Faculty Profile: Siew-Ling "Sue" Shea

Siew-Ling Shea, Esq. has been working in family law since May 2001 -- first as a paralegal and then as an attorney at Rogers, Shea & Spanos. Shea attended high school in Singapore and came to the United States for her undergraduate studies at Bryn Mawr College, Pennsylvania, as a scholarship student. Later, she transferred to and graduated from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, with a Bachelor's degree in Communication and Sociology. Shea attended an accelerated paralegal program at Southeastern Paralegal Institute in Nashville, Tennessee (ABA approved), graduating with honors. Shea's Juris Doctor degree is from the Nashville School of Law. She is a member of Cooper's Inn, an honorable society reserved for students graduating in the top 10% of their law school class.
Shea is licensed to practice law in the State of Tennessee and in the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Tennessee. She is a Rule 31 Listed Civil Mediator and a trained collaborative divorce lawyer. Shea is also a Rule 21 Tennessee Supreme Court Approved Mentor Attorney for new lawyers.

Leadership Roles/Membership: Hearing committee member for Disciplinary District V, Board of Professional Responsibility of the Supreme Court of Tennessee; Past Chair of the Tennessee Bar Association Family Law Section Executive Council (July 2020- July 2021) and current Legislative Liaison; Chair of the TBA Alimony Bench Book; Mentored students in the Nashville School of Law Rigorous Writing Program; Fellow of the Nashville Bar Foundation; Member of the John Marshall American Inns of Court, Tennessee Association of Professional Mediators, Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association, Tennessee Bar Association, Middle Tennessee Collaborative Alliance, Nashville Bar Association, Williamson County Bar Association, Sumner County Bar Association, and Lawyers Association for Women.

Articles authored: "When a Child's Best Interests Are At Issue: Privacy of Mental Health Records in Divorce and Custody Proceedings", Tennessee Bar Journal, July 2013; "New Statutory Parental Rights: Play Nice and Fair or Be Punished for Misconduct Toward The Other Parent", Tennessee Bar Journal, November 2014; "The Deductibility of Alimony: Implications of the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act of 2017 ("TCJA")", Tennessee Bar Association Alimony Bench Book, 17th Edition, December 2018 - co-authored with Kurt Myers, CPA/ABV, ASA, CBA, CVA; chapter updates to Alimony Bench Book, Tennessee Bar Association, 2022 ed to present.

Appellate work: Austermiller v. Austermiller, 2022 WL 17409921 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2022); Julie C. W. v. Frank Mitchell W. Jr., 2021 WL 3854804 (Tenn.Ct.App. 2021); Otto v. Otto, 2021 WL 1131582 (Tenn.Ct.App. 2021); Julie W. v. Frank W., 640 SW 3d 182 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2021) and 2021 WL 745288 (Tenn.Ct.App. 2021); Sullivan v. Sullivan, 2019 WL 4899760 (Tenn.Ct.App. 2019); Gant v. Gant, 2017 WL 417225 (Tenn.Ct.App. 2017); Wills v. Wills, 2016 WL 2937358 (Tenn.Ct.App. 2016); Boren v. Rousos, 2015 WL 7182141 (Tenn.Ct.App. 2015); Boren v. Rousos, 2014 WL 4217415 (Tenn.Ct.App. 2014); Dodd v. Dodd, 2012 WL 3193339 (Tenn.Ct.App. 2012); and Wester v. McDow, 2009 WL 1034758 (Tenn.Ct.App. 2009)

Speaking Engagements: Legislative Update, Family Law Forum, Tennessee Bar Association, November 1, 2022; Something to Talk About: Client Communication and Trial Preparation, Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association Paralegal Seminar, April 2022; Parenting Plan Best Practices, Family Law Conference for Tennessee Attorneys, Nashville, Tennessee, M. Lee Smith Publishers, October 10, 2019; Substitute speaker on “High Conflict Divorce Cases” – Tennessee Bar Association Family Law Forum, Nashville, Tennessee, May 15, 2019; Deductibility of Alimony, at the John Marshall American Inns of Court, Franklin, Tennessee, April 9, 2019; Settlement Negotiation, Trial Strategies and Drafting Final Orders, Tennessee Attorneys Memo, M. Lee Smith Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, October 10, 2018; Guest on podcast Movers & Thinkers: “What is Love?” by Emily Siner, WPLN Nashville Public Radio, April 18, 2018; Discovery Issues in Family Law, Tennessee Bar Association, Nashville, Tennessee, April 5, 2018; Family Law from Start to Finish:  Settlement Negotiation, Trial Strategies and Drafting Final Orders, National Business Institute, Nashville, Tennessee, May 9, 2017; Discovery Guidelines, Your Role During Settlement and Trial, Institute for Paralegal Education, Nashville, Tennessee, April 18, 2017; UCCJEA/UIFSA Considerations When Modifying and Enforcing Custody and Child Support Orders, Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association, New Orleans, Louisiana, January 13, 2017; Complex Child Custody & Support Issues in Divorce: Modifying and Enforcing Child Support Decrees, National Business Institute, Nashville, Tennessee, November 17, 2016; Subpoenas and Mental Health Records, Tennessee Association for Justice, April 2013.