Shawn M. McLain

Shawn McLain concentrates his practice on labor, employment, and education law. Shawn works directly with businesses and public entities to proactively ensure legal compliance, address legal issues in a timely and cost-effective manner, and defend entities in litigation.

Shawn has over ten years of experience advising clients on employment and labor issues, board policies and procedures, regulatory compliance, employee misconduct and dismissal, student misconduct and discipline, employee and student rights, data and privacy, public records requests, TIF and special taxing districts, intellectual property, technology law, special education law and many other legal issues.

Shawn devotes much of his practice to the defense of clients against civil litigation claims including those involving civil rights, harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and breach of contract. Shawn has successfully represented his clients before state and federal courts, in arbitrations, through union negotiations and grievances, and in administrative hearings.

Shawn provides personnel training to employees, administrators, and boards on a multitude of topics and is a frequently requested speaker on labor and employment issues, legal compliance, civil rights, school technology, and special education law.

In addition to his school law experience, Shawn also previously served as a senior in-house counsel at a multi-national financial institution, where Shawn managed significant labor and employment matters in jurisdictions across the United States and provided legal and business advice to internal clients on collective bargaining, unionization, employment discrimination and harassment, employment privacy, government relations, regulatory compliance, and a variety of other employment law and business matters. As in-house counsel, Shawn learned valuable lessons on how to provide candid and cost-effective legal advice to clients and address competing business and legal related risks.

During law school, Shawn worked as a law clerk with the labor counsel for the Missouri Fraternal Order of Police and as an intern with the litigation department of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Outside of his work with clients, Shawn is an adjunct professor at Saint Louis University.