Kristen Shearin
Kristen Shearin is an attorney, a Certified Family Financial Mediator, and a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst. She has a gift for simplifying complex financial issues. If you are getting divorced and you own a business or your spouse owns a business, you want Kristen on your team. She enjoys working with financially savvy clients and those with a less in-depth grasp of such issues.
If you or your spouse has a complex compensation package, stock options, partnerships, complex assets, or business interest, they will need to be valued, and that value will need to be explained to the opposing counsel, mediator, or the Court. If you are afraid that your spouse knows more about your finances than you do, Kristen can help you understand and explain your rights and options. She believes women should be empowered to be financially educated to control their financial future. Kristen can help if you are worried you will have to pay out for a complicated bonus program that you may or may not receive. She will help you analyze and understand the tax implications associated with dividing complex assets and bonus programs so you do not have to pay out more than you will receive or receive less than you deserve. She believes that both parties need to understand their finances to settle and that once both parties understand the financial realities and implications of divorce, settlement options are pretty straightforward. She settles 99% of her cases without litigation.
Kristen is married to an airline pilot and has two teenage boys.
“Kristen Shearin helped guide us through a collaborative and non-combative separation. We all came to the same table, collectively discussed how to care for our children’s future, and amicably separate the household. She was able to help us resolve any issues that arose during the process and ensured that we did not overlook any potential problems. She then prepared all of our necessary legal documents."
Jake M.
Background
Certifications and Training
Attorney at Law, licensed in NC
Certified Divorce Financial Analyst
NCDRC Certified Mediator
Certified Valuation Analyst
Published Works
The Dependency Deduction-Who Gets To Claim The Children, June 2020
Why 529 Plans Deserve a Second Look, Divorce Financial Analyst Journal, January-March 2016
Easing Conflict Between Parents After Divorce, Charlotte Parent Magazine, 2013
Honors and Awards
Top 40 Under 40, National Academy of Family Law Attorneys, 2014
Commitment to Justice Award, Safe Alliance, 2015
50 Most Influential Women in Mecklenburg County, Mecklenburg Times, 2016
Commitment to Justice Award, Safe Alliance, 2016
Outstanding Firm Pro Bono Service Award, Council for Children’s Rights, 2017
Professional Associations and Memberships
North Carolina State Bar
Mecklenburg County Bar Association, Family Law Section
Institute of Certified Divorce Financial Analysts
National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts
North Carolina Association of Women Attorneys, Member 2012-2014
Charlotte Women’s Bar Association, Board of Directors, 2012 – 2014
Pro Bono Activities
North Carolina Judicial Legislative Committee-Equitable Distribution Committee
North Carolina Judicial Legislative Committee-Domestic Violence Committee, Co-Chair, 2019-2021
Charlotte Triage Partnership-Human Trafficking Volunteer Attorney
Council for Children’s Rights, Volunteer Attorney
Safe Alliance, Legal Representation Project, Volunteer Attorney