Shawn Newman, J.D.

Shawn Newman is an adjunct professor at Saint Martin’s University where he teaches legal studies, legal research, business law and commercial law. He also teaches legal research in the paralegal program at South Puget Sound Community College. He is a graduate of Notre Dame Law School and has been practicing law for 30 years. He has worked as an assistant attorney general, senate staff counsel, public defender, college and university general counsel. His private practice focuses on consumer and constitutional rights. He is admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court, 9th and 5th Circuit Courts of Appeals, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, U.S. District Courts for Western and Eastern Washington and the Washington State Supreme Court. He has argued and won cases before the Washington State Supreme Court and Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. He is Washington State Director of the Initiative and Referendum Institute based at USC Law School. Shawn has represented a variety of clients, including presidential candidates (Ralph Nader and H. Ross Perot), judges, attorneys, corporations and criminals. He has collaborated with attorneys from around the country on a variety of issues ranging from animal welfare to foreclosure defense. He has been quoted in a variety of media outlets, including the New York Times, LA Times, USA Today, Al Jazeera America and NBC Nightly News. Shawn lives in Olympia with his wife Marianne, dog and cats. He is a dual citizen of the US and Ireland and enjoys playing the ukulele at local nursing homes.

Selected publications

"Welcome to Freddie and Fannie's Mortgage Shell Game" 

Professional associations/memberships

• Academy for Legal Studies in Business
• Washington State Bar Association
• Thurston County Bar Association

Accomplishments

Married 35 years

Areas of interest

• ukulele music
• pottery