B.S., J.D., Arizona State University

Joined Albany Law School in 1989. Was previously in private practice in Phoenix, Ariz., concentrating on criminal defense and personal injury litigation; was the training director for the Maricopa County Public Defenders Office; and a judge pro tem. Teaches CLE seminars and trial advocacy workshops throughout the nation. She also serves on Judge Kaye's task force on wrongful convictions and the state bar's committee on the future of indigent defense, and she is a referee for the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct.

Professor Shanks is a frequently quoted resource for reporters around the country.