News
Shawna M. Sorrell
- E ssorrell@taftlaw.com
- T (937) 641-2070
- F (937) 228-2816
Summary
Shawna is an attorney in Taft’s Labor and Employment practice group. She counsels clients on all areas of labor and employment law, including employee hiring and termination, employment agreements, personnel policies, harassment, discrimination, wage and hour issues, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and workers’ compensation.
While in law school, Shawna served as vice president of the Student Bar Association and as a research assistant for the American Business Law Journal.
Shawna received her J.D., cum laude, from the University of Dayton School of Law where she was a Dean’s Fellow, a teaching assistant and business editor of the Law Review. She has a B.A. in psychology from Wright State University.
Awards
Honoree, Best Lawyers® “Ones to Watch,” Labor and Employment Law – Management (2025)
Honoree, Ohio Super Lawyers Rising Stars, Employment & Labor (2022 – present)
Forty Under 40 Honoree, Dayton Business Journal (2022)
Rising Star Honoree, Dayton Bar Association (2020)
Education
- University of Dayton School of Law (2018)
- Wright State University (2015)
Admissions
- State - Ohio
- Federal - Southern District of Ohio
Speeches and Publications
Publications
Presentation, “Public School Employees and Their First Amendment Rights,” Buckeye Association of School Administrators’ 2022 Fall Conference, Oct. 4, 2022.
Co-author, “Change Is in the Air: Ohio Adopts Major Reforms to the Civil Rights Law With H.B. 352,” Taft Law Bulletin, Jan. 19, 2021.
Co-author, “The Consolidated Appropriations Act: Another COVID-19 Relief Package for Employers to Follow,” Taft Law Bulletin, Jan. 4, 2021.
Co-author, “EEOC Issues Updated Guidance: Mandatory Antibody Testing Prohibited,” Taft Law Bulletin, June 19, 2020.
Co-author, “Employment Law Update: Which Laws Apply to COVID-19?” Taft Law Bulletin, March 17, 2020.
News
Twenty-One Taft Attorneys Recognized in Ohio Rising Stars 2025 News
One Hundred Thirty-Six Taft Attorneys Selected to Best Lawyers® "Ones to Watch" 2025 News
Seventeen Taft Attorneys Recognized in Ohio Rising Stars 2024 News
Thirteen Taft Attorneys Recognized in Ohio Rising Stars 2023
Past Events
Professional Affiliations
- Dayton Bar Association
Member
Leadership Class of 2019-2020 - Federal Bar Association
Member
- Dayton Federal Bar Association
Young Lawyers Division Chair
- Ohio State Bar Association
Member
- Ohio Women's Bar Association
Member
Community Involvement
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Miami Valley
Associate Board Member
- For Love of Children
Board Member, Dayton Chapter
- Generation Dayton
Member