Shannon Heath StatkusPartner

Shannon Heath Statkus is a trial lawyer who represents individuals and families in medical malpractice, catastrophic injury, and other serious negligence cases where an injury has occurred. A former federal prosecutor and longtime Chief of the Civil Division at the United States Attorney’s Office, Shannon brings more than two decades of courtroom and litigation experience to high‑stakes civil matters involving life‑altering injuries, complex medicine, and professional negligence. She also represents individuals and businesses in federal investigations and regulatory matters. Before entering private practice, Shannon served for more than eighteen years as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of Georgia, ultimately rising to Chief of the Civil Division, where she led the district’s civil litigation for nearly a decade. In that role, she served as lead counsel on some of the United States’ most complex and high‑exposure civil matters, including catastrophic medical malpractice cases and Federal Tort Claims Act (“FTCA”) litigation involving multimillion‑dollar claims. Shannon also handled challenges to federal agency actions and advised senior leadership across multiple federal agencies—including the Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense, Department of Health and Human Services, and the Bureau of Prisons—on litigation risk, regulatory compliance, and strategic case resolution. Shannon also handled asset forfeiture matters in her practice at the United States Attorney’s Office. Shannon’s work resulted in numerous favorable outcomes for the United States, including defense verdicts at trial, dispositive rulings, and negotiated resolutions in matters involving significant financial and operational exposure. She defended a civil rights case that resulted in a complete jury verdict for her clients in less than thirty minutes. As Chief of the Civil Division, Shannon supervised attorneys responsible for the district’s full civil docket, including FTCA matters, False Claims Act cases, affirmative civil enforcement actions, employment litigation, constitutional tort claims, administrative law challenges, asset recovery, and federal program litigation. She served as the district’s primary advisor on medical malpractice and health care liability and regularly coordinated with agency counsel, medical centers, and federal leadership on risk assessment and litigation strategy. Shannon has extensive experience working with medical experts across specialties, managing large‑scale discovery, and navigating the intersection of medicine, science, and federal law. Her litigation background includes jury and bench trials in state and federal courts, evidentiary hearings, and appellate briefing before the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.