QDRO Virginia, PLC

P.O. Box 2404
Chesterfield, Virginia 23832
Telephone: 804-302-6698

Fax: 804-414-6112
Email:
lashaner@qdrovirginia.com


About Ms. Shaner


   Ms. Shaner's educational background is as follows:

Education:

   Randolph–Macon Woman’s College, Lynchburg, Virginia, B.A. cum laude (1989)
   Honors in Latin

   Washington & Lee University, School of Law, Lexington, Virginia, J.D. (1992)

Academic Honors:

    Phi Beta Kappa
    President, Omicron Delta Kappa
    Eta Sigma Phi, Classics Honor Fraternity
    Who’s Who in Students in American Universities and Colleges
    Outstanding College Students of America
    National Collegiate Humanities Award
    American Jurisprudence Award, Future Interests
    Who’s Who in America
    Who’s Who in American Law


    Since she began practicing law in 1992, Ms. Shaner's professional accomplishments are as follows:


Professional Awards:

    2012 Influential Women of Virginia, Virginia Lawyers Media, Inc.
    Virginia Business Magazine, Legal Elite, Taxes/Estates/Trusts

Publications:

     Divorce in the Golden Years
     American Bar Association
(2010)

Qualification as Expert: 

    

     Qualified as expert witness in matters related to the division of retirement benefits in divorce and attorney’s fees.

Bar Admissions:

    Supreme Court of Virginia
    United States Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals
    United States District Court for the Eastern & Western Districts of Virginia
    United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern & Western Districts of Virginia

Practice Areas:

    Family Law
    Division of Retirement Benefits in Divorce

Professional Experience:

    QDRO Virginia, PLC (2014 to the present)
    Carrell Blanton Ferris & Associates, PLC (2014)
    Barnes & Diehl, P.C. (2005 to 2013)
    Jennings & Jennings, P.C. (2003-2005)
    Private Practice (1996-2003)
    O’Keeffe & Spies (1994-1996)
    Singleton & Deeds (1992-1994)

Seminars/Speaking Engagements/Articles:


           National Business Institute "Complex Assets in Divorce" Scheduled for            October 30 and 31, 2017

           Virginia CLE Publications, The Virginia Lawyer: A Deskbook for                      Practitioners, Chapter 6 - Family Law (2017)


             

CE Program presented by Carrell Blanton Ferris & Associates, PLC entitled “What Every Professional Advisor Needs to Know.”  Ms. Shaner’s portion of the program was entitled “What Every Advisor Needs to Know About the Division of Final Assets in Divorce.”  The presentation was given in Newport News, Virginia and Virginia Beach, Virginia on April 24, 2014 and in Fredericksburg, Virginia and Richmond, Virginia on May 1, 2014.

Virginia Bar Association, Winter Meeting, January, 2014 “Divorce and Death: Ten Issues Confronting Both Domestic Relations and Estate Planning Practitioners”

Virginia Bar Association Journal – Winter Edition – “’Til death do us part:  The U.S. Supreme Court pre-empts Virginia’s Statute on Revocation of Death Benefits

National Business InstituteWhat Family Court Judges Want You to Know” September 20, 2013 

Virginia Bar Association, Summer  Meeting, Panel Discussion, July, 2013, “You Ain’t From Around Here, Are You?  A Step-by-Step Guide to Foreign Subpoenas, the Foreign Deposition Act, and Interstate Discovery” 

2013 Financial Planning Forum, The Legal and Financial Consequences of Clients’ Failure to Plan, March 15, 2013, Richmond, Virginia.

National Aging & Law Institute, A Joint Conference of NAELA and NALC – November 9, 2012, “What Aging Advocates Need to Know About Family Law” Washington, D.C.

National Business Institute 2012 Preventing Critical Financial Mistakes During Divorces – “Failure to Secure Adequate Legal Assistance in Handling Qualified Domestic Relations Orders

National Business Institute 2012 Preventing Critical Financial Mistakes During Divorces – “Ethical Considerations

2012 Financial Planning Forum, Safeguarding Your Client’s Golden Years, June 8, 2012, University of Richmond.

Law Education Institute, National CLE Family Law Section, January 6, 2012, Divorce in the Golden Years, sponsored by the American Bar Association Section of Family Law, Snowmass, Colorado.

Strafford Publications, June 7, 2011, Mid-Life Divorce:  Unique Challenges for Baby Boomers and Older Couples:  Strategies for Martial Estate Division, Spousal Support and Retirement Distribution.

Virginia CLE, “27th Annual Advanced Family Law CLE, April 28, 2011, Beneficiary Designations & Divorce, Richmond, Virginia.

Virginia Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division, March, 2011, Ethical Issues in Elder Law/ Conservatorship – Guardianship Panel, University of Richmond School of Law.

American Bar Association Section of Family Law 2010 Spring Meeting, Plenary Session, “Death and Divorce in the Golden Years:  Does It Get Much Better Than This,” New Orleans, Louisiana.

Virginia CLE, “Valuing Assets in Today’s Economy,” February 16, 2010

Virginia Bar Association, Winter Meeting, Panel Discussion, January, 2010, “Brandenburg Revisited:  Does the Separate Equity Formula Still Apply 

The Development & Death of Federal Common Law in Divorce,” Virginia Bar Association News Journal, Vol. XXXVI, No. 4, Winter 2009/2010

Metro Richmond Family Bar Association, Panel Discussion, October 28, 2009, Impact of Retirement on Spousal Support – “Additional Spousal Support Issues for Clients At or Near Retirement Age

VPLC , Project 2025 Enhanced Access to Legal Assistance for Older Americans in Virginia, October, 2009 – “Estate Planning Basics

Virginia Bar Association, 119th Summer Meeting July, 2009 – “Divorce in the Golden Years

Virginia Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, Unprogram 2009, Meet the Experts – “Family Law Issues in Elder Law

National Business Institute 2008 Preventing Critical Financial Mistakes During Divorces – “Failure to Secure Adequate Legal Assistance in Handling Qualified Domestic Relations Orders

National Business Institute 2008 Preventing Critical Financial Mistakes During Divorces – “Ethical Considerations

National Business Institute 2008 Estate, Financial and Health Care Planning for Elder Clients – “How to Prepare for Incapacity

Advanced Family Law Practice for Paralegals:  Handling Financial Issues at a Higher Level – “Preparing and Filing Qualified Domestic Relations Orders,” December, 2007

Senior Law Day, “Divorce for Senior Citizens,” Henrico County Bar Association, Fall, 2007

National Business Institute August 2007 Estate Planning and Recovery for Elderly Clients – “Establish Appropriate Ethical Boundaries” and “Draft Wills That Protect Clients’ Interests

National Business Institute 2007 Preventing Critical Financial Mistakes During Divorces – “Failure to Secure Adequate Legal Assistance in Handling Qualified Domestic Relations Orders

Virginia Continuing Legal Education 2007 Annual Divorce Practice Seminar – Family Law for the Baby Boomers – “Surviving Survivorship Issues in Dividing Deferred Compensation

Henrico County Bar Association, Fall, 2006 - Senior Law Day, “Divorce for Senior Citizens

Virginia Trial Lawyers Association’s 2006 Annual Family Law Seminar – “Identifying Potential Pitfalls and Solutions in Conveying Real Property


Bar Associations:


     Virginia State Bar Association/Family Law and Estates & Trusts Sections
     Virginia Bar Association/former member of Domestic Relations & Elder Law Sections/former member of
     Domestic Relations Council/former VBA Representative to the Virginia Family Law Coalition/former
     Member of Elder Law Council
     American Bar Association/Family Law Section/former Co-Vice Chair, Vulnerable
     Adults and Special Needs Families Committee (2007-2012)
     National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys
     Virginia Academy of Elder Law Attorney/former Board of Directors
     Chesterfield-Colonial Heights Bar Association
     Metro Richmond Family Law Bar Association
     Metro Richmond Women’s Bar Association

Additional Publications:

     Ms. Shaner was a free-lance legal author for Matthew Bender & Company, Inc., from 1998 through 2005. The         topics covered by Ms. Shaner included: Current Leasing Law & Techniques, Real Estate Financing, Cooperative Housing Law & Practice, Cooperative Housing Law & Practice, Real Estate Brokerage Law and Practice, and Home Owner Associations and PUDs.