Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP

While Shumaker has always provided services in specific family law matters, since 1995 special emphasis has been placed upon developing a practice in divorce, dissolution and related areas. The family law practice requires lawyers who are not only able to litigate effectively, but who are able to provide advice and counsel in related areas such as real estate, tax, business valuation, estate planning and pension law. Our family law litigators can draw on all of these services within the firm.

Of course, it is also important in the practice of family law to be attuned to the possibilities of alternative dispute resolution, including both mediation and arbitration in addition to the more standard negotiation tools utilized by most litigators. Our family law practitioners are all schooled in the proper use of alternate dispute resolution techniques, and they seek to employ such techniques whenever possible.

Our family lawyers understand that they are representing clients who are experiencing the most personal and perhaps most serious crises of their lives. Accordingly, we strive to be certain that the client comprehends clearly the nature of the process and the strategy that will be utilized to resolve the matters in the most favorable manner.

As in all areas of litigation, our family lawyers are familiar with the most advanced technology to assist with case preparation, including computerized child support schedules and other on-line research tools.

Some of the areas in which our family law practitioners have special experience include:

• Preparation of Premarital Agreements.
• Preparation of Separation Agreements.
• Divorce and Dissolution practice and procedure.
• Taxation Issues involving property settlements and alimony (spousal support) awards.
• Calculation of child support, including special circumstances and deviation from support guidelines.
• Business valuations.
• Real estate valuations.
• Pension and retirement calculations, valuations and allocations through Qualified Domestic Relations Orders.
• Child custody and shared parenting issues.

Our Commitment to Diversity

Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP is committed to attracting, retaining, and promoting individuals of diverse backgrounds to ensure that our firm reflects the clients we represent and our values of inclusion.  We believe that embracing differences in ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, age, socio-economic status, religion, and other characteristics, helps us consider the full range of perspectives our clients face and the goals they seek to achieve, allowing us to provide more creative, insightful, and complete guidance and counsel.  By affirmatively embracing and appreciating those differences, we create a supportive working environment at Shumaker for all individuals of the firm.

Diversity in Action

Shumaker's commitment to diversity is reflected in the following measures:

1. Creation of a Diversity & Inclusion Committee to coordinate and direct our diversity initiatives. Our committee is made up of partners (including at least one member of the Firm’s management committee), associates and administrative personnel.
2. Recipient of the 2013 Gold Standard Certification by Women in Law Empowerment Forum, which is given only to firms that have demonstrated that women represent a meaningful percentage of their equity partners, are involved in the highest leadership positions and have meaningful representation in the ranks of the firm’s most highly compensated partners. Shumaker was one of only 42 firms in the country to have received this prestigious award in 2013.
3. Creation of Shumaker’s Women’s Leadership Initiative, a firm-sponsored group dedicated to promoting, developing and fostering the potential of our female attorneys, helping them to navigate a path to a successful and satisfying legal career at the Firm, and to serve as leaders within the legal and business communities.
4. Membership and active participation in organizations that support diversity initiatives in our communities. Such organizations include, without limitation, racial, ethnic, disability, gender/LGBT and age initiatives.
5. Diversity in our hiring, advancement and leadership practices, for attorneys as well as staff members, including our Summer Associate Program.
6. Annual participation in the Toledo Bar Association’s Minority Clerkship Program.
7. Annual participation in the Ohio State Bar Foundation Law and Leadership Program, a program to establish a pipeline into the legal profession for disadvantaged students from underserved schools.
8. Membership in Partners in Education, a program in which our employees serve as tutors and mentors and provide ongoing financial support to area schools and students in need.
9. Cultivation of leadership opportunities among all attorneys and staff, recognizing the importance and benefit of diversity in leadership.
10. Firm-wide participation in periodic diversity education seminars or training programs.
11. Informal programs implemented firm-wide to enhance our awareness and understanding of the importance and benefits of diversity among our workforce and promote inclusion.