Biography

Christina Lana Shine has been a lifelong resident of Western New York and has been practicing for more than 30 years.

After graduating Magna Cum Laude from Canisius College and being admitted into the Jesuit Honor Society Office of Alpha Sigma Nu.  She obtained her legal degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Law School and was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1988.

The exclusive focus of Christina Lana Shine’s practice is Family Law and Matrimonial Law.  She was trained in Matrimonial Mediation in 1996 and in the Collaborative Process in 2009.  Christina Lana Shine is a member of the Erie County and New York State Bar Associations, Family Law Sections.

Mediation, Collaborative Process, and Litigating with Christina Lana Shine allows you to determine your own future and proceed through your divorce with you in the driver’s seat.

• Litigation: I have been practicing matrimonial law since 1988. I have 37 years of experience in litigation. I know how to settle a case without sacrificing my clients’ goals. I see my interaction with my clients as a partnership in which I educate and offer realistic options for settlement. Where settlement is not possible, I work with my clients to place them in the best possible position at trial to meet their goals, understanding that the judge will decide how their assets, debts and obligations to each other will be determined. I always keep in mind that people who come to see me are going through one of the most difficult experiences of their lives and treat them accordingly. Throughout my career, I have represented adult litigants and children in divorce actions and Family Court matters which has added to my perspective on how inter-family litigation affects each family member. That perspective makes me a better advocate for my clients.
• Mediation: In 1996 I received mediation training as a member of one of the first groups of professionals to receive mediation training in WNY. Over the last 29 years in mediation, I have helped people create their own Settlement Agreements for divorce, legal separation, custody, visitation and child support matters. In cases where couples are interested in resolving their custody, visitation or child support disputes out of court, mediation can be used to create the settlement agreement that is submitted with a petition to Family Court, resulting in a final order of the court based on the agreement. In addition, I’ve also helped people use mediation to amend their initial divorce, separation, custody, visitation and child support judgments and orders. If both parties are willing to commit to the process and put in the effort, mediation can help couples achieve a fair and lasting resolution to their family law issues while keeping court involvement to a bare minimum.

Current Position

• Managing Attorney

Past Positions

• Former BNI Chapter Officer

Professional Associations

• Erie County Bar Association, Matrimonial Bar Committee, Member
• Erie County Bar Association, Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee, Member
• New York State Bar Association, Family Law Division, Member
• Erie County Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee, Member

Education

• University of North Carolina School of Law, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
  • Juris Doctor – 1987
• Canisius College
  • B.A., Bachelor of Arts – 1984
  • Honors: magna cum laude

Bar Admissions

• New York, 1988

Fraternities or Sororities

• Alpha Sigma Nu