Shane`s strong legal research and writing skills also enhance his representation of policyholders. With company founder Chip Merlin, she wrote an article entitled Overturning Appraisal Awards for Bias and Seeking Discovery from Appraisers: A Policyholder`s Guide, published by the Tort and Insurance Law Section of the American Bar Association (ABA) in its Summer 2015 issue of The Brief. Shane was selected as a Rising Star Super Lawyers for insurance coverage in 2017 and 2018 and received a BV rating from Martindale-Hubbell. Shane was co-director of the Divorce on the Beach program for three years and is currently chair of the state bar`s solo and small practice health and wellness committee. He is also a member of the Alabama State Bar Counsel Assistance and Diversity in the Profession Committees. Shane Smith is originally from Florida and grew up in St. Petersburg. She received a golf scholarship to attend the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, and during her junior and senior years, Shane was the number one golfer, team captain and MVP on the Division I women`s college golf team. After earning a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Notre Dame in 2001, Shane pursued a professional golf career and competed on the Futures Golf Tour for three years. Shane decided to drop down her putter for a briefcase and enrolled at Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, Michigan, where she earned her J.D.
in 2007. Set to begin her career in the Sunshine State, Shane moved to Sarasota where she represented homeowners, condominium associations, contractors and surety companies in construction litigation and construction defect disputes. Conveniently located offices in Melbourne, minutes from I-95. In addition to legal practice, Shane is trained as a parenting coordinator, helping separated and divorced couples overcome barriers to effective communication and co-parenting. Steel City Law`s services include adoption and estate planning for families in transition. Shane served on the Board of Directors of the Family Law Section of the Alabama State Bar for five years and is currently serving his second term as Chair of the Section, where he oversees training opportunities for state attorneys in the area of internal relations and the day-to-day operations of the Section and its many committees. Shane`s practice focuses on divorce and family law, as well as assisting and representing individuals in complex matrimonial matters, including those involving personal or business property and custody disputes. Mr. Smith has extensive experience in family relationships, domestic violence, abuse protection, child custody, and paternity and child support issues. Shane also handles complex criminal and civil litigation related to matrimonial matters and has received extensive training as a mediator.
Western Michigan University, Thomas M. Cooley Law School Lansing, Michigan Juris Doctor Shane is a member of the Alabama State Bar, the Birmingham Bar, and the American Bar Association. He is a graduate of the Birmingham Bar Association Future Leaders Forum and the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Institute for Family Law Associates in Chicago, Illinois, and was named a Rising Star by SuperLawyers Magazine in 2013, a Rising Star by B-Metro Magazine in 2014 and Top Flight Attorney by B-Metro Magazine in 2017. and a rising star for SuperLawyers magazine`s Mid-South in 2017. Shane enjoys an active social and civic life, including a number of chili cooking prizes, and is usually accompanied by his amazing dog, Truman. Assist Brevard County and Space Coast clients in the following practice areas: In his spare time, Shane enjoys spending time with family and friends, playing golf, watching Notre Dame football, and relaxing on the beach. Shane Smith is not only someone you would like to have on your golf team, he is also someone you want to represent against a large property insurance company that unfairly denies your claim. Shane understands the preparation, hard work and perseverance it takes to succeed in first-party disputes, just as she knows what it takes to win on the golf course. For example, Shane was instrumental in Merlin Law Group representing a commercial real estate owner in a highly competitive lawsuit against travelers in Phoenix, Arizona, where a jury returned a multimillion-dollar verdict in favor of the policyholder after a seven-day trial.
Shane Smith, a native of Athens, Alabama, fulfilled his lifelong dream by founding Steel City Law in early 2017. Previously, Shane was an attorney for Legal Services Alabama, Lloyd & Hogan, P.C. and was a shareholder in White Arnold & Dowd. His entire career has been dedicated to the practice of family and matrimonial law, with over ten years of experience in the field. He received his B.A. In psychology from Auburn University in 1998, his master`s degree in psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2002 and his J.D. from the Birmingham School of a Law in 2006. University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, Indiana Bachelor of Arts, Economics Shane is a regular contributor to Merlin Law Group`s property insurance law blog and is available to policyholders who have questions about their claims. In 2013, Shane returned to his roots in the Tampa Bay area and joined Merlin Law Group to help individuals and business owners whose assets had been destroyed by disasters.