Michelle is a non-attorney advocate and mediator with a heart for social justice. A graduate of Regent University School of Law, she studied nonprofit law and international human rights and graduated with a Masters of Arts in Law and the Award of Excellence for her graduating class. She serves on the Impact & Values and Strategic Partnership & Resource Development Committees for the Department of Justice’s National Association For Community Mediation (“NAFCM”) and works with Mediators Beyond Borders International (“MBBI”) international initiatives. Michelle clerked for the Center for Global Justice in advocating for the international rights of a child. Prior to entering the field of mediation and nonprofit advocacy, Michelle served as a senior litigation paralegal and law clerk, working for regional, national and international law firms, state government agencies, and NGOs. Her jurisdictional experience includes the state courts of Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Colorado, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, New York, Washington, D.C., all federal jurisdictions, the United Nations and the EU. She works in the areas of nonprofit advocacy, civil and human rights, international law, and conflict resolution, but her passion lies in advocating against the violence of women and children and the international rights of a child.

After serving in the legal profession for over 25 years, Michelle saw a gap in equal access to justice. So, in 2022, she created The Advocacy Center, Inc., an all-woman managed and led non-attorney agency service center founded in honor of her Father, Honorary Colonel Petty Officer First Class Gene Shearer, to address conflict and social injustice through non-attorney agency services. The Advocacy Center has offices in Charlotte County, Florida and Hamilton County, Tennessee