Leanne Marie Shank, longtime general counsel at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, passed away on December 7. She was 69 years old.
Born in Seattle, Washington, Shank received her bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Oswego, where she swam competitively. She later earned her juris doctorate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After practicing corporate law for three years in Washington, D.C., Shank moved to Lexington, Virginia, where she initially worked in private practice and later as the attorney for Rockbridge County.
In November 1995, Shank started working part-time as general counsel for Washington and Lee University, beginning full-time in 2000. She retired from the university in 2018 and became senior vice president of legal and corporate affairs for the Law School Admission Council. Throughout her career, Shank served on the boards of several community and professional organizations, including a stint as chair of the board of directors of the National Association of College and University Attorneys.