Shamis focuses her practice on complex commercial litigation, white collar criminal defense, government investigations and appellate matters. She represents healthcare companies in False Claims Act cases and US Department of Health and Human Services investigations. She advises clients on all aspects of civil and criminal investigations relating to government billing and contracting issues, including managing broad civil investigative demands and subpoenas. Additionally, Shamis has extensive experience representing clients in securities investigations and enforcement actions and providing legal guidance on anti‐corruption and corporate governance matters.
Shamis also has an active pro bono practice. She previously represented a single mother accused of violating Section 5 of the Securities Act of 1933 for selling unregistered securities, advocated on behalf of two children fleeing gang violence in El Salvador, and represented a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of survivors of human trafficking and sex slavery. In addition, she successfully represented a pro bono client in a weeklong Hague Convention child custody trial in the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts, and defended the district court decision a year later, arguing the appeal before the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and securing another victory for her client.
Before joining Cooley, Shamis served as law clerk for US Circuit Judge O. Rogeriee Thompson of the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and US District Judge Denise Casper of the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts. While in law school, she was a legal intern in the Economic Crimes Unit of the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
Shamis is on the Advisory Committee on Rules for the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. She is also a board member for the Harvard Law School Association Black Alumni Network.