Paul R. Shanahan, Esq.
Mr. Paul Shanahan and Mr. William Lynn were law partners throughout the 1970s and 1980s.
Mr. Shanahan was considered the dean of Central New York trial lawyers. During his 60-year career he represented criminal defendants in many widely publicized trials. Mr. Shanahan began practicing his trade after his 1928 graduation from Syracuse University College of Law, and he never retired.
“I’d rather keep doing what I’m doing,” he said in a rare personal interview published in The Herald-Journal in 1982. “Why? I love what I do. I don’t know how else to put it.” Mr. Shanahan’s final appearance in court was the Friday afternoon before his death, where he traveled to Albany for a sentencing.
During his career as a criminal defense attorney, Mr. Shanahan commanded the respect and awe of attorneys, judges, and clients. He was known for his withering cross-examinations and for his deep, booming voice.
Mr. Shanahan once said that there was no secret how the Shanahan name gained such fame in the local legal profession. It was because of his father, who also was a noted defense attorney. “My father started practicing law in 1896. He was a great lawyer,” Mr. Shanahan said. “So its been a continuous operation for something like 80 years. That’s why people know me.”
