Shanda’s practice focuses almost exclusively on premises liability litigation. She has successfully litigated slip/trip/fall and falling merchandise cases on behalf of a wide array of clients. She practices in both state and federal courts and is well-versed in federal practice and procedure – especially in the area of removal jurisdiction.
Shanda also serves as a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives. She represents House District 64 which includes Northeast Jackson and Reservoir Ridgeland/Madison. Shanda currently serves as Vice Chair of the House Judiciary A Committee, Chair of the Select Committee to Revitalize Jackson, and is also a member of several other committees including Elections and State Affairs.
Shanda earned a B.A. in English with Honors from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2003, and received her J.D. from Mississippi College School of Law, where she graduated cum laude in 2007, and served as Case Note/Comment Editor of the Law Review. During law school, she was recognized as a Dean’s List Scholar and received American Jurisprudence Awards in Pre-Trial Practice and Advanced Torts.
Shanda was admitted to the Mississippi Bar in 2007 and is also admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Northern and Southern Districts of Mississippi and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Her legal writing has been featured in several publications, including Maintaining a Safe Premises in The Mississippi Hospitality and Restaurant Association Newsletter (Spring 2012) and Request No. 1: Admit That You Are Not Seeking Damages in Excess of $75,000. Response: I’m Not Gonna and You Can’t Make Me. Determining Whether the Amount in Controversy Requirement is Satisfied Based on Plaintiffs’ Responses (or Lack Thereof) to Requests for Admission in The MDLA Quarterly, Vol. 32, No. 2 (2008).
Shanda has earned numerous professional recognitions, including a Martindale-Hubbell AV Rating and selection as a Mid-South Super Lawyer from 2022 to 2026. She was previously recognized as a Mid-South Super Lawyers Rising Star from 2009-2012 and 2014-2021. Additional honors include being named one of the 2026 Mississippi Top 100, Mississippi Business Journal’s “Leaders in Law” (2014), and one of the Top 10 Personal Injury Attorneys Under 40 by the National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys (NAOPIA) in 2014.
She has served as a speaker and instructor at various legal seminars, including Premises Liability: Recent Cases and Trends at the Mississippi Claims Association/Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association Joint Seminar (2011), Litigating Slip, Trip & Fall Cases in Mississippi with the National Business Institute (June 2013), and Representing Your Client in Federal Court, also through the National Business Institute (June 2014).