigation, listed with The Best Lawyers in America® in the areas of Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs, and named Best Lawyers’ Little Rock Eminent Domain & Condemnation Law Lawyer of the Year in 2024 and Best Lawyers’ Little Rock Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs Lawyer of the Year in 2014, 2020, and 2023. He is recognized by Chambers USA’s Guide to America’s Leading Lawyers for Business in the area of General Commercial Litigation. He was selected for the inaugural Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America guide in 2022. He is also recognized as a Local Litigation Star for Arkansas in Benchmark Litigation and has been named one of the Top 50 Super Lawyers in Arkansas by Super Lawyers. Mr. Shannon is rated AV Preeminent® by Martindale-Hubbell. In February 2012, he was named Super Mover by Arkansas Business, a weekly business publication.

Immediately after law school, Mr. Shannon worked for two years as a law clerk for the Honorable Stephen M. Reasoner, who served as Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas.

A fifth-generation Arkansan, Mr. Shannon was admitted to practice in Arkansas in 1992 and in Missouri and Kansas in 1993.

He and his wife Jennifer live in Little Rock and have four (4) college-aged/adult children.

Education

University of Arkansas School of Law (J.D., with high honors, first in class, 1992)
Presidential Scholar, 1991-92
Note and Comment Editor, Arkansas Law Review

Arkansas Tech University (B.A., 1989)
Alfred J. Crabaugh – Most Outstanding Senior Award

Associations and Affiliations

Member, American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), American Bar Association (Litigation and Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Sections), Arkansas Association of Defense Counsel (Instructor, Mini-Trial Academy, 2023), Arkansas Bar Association, Pulaski County Bar Association, Kansas Bar Association, Missouri Bar Association, and Arkansas Bar Foundation

Publications

Design-Build Highway Projects and How They Change the Landscape for Landowners in the Eminent Domain Process, Arkansas Community Banker (Summer 2018)

Co-Chaired Committee that produced The Guide to Arkansas Statutes of Limitation (4th Ed.) for Young Lawyers Section of Arkansas Bar Association

Charitable Organizations

Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church, Board of Trustees, Member (2015-present); Foundation Board (2020-Present); Nominations Committee (2010-2013); Committee on Lay Leadership (2010); Long-Range Planning Committee (2007-2009); Staff Parish Relations Committee (1998-2000, Chair 2000); Stewardship Chair (1996). Volunteer, Give-A-Kid-A-Chance; Access School’s Golf Tournament Steering Committee (2008-2010); Coach, Junior Deputy Baseball (2003-2004; 2006-2014); Coach, Upward Basketball (2010); Pleasant Valley POA Long-Range Planning Committee (2004-2006); Arkansas Easter Seals, Annual Campaign VIP Chair (1999-2000); Arkansas Easter Seals, Development Council (1999-2001).