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Melvin O. Shaw

Wills and living wills Attorney at Coralville, IA

4.9   70 reviews
Virtual consultation available
Virtual consultation available
(319) 313-5584
Message Website
  • Licensed for 17 years
    State IA
    Acquired 2006
    Status
    Active No misconduct found

We have not found any instances of professional misconduct for this lawyer.

Knowledgeable and professional
Kari
Great Lawyer, very helpful
Trevor
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About Melvin

Learn Melvin’s areas of practice.

5
Practice areas
  1. Wills and living wills
    30%
    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

    16 years

  2. Real estate
    25%
    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.

    16 years

  3. 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.

    16 years

  4. Estate planning
    15%
    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.

    16 years

  5. Business
    10%

    16 years

Awards

Platinum Client Champion
AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating
Client's Choice 2023,2022,2021,2019,2018,2017,2016,2014
Client's Choice
2023 2022 2021 + 5 ...

Contact Melvin

The Law Office of Melvin O. Shaw P.L.C.
1303 5th Street
Suite 104
Coralville, IA, 52241
melvinshaw.com/
Message Get Directions

Reviews

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4.9 / 5.0
  70 customer reviews
5 Star
 
96%
4 Star
 
1%
3 Star
 
0%
2 Star
 
0%
1 Star
 
3%
Client's Choice 2023
Client's Choice
Client's Choice is an Avvo award granted to attorneys with a significant number of client reviews over 4 stars in a given year.
Posted by Kari | June 17, 2014
Knowledgeable and professional
Melvin recently helped my husband and I with the sale of our home. He came highly recommended, and was very quick to return my initial phone call. He did an excellent job of answering all of the question we had. As first time sellers, the timeline he provided helped us successfully navigate this process with ease. He was upfront about what we could expect in terms of fees, which we appreciated. In addition to being very friendly and easy to work with, Melvin proved to be very knowledgeable and reliable as well. We would recommend him without reservation, and will seek out his services in the future as needed.
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Posted by Trevor | April 7, 2014
Great Lawyer, very helpful
We have used Mr Shaw for 2 different real estate transactions, and he has been great to work with on both. He also looked over my wife's contract when she graduated and joined a practice. He has always kept us up to date on where we are at in the process, and is very helpful with telling us what we need to do. Would strongly recommend him.
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Posted by Todd | August 16, 2023
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Outstanding Attorney
I live out of state but needed representation regarding a civil matter and a follow on trust for a family member. Melvin was completely effective in all matters. He takes the time to listen and thoughtfully comes up with a solution. I am very pleased with the results Mr Shaw delivered and am grateful that I was able to obtain his services. I would not hesitate to call on Melvin again.
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Posted by Darla | August 15, 2023
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Professional, knowledgeable, affordable
We found this law firm by chance because we had been trying to get a will in place for my husband and myself. Melvin is professional, friendly, affordable, very knowledgeable and made it a hassle free process. He did such a great job explaining to us the difference between a trust and a will and helped us complete it and submit it. I could not recommend this office more.
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Posted by David | July 24, 2023
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Estate Settlement
We could not have been more pleased with the work Mr. Shaw provided us in settling my brothers estate. He was extremely pleasant to engage with always making sure we understood what was about to proceed and explaining the law in layman's terms. He also made sure on a personal level we were handling the situation emotionally as best we could. He or his assistant Stephanie were readily available for any questions or concerns. We had a couple of hiccups along the way but he had them fixed immediately. Very happy with his work.
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Posted by Sidney | April 25, 2023
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Highly recommend
We couldn’t have chosen a better lawyer. Melvin was efficient, friendly and informative. I highly suggest his services and plan on referring friends to him as well.
Posted by anonymous | April 22, 2023
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Wills & POA
Melvin Shaw was recommended to us by my coworker and he did not disappoint. We hired him to draft our wills and powers of attorney (medical and financial). Melvin did a very thorough job of explaining everything to us throughout the process. He is warm, caring and personable.
Posted by anonymous | February 25, 2023
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Excellent Service
Excellent, knowledgeable and made clear what our wills and living wills both covered and did not cover. I feel comforted in starting a relationship with Melvin and I would highly recommend him.
Posted by Melissa | January 19, 2023
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Excellent Experience
Great experience from start to finish. Melvin Shaw was thorough and explained all steps of the process.
Posted by anonymous | December 21, 2022
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Professional and Efficient
He assisted me with updating my will, creating a trust, and developing health directives and power of attorney. He was efficient, thorough, friendly, and totally professional.
Posted by Stephen | November 8, 2022
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| 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 Alan | November 3, 2022
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Estate Planning Made Easy
Mel and Stephanie made this sensitive topic and process so reasonable and easy to navigate. We were able to get paperwork to review before we actually stopped in for signing and Mel is extremely personable so it puts you at ease through the whole process. I would highly recommend Mel and Stephanie!
Posted by Ryan | October 13, 2022
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Family Planning
We were familiar with Melvin prior to using his services and he maintained great professionalism and advice to help with our estate planning. Melvin provided answers to our questions and did a great job explaining the different roles and functions of the various documents he helped us create. All documents and communication was done in a very prompt manner and we enjoyed working with Melvin and found the experience very enjoyable while also incredibly efficient. Can’t say enough about how positive of experience it was for the two of us!
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Posted by anonymous | September 26, 2022
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Excellent, personalized service
Our experience as clients of Melvin Shaw was extremely positive. He was professional, efficient and personable. He provided really good explanations of the process, to guide us through with good understanding. Highly recommend his services.
Posted by anonymous | September 23, 2022
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Contract and will services
Melvin supported us through a will and contract service with regard to my consultancy agreements. He and his team were very supportive, confident, and professional. I will continue to work with him in the future.
Posted by Dan, Arlene | September 1, 2022
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Great people to work with!
We located Mr. Shaw's information and excellent background on the web and chose him due to some good reviews and the fact that his office is not a large group of lawyers. We were under a time restraint of our own making (bad on us!) but they were willing to help us with short notice. Stephanie was great to work with and arranged things quickly. A Zoom conference was initiated and followed up with the needed paperwork we were requesting. Review of the materials was easy and timely and well done. Mr. Shaw provided very sage advice, explained things clearly, was very thorough, as well as patient. We enjoyed working with them and highly recommend them.
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Posted by Jenny | July 1, 2022
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
A wonderful attorney!
I hired Mr. Shaw to help me with my mom’s estate when she passed unexpectedly last year. He is extremely knowledgeable about estate and probate law. During a difficult time for my family, his compassion and counsel were more than I ever expected. I very highly recommend Mr. Shaw!
Posted by Jeremy | June 16, 2022
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Family Will
Melvin Shaw made the process of drafting a will easy and straight forward. He is an approachable lawyer who is willing to answer any questions that may arise during the process. Money well spent, I would highly recommend this law firm.
Posted by Kevin | June 15, 2022
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Everything was well done
Work on my will and related documents was made easy and handled very competently. In addition, Melvin is a very kind and supportive person, which is a real plus when dealing with end-of-life legal matters.
Posted by Mike | April 22, 2022
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Client
I was nervous about doing my will, he put at ease and did a great job for. Extremely happy with what he did for me !!
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Cost

We have not found any cost information for this lawyer

Contact for Details

Resume

AVVO RATING 9.4 (Superb)

Work Experience

  • Legal Intern
  • U.S. Attorneys Office Cedar Rapids
  • 2004 - 2004
  • Intern
  • University of Iowa Office of the General Counsel
  • 2004 - 2004
  • Writer and Public Relations Practitioner
  • University of Iowa Office of Public Relations
  • 1998 - 2002

Education

  • University of Iowa College of Law
  • JD - Juris Doctor
  • 2004
  • University of Iowa
  • MA - Masters
  • 1997
  • University of Missouri
  • BA - Bachelor of Arts
  • 1994

Associations

  • Systems Unlimited, Inc.
  • Board Member
  • 2014 - Present
  • Charter Review Commission, City of Iowa City, Iowa
  • Member
  • 2014 - Present
  • The Housing Fellowship
  • Board of Trustees
  • 2012 - Present
  • American Bar Association
  • Member
  • 2006 - Present
  • Iowa State Bar Association
  • Member Sections Business, Probate & Real Estate
  • 2006 - Present
  • Bethel A.M.E. Church
  • Steward
  • 2001 - Present
  • Johnson County Bar Association
  • President
  • 2017 - 2018
  • Johnson County Bar Association
  • Vice President
  • 2016 - 2017
  • Johnson County Bar Association
  • Treasurer
  • 2015 - 2016
  • Johnson County Bar Association
  • Secretary
  • 2013 - 2014
View all associations

Languages Spoken

  • English

Honors and Awards

  • Distinguished Black Alumni Award
  • University of Iowa College of Law
  • 2009

Speaking Engagements

  • Estate Planning Seminar
  • Probate
  • 2014
  • National Business Institute
  • Probate
  • 2007
View all speaking engagements

Attorney endorsements

Received (1)
Given (1)
Endorse Melvin
L. Craig Nierman headshot
L. Craig Nierman
Probate Attorney | 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."
L. Craig Nierman headshot
L. Craig Nierman
Personal injury
Coralville Wills and living wills Lawyer Melvin O. Shaw
Melvin O. Shaw
Wills and living wills Attorney
Coralville, IA
Licensed for 17 years
Virtual consultation available
(319) 313-5584 Message Website