About Marlene
Marlene Shiner’s academic path moved between Canada and the United States. She earned a B.A. in sociology from the University of Toronto, completed a J.D. at Osgoode Hall Law School in 1995, and later took negotiation coursework at Harvard Law School in 1995. She completed an S.J.D. in family law at Cornell University in 2005.
Her early legal work took her into federal government service. In 1997 she joined the Child Support Team at the Canadian Federal Department of Justice, handling matters that intersected family law and public policy. That role introduced her to the practical and administrative sides of child support enforcement and family support systems.
In 2007 she established a practice under the name marlene shiner, esq. family law + mediation. She built a caseload that combined traditional family law representation with mediated resolutions. Over the years she has worked in a variety of settings. In 2014 she was listed as Family Lawyer for Family Law Software, and in 2018 she served as an associate at The Fitch Law Office. Those positions reflect work across private practice and legal services that support other family law practitioners.
Shiner’s professional training produces a blend of courtroom and alternative dispute resolution skills. She holds mediation certification from the Institute of Divorce Mediation and an MCLE mediation credential, alongside the negotiation training she completed at Harvard. That mix informs how she approaches custody, support and property matters—often emphasizing settlement opportunities while preserving the option of litigation when necessary.
She holds memberships in organizations on both sides of the border. She has been a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada since 1997. In Massachusetts she has been active in the Boston Bar Association since 2007 and joined the Massachusetts Bar Association Family Law Section Council in 2018. She is a member of the Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation and the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, listing memberships for both Ontario and Massachusetts beginning in 2019. She also belongs to the Women’s Bar Association, among other professional groups.
Colleagues describe Shiner as methodical and practical in her approach. She brings academic study and government experience to everyday client problems. Her practice spans procedural work, negotiated settlements and mediated agreements. She currently practices through marlene shiner, esq. family law + mediation, handling family law and mediation matters in Massachusetts and Ontario.
