Find a Lawyer Iowa Coralville Real Estate
Melvin O. Shaw

PRO

Melvin O. Shaw

4.8
114 reviews
This is an aggregated review score of Avvo and Lawyers.com reviews.
Rating: 9.2

Licensed for 19 years

Real estate Lawyer at Coralville, IA
Practice Areas: Real Estate, Wills & Living Wills, Business ... +2 more

1303 5th Street, Suite 104, Coralville, IA

Virtual Consultation Available

Call for a consultation (319) 313-5584

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Melvin O. Shaw's Website
Overview Reviews Experience Activity
Overview Reviews Experience Activity
Call for a consultation (319) 313-5584

About Melvin

Practice Areas

5

Practice Areas

Business 20%

Limited liability company (LLC) and corporation formation, governance, buy-sell agreements, and asset purchases succession planning, homeowner association representation, commercial real estate sales and leasing, owner investments

19 years

20%
Estate Planning 20%

Draft last will and testaments for clients, advise on gifts and other transfers of personal and real property, draft trusts, work with clients' tax specialists, advisors and other professionals.

19 years

20%
Probate 20%

Represent small and large estates with transfers of property during probate administration, handle claims and litigation in probate, prepare fiduciary and other tax returns of the decedent. Advise the executor/personal representative. Represent beneficiaries when not serving as attorney for the estate.

19 years

20%
Real Estate 20%

Assist first-time and repeat home buyers with bank-financed, and for sale by owner (FSBO) & real estate agent assisted purchases/sales. Handle commercial real estate transactions, conduct closings, prepare deeds and handle other transfers of residential real estate and farm land.

19 years

20%
Wills and Living Wills 20%

Draft simple and complex wills, prepare testamentary trusts for clients with a minor child(ren) and pour over wills. Prepare amendments (codicils) to wills. Advise and prepare living wills (Do Not Resuscitate) provision, and all forms of powers of attorney

19 years

20%

Fees and Rates

We have not found any cost information for this lawyer

Contact for Details

Licenses

Licensed in Iowa for 19 years

State: Iowa

Acquired: 2006

Active

No misconduct found

Location

The Law Office of Melvin O. Shaw P.L.C.

(319) 337-6272

Fax

1303 5th Street, Suite 104, Coralville, IA, 52241

melvinshaw.com/
Get Directions

Online Presence

Other places you can find Melvin online.

Melvin O. Shaw's Reviews

Filter Avvo Reviews (88) Refine reviews to match your needs. Use the filters to quickly surface reviews that align with your case or priorities.
Star rating
5 stars 85 4 stars 1
3 stars 0
2 stars 0
1 star 2
Practice Areas
Wills & Living Wills (39) Power Of Attorney (15) Estate Planning (13) Real Estate (9) Probate (7) Contracts & Agreements (4) Residential (4) Business (3) Elder Law (3) Trusts (2) Corporate & Incorporation (1) Debt & Lending Agreements (1) Lawsuits & Disputes (1) Limited Liability Company (LLC) (1)
What Clients Mention
Practice Area Knowledge (37) Recommendation (29) Professionalism (23) Communication Style (21) Character & Conduct (16) Responsiveness (16) Case Results (13) General Knowledge (10) Cost of Services (7) Compassion (5) Advocacy (4) Punctuality (4) Staff & Support (3) Trustworthiness (3)

Showing 1 - 4 of 4 reviews | Advocacy

Posted by Doug | November 18, 2025 | Hired Attorney

Mr. Shaw was fantastic!

Mr. Shaw was fantastic. My situation was complicated with lots of moving parts and Mr. Shaw took the time and listened to all my concerns. Then he came back with a game plan that worked perfectly and gave me all the protections I had hoped for. I will definitely continue to use Mr. Shaw for all m...y future legal needs.

Posted by Stephen | November 08, 2022 | Hired Attorney

Law Offices of Melvin O. Shaw

Melvin Shaw and his team were professional, accommodating, cordial and concerned for our interests throughout. Questions were answered thoroughly, and work completed expeditiously. We are more than satisfied, and would recommend his law offices to anyone – without reservation.

Posted by Liz | May 31, 2019 | Hired Attorney | Estate Planning

Probate & Estate Planning from Afar

I worked with Mel over that last three or so years to assist me through legal matters including Personals Representative appointment, Estate Planning, and Probate processing. I live in Wisconsin and Mel made all of these processes as simple as he possibly could for me. He is very knowledgeable an...d does whatever he can to assist you, no matter the day or time. I highly recommend working with Mel. Without him, I wouldn’t have been able to get through all of this!

Posted by Tom | September 16, 2018 | Hired Attorney | Estate Planning

Will and POA

Wow!!! What an amazing and down to earth individual. We hit it off as soon as my wife and I walked into his offIce. Melvin is an extremely down to earth person, and a very knowledgeable attorney, especially when it comes to wills, POA’s and/or trusts. I’m sure everyone who is reading this review has ...been putting off doing their wills for some time now...like us. We kept putting it off due to time and how much effort and energy it would be to find someone to help prepare our wills. Well, look no further!! Melvin was extremely easy to work with. He patiently listened to all of our questions and concerns regarding wills vs trust (and we had a lot). He was able to simplify and break down all the legal aspects of the paperwork into layman terms for us to understand. He allowed us to take our time, and discuss what we thought were the best plans for our future finances and our young son’s future if something were to happen to us. I can’t say enough about how GREAT it was to work with Melvin!!!!

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Melvin O. Shaw's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Melvin
L. Craig Nierman headshot
L. Craig Nierman

Probate lawyer | Aug 08

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I recently had the opportunity to work with Melvin on a case; his insights and knowledge were very valuable. Additionally, he is a very engaging and approachable person. I look forward to working with him again."

View All Endorsements
L. Craig Nierman headshot
L. Craig Nierman

Personal injury lawyer

Experience

Rating:  9.2 (Superb)

Honors

2009

Distinguished Black Alumni Award, University of Iowa College of Law

Work Experience

2004 - 2004

Legal Intern, U.S. Attorneys Office Cedar Rapids

2004 - 2004

Intern, University of Iowa Office of the General Counsel

1998 - 2002

Writer and Public Relations Practitioner, University of Iowa Office of Public Relations

Associations

2014 - Present

Systems Unlimited, Inc.

Board Member

2014 - Present

Charter Review Commission, City of Iowa City, Iowa

Member

2012 - Present

The Housing Fellowship

Board of Trustees

2006 - Present

American Bar Association

Member

2006 - Present

Iowa State Bar Association

Member Sections Business, Probate & Real Estate

2001 - Present

Bethel A.M.E. Church

Steward

2017 - 2018

Johnson County Bar Association

President

2016 - 2017

Johnson County Bar Association

Vice President

2015 - 2016

Johnson County Bar Association

Treasurer

2013 - 2014

Johnson County Bar Association

Secretary

Education

2004

University of Iowa College of Law

JD - Juris Doctor

1997

University of Iowa

MA - Masters

1994

University of Missouri

BA - Bachelor of Arts

Speaking Engagements

2014

Estate Planning Seminar

Probate

2011

2009

National Business Institute Estate Planning Basics

2009

National Business Institute Probate Process from Start to Finish

2008

National Business Institute Probate Process from Start to Finish

2007

National Business Institute

Probate

Languages

English

Activity

1

Legal Answers

Legal Answers

Q&A

If only one spouse`s name is on a deed in a equitable distribution state, how is that real estate divided at death or divorce?

01 Dec 2014
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