Shannon Cloney Receives the 2020 PDC Richard Pearson Award

Award given to Shannon in February 2021

The Professional Development Consortium, Inc. (PDC) is pleased to announce that Shannon Cloney is the recipient of the 2020 PDC Richard Pearson Award. Shannon will be recognized in front of her peers during the 2021 PDC Summer Conference.

Shannon Cloney is the Senior Manager of Professional Development Events & Operations in the San Francisco office at Cooley. During her 20 years at Cooley, Shannon has worn many hats and has collaborated on everything from CLE tracking, organizing orientation for new lawyers and practice group meetings to running offsite department training events for over 600 lawyers. She and her team support pre-eminent training programs like Cooley College and a variety of workshops and academies. Shannon is active in the firm’s Cooley Cares program and is a firm believer in spreading Cooley’s culture of teamwork, collaboration, diversity and respect.

“We are delighted to be able to recognize Shannon for her many contributions to our profession,” said Milana Hogan, PDC Chair. “Shannon is a long-time member of the PDC community and an incredibly deserving recipient of this significant honor. We look forward to celebrating her and all of her tremendous achievements during the 2021 PDC Summer Conference.”

The Richard Pearson award was established in memory of Richard Pearson, long-time PDC member and board member and stalwart in the legal professional development community. Pearson, whose previous positions included serving as Chief Learning & Development Officer at Davis Wright & Tremaine LLP in Seattle, died suddenly in March of 2014 while rowing, one of his passions. Richard left behind an impressive legacy of innovation and collaboration as a legal PD professional, and this award is given to someone who demonstrates the qualities Richard brought to the PDC: an innovative spirit, a demonstrated commitment to teaching and mentoring, and a passionate, life-long love of learning. The PDC is honored to celebrate Richard’s lasting legacy within our industry.

For more information about PDC, please contact Kathy Bradley, the PDC’s Managing Director, at kbradley@pdclegal.org or 703-506-2027.