Shannon Taylor, a native of Charlottesville, Virginia, graduated from the University of Virginia in 1989. Her first job after college was as a paralegal at the Richmond-based firm of Hunton & Williams (now Hunton Andrews Kurth), which inspired her to pursue a career in law.

Shannon received her law degree in 1995 from the University of Richmond Law School and began her career as a prosecutor in the Commonwealth’s Attorney Office for the City of Richmond. Based on her skillful and successful prosecutions, she was named as a Special Assistant in the US Attorney’s office first in 1999 and then again in 2002-2004.

Shannon was special counsel for the Richmond Multi-Jurisdictional Grand Jury from 2004 to 2008. This position provided an opportunity to gain valuable experience working with additional agencies, such as the Virginia State Police, the Alcohol Beverage Control Board, and the Virginia Department of Taxation. After three years in private practice, Shannon was elected Commonwealth’s Attorney for Henrico County in 2011, the first woman to hold that position in the County’s history. She was re-elected in 2015 and again in 2019, this time winning the entire County.

As Commonwealth’s Attorney, Shannon’s number one priority was keeping communities and families safe from crime. She has worked each and every day to keep Henricoans safe, keep violent criminals off the streets and remove illegal guns. In her role, Shannon has prioritized compassionate, effective policies to move Henrico forward, as the best way to keep the community safe while stressing rehabilitation. During her tenure, Shannon has diversified the office so that it resembles Henrico County with women and minority prosecutors. She has enhanced the victim-witness program and has Spanish-speaking translators available.

Shannon has also worked closely with mental health caregivers and drug rehabilitation programs to give offenders the best chance to succeed and lead constructive lives in the community.

She fully recognizes the importance of civic involvement in public safety and works closely with neighborhood and community associations to ensure she is addressing their needs.

Shannon is very active in the statewide Virginia Association of Commonwealth’s Attorneys, serving as president in 2022-23 (VACA is a not-for-profit organization that represents prosecutors across the state and promotes communication, cooperation, training, and consultation on matters concerning crime and improving the legal system). Her leadership and office have received many recognitions and accolades during her tenure.

Shannon is a leading voice advocating at the General Assembly for policies that remove systemic racism and discrimination from the criminal justice system. She continues to work to update and strengthen laws pertaining to hate crimes and stalking.