Maria L. Shinn

Maria L. Shinn

also known as Maria Shinn

5.0
Rating: 8.2

Licensed for 28 years

Estate planning Lawyer at Cleveland, OH
Practice Areas: Estate Planning, Probate, Trusts ... +2 more

12511 Madison Avenue, Cleveland, OH

About Maria

Biography

Practice Areas

5

Practice Areas

Estate Planning 30%

Developing estate plans for clients that are creative, comprehensive, and fully carry out the clients' wishes. Discuss legal issues and options with clients, including provate avoidance techniques, designating beneficiaries, gifting options, and titling of assets. Prepare Wills, Living Trusts, General Durable (Financial) Powers of Attorney, Health Care Powers of Attorney, Living Wills, and Appointment of Representative for Funeral and Burial Arrangements forms for clients.

28 years

30%
Probate 30%

Provide personal attention and professional services that guide clients through the probate and estate administration process. Provide the following services: probating the Will, dealing with the deceased's creditors, helping clients navigate the probate court process, preparing and filing probate court documents (including inventories and accounts), making sure that the necessary tax returns are prepared, and making sure the deceased's probate and non-probate assets are distributed properly.

28 years

30%
Adoption 15%

Specializing in adoption, assisted reproductive technology, and shared custody rights for gay and lesbian families; counseling non-traditional couples and LGBTQ individuals and families; creating estate plans that meets each client's needs.

28 years

15%
Trusts 15%

Prepare Living Trusts specific to each client's needs and goals and assist clients with funding their Trusts.

28 years

15%
Elder Law 10%

Help clients identify and address issues facing aging adults, such as: Wills, Trusts, Powers of Attorney, Guardianships, Living Wills, asset protection, gifting options, probate and estate administration, access to medical care, and long-term planning issues, including home health care, nursing home care, hospice and respite care. Treat clients with dignity and respect.

28 years

10%

Fees and Rates

We have not found any cost information for this lawyer


Looking for an attorney? Avvo can help.

search module image

Search our directory

Quickly connect with top attorneys through our legal directory to get help with your legal issue.

chat module image

Avvo's live chat agents can help coordinate a consultation with a local attorney.

Chat with a live agent who can match you with the right attorney for your legal needs.

Chat with

Licenses

Licensed in Ohio for 28 years

State: Ohio

Acquired: 1997

Active

No misconduct found

Location

The Shinn Law Firm, LLC

12511 Madison Avenue, Cleveland, OH, 44107-5004

Ad

Transform legal challenges into solutions.

Connect now to review your situation.

The Avvo Rating explained

display-bg

The Avvo Rating explained

Maria L. Shinn's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

5.0 /5.0

108 Client Reviews

Showing 1 - 5 of 18 reviews | Communication Style

Posted by Chris | May 22, 2024 | Hired Attorney | Estate Planning

Excellent choice

We were looking for an attorney who could help with estate plans and associated documents (power of attorney, etc.), and Maria was the right choice for us. First, she was able to work within an accelerated timeline due to a major life event coming up, but secondly and possibly most importantly, she r...eally took the time to explain everything to us in layman's terms, and make the whole process easy and painless. We consider ourselves lucky to have found Maria, and look forward to working with her in the future!

Posted by anonymous | August 06, 2023 | Hired Attorney

liar and a fraud!

this woman is a liar and a fraud. A typical bottom feeder lawyer.poor communication skills, unprofessional.

Maria Shinn

Replied last August 13, 2023

Dear anonymous: please contact me off-line to discuss this further. I strive each day to exceed each client’s expectations and provide excellent customer service. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Posted by Andrea | March 27, 2023 | Hired Attorney | Estate Planning

Great to work with!

Maria and her team were a pleasure to work with from start to finish of planning our estate. She was very knowledgeable, professional, and easy to communicate with throughout the entire process. Maria took the time to answer all of our questions, and gave clear explanations of all of our options. ...I highly recommend Maria for estate planning to anyone in Lakewood and the west side of Cleveland! She made the process straightforward and stress-free.

Posted by Michael / Cheryl | May 01, 2019 | Hired Attorney | Estate Planning

Estate/Trust Planning

We had a basic understanding of a trust but we appreciated Maria's insight on the details. She took the time to listen to us and took our thoughts/desires and applied them so our estate can be set up exactly like we wanted. She was very accomodating, kind and explained things in a way that we could... understand. Maria also went out of her way to collect paperwork for our home title that we never received. Ann Marie, her legal assistant, was also very helpful, friendly and professional so it was a pleasure to work with this team.

Posted by Sarah | March 15, 2019 | Hired Attorney | Wills & Living Wills

Friendly and efficient

I hired Maria to prepare my will, living will, power of attorney for health care and durable power of attorney. She is an excellent listener and answered all of my questions clearly. The documents were completed in a timely manner. I had put off doing these things, and was fortunate to find... the Shinn firm. Maria, in her friendly manner, put me at ease throughout the process. The fees were reasonable. I highly recommend The Maria Shinn Law Firm

See All Client Reviews

Maria L. Shinn's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Maria
Mark Stephen Ondrejech headshot
Mark Ondrejech

Estate planning lawyer | Feb 10

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Maria is a very well-respected member of the legal community. She knows how best to serve the people who contact her for legal help and does an outstanding job. I endorse this lawyer."

Arthur Eugene Ott headshot
Arthur Ott

Estate planning lawyer | Oct 30

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer in the areas of Estate Planning, Probate and Elder Law. Maria is extremely competent, personable, and an asset to the legal community as well as her clients. She is quick to respond with the best advice possible and her integrity knows no bounds. I know because my connection with Maria goes beyond a professional relationship as she has offered personal legal advice to me as well, in each of these areas."

Roland Benton Gray headshot
Roland Gray

Probate lawyer | May 12

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer. I have worked alongside Maria for several years now, and have had the opportunity to watch her advise and interact with her clients in a variety of settings. She not only has a strong grasp of the applicable law, but also has excellent judgment about how to put that to her clients' best advantage. Finally, she communicates effectively with clients and others. Any time a client of mine has probate, estate planning, or elder law needs, I refer the client to Maria Shinn."

Kristin Rose Lay headshot
Kristin Lay

Estate planning lawyer | Jan 08

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer wholeheartedly. Maria is a caring and conscientious attorney. Without hesitation, I would recommend her to handle estate planning matters, both simple and complex."

Scott Alan Ciolek headshot
Scott Ciolek

Estate planning lawyer | Dec 12

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer for estate planning. Maria is a knowledgeable and competent attorney. You would be well served by retaining her services."

View All Endorsements
Mark Stephen Ondrejech headshot
Mark Ondrejech

Business lawyer

Amy Lynn Papesh headshot
Amy Papesh

Probate lawyer

Arthur Eugene Ott headshot
Arthur Ott

Estate planning lawyer

Roland Benton Gray headshot
Roland Gray

Employment and labor lawyer

Experience

Rating:  8.2 (Excellent)

Honors

2017

Cleveland LGBT Heritage Day Award for Service, City of Cleveland, Cleveland Community Relations Board, and LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland

2016

2016 Women Honoring Women Award - Small Firm/Solo Practitioner, Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association

2013

Outstanding New Member of the Year, Lakewood Chamber of Commerce

2010

Volunteer of the Year Award, Visiting Nurse Association of Cleveland Hospice

2005

Volunteer of the Year Award, Visiting Nurse Association of Cleveland Hospice

Work Experience

2017 - Present

Attorney and Owner, The Shinn Law Firm, LLC

2015 - 2017

Senior Partner, Shinn Lanter, LLP

2000 - 2015

Attorney and Owner, Maria L. Shinn, LLC

1997 - 2000

Attorney, Turoff & Turoff

Associations

Ohio State Bar Association, Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law Section

Member

Ohio Women's Bar Association

Member

Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Law Section

Member

Ohio State Bar Association

Member

2017 - 2019

Lakewood Chamber of Commerce

Board Chairwoman

2016 - 2018

Lakewood Senior Citizens Service Corp.

Board of Directors

2014 - 2018

National LGBT Bar Association

Member

2014 - 2016

Lakewood City Academy

Board member

2013 - 2015

LakewoodAlive, Inc.

Board member

2013 - 2017

LGBT Center of Greater Cleveland, Ohio

Board member

2013 - 2017

LGBT Center of Greater Cleveland, Ohio

Secretary

2013 - 2019

Lakewood Chamber of Commerce

Board Member

2012 - 2018

Lakewood Foundation

Board Member

2012 - 2018

Human Rights Campaign

Member

2012 - 2018

Plexus

Member

2011 - 2018

PFLAG

Member

2009 - 2011

Harrison Elementary PTA

President

2008 - 2011

Adoption Network Cleveland

Board member

1998 - 2018

Visiting Nurse Association of Cleveland Hospice

Volunteer attorney

Sample of Legal Cases

Fry, et al. vs. City of Cleveland

Settled

See More Legal Cases

Education

1997

Cleveland State University - Cleveland-Marshall College of Law

JD - Juris Doctor

1990

Muskingum College

BA - Bachelor of Arts

Speaking Engagements

2014

Senior Seminar

Legal Protections for LGBT Seniors

2014

Lunch and learn series

Legal Protections for Seniors and Non-Traditional Families

2014

Continuing Legal Education Seminar

Additional Legal Protections for Non-Traditional Families

2014

Aging & Sage-ing Conference

Legal Protections for LGBT Seniors

2013

Veterans' Meetings (2)

A Legal Workshop with an Elder Law Focus

2013

Presentation

Legal Protections for LGBT Seniors

2013

Lunch and Learn

Legal Issues for Non-Traditional Families

2013

Continuing Legal Education Seminar

Legal Protections for LGBT Seniors

2012

Legal Workshop

Legal Protections for LGBT Elders

2012

Continuing Legal Education Seminar

Estate Planning Basics

2011

MetroHealth brown bag series

Legal Issues for LGBT Individuals, Couples and Families

2010

PFLAG meeting

Legal issues in the LGBT community

2010

MetroHealth brown bag series

Estate planning for the non-traditional family

2008

MetroHealth GSA Mini-film Series and Panel

Legal protections for the non-traditional family

2008

CCT meeting

Legal protections for the LGBT community

2007

Greater Cleveland Adoption and Foster Care Fair

Estate planning for the non-traditional family

Publications

2012

Northeast Ohio PFLAG Newsletter Co-Parenting Has No Legal Status in Ohio

N/A

shinnlawfirm.com Shared Custody in Ohio

N/A

Languages

English

Activity

Avvo Rating

Our Rating is calculated using information the lawyer has included on their profile in addition to the information we collect from state bar associations and other organizations that license legal professionals. Attorneys who claim their profiles and provide Avvo with more information tend to have a higher rating than those who do not.

What determines Avvo Rating?
  • Experience & background Years licensed, work experience, education
  • Legal community recognition Peer endorsements, associations, awards
  • Legal thought leadership Publications, speaking engagements
  • Discipline Disciplinary information may not be comprehensive, or updated. We recommend that you always check a lawyer's disciplinary status with their respective state bar association before hiring them.
Avvo Rating Levels
10.0 - 9.0 Superb8.9 - 8.0 Excellent7.9 - 7.0 Very Good6.9 - 6.0 Good5.9 - 5.0 Average4.9 - 4.0 Concern3.9 - 3.0 Caution2.9 - 2.0 Strong Caution1.9 - 1.0 Extreme Caution