Shannon Cogan is the Director of the Office of Clients’ Rights Advocacy and Work Incentives Planning Assistance programs. She works collaboratively to lead the advocates asserting and protecting the rights of people with disabilities. Shannon considers herself a lucky lawyer to be able to advance the mission of Disability Rights California to defend, advance, and strengthen the rights and opportunities of people with disabilities.
Shannon became a disability rights lawyer due to her experiences advocating for her own child in disability-related systems. Previously she was a civil trial lawyer, and also ran a non-profit organization providing adaptive and rehabilitative equipment to children with disabilities. Shannon grew up in rural northern California. She is a graduate of U.C. Berkeley School of Law and her undergraduate degree is in computer science, cum laude, from Smith College.