Kannon Shanmugam

MLitt Classics 1993
Supreme Court Lawyer

Kannon Shanmugam is widely recognised as one of the USA’s leading appellate advocates. He has argued 27 cases before the Supreme Court and is regarded as one of the most respected and admired advocates in the country.

His parents emigrated from India to Oklahoma in 1968 so his father could study for his PhD. He was a professor of electrical engineering at the University of Kansas for over 30 years. Kannon attended high school in Kansas before going to Harvard to major in classics. He was editor-in-chief of the Harvard Independent.

Kannon was awarded a prestigious Marshall Scholarship (given to students selected for their potential as future leaders) and chose Keble so that he could study under Adrian Hollis, an expert on Ovid’s poetry—the subject of Kannon’s postgraduate thesis.

Kannon was founding editor of the brick and he met his wife Vicki at Keble—she was studying for a BA in Physiological Sciences.

“There’s still some disagreement about exactly when we first met, though the gap between our recollections has been shrinking with every year! But we do remember where we met—by the bike racks outside the Lodge. Keble will always have a special place in our hearts.”

After leaving Keble, he took up a place at Harvard Law School. He is now the managing partner of the Washington, DC office of Paul, Weiss, a leading American law firm.

“An Oxford education is not just about the things you learn; it’s also about the people you meet. I have learned so much from the lifelong friends I made during my time at the College.”