Don Shaw

When I was very young, my father broke his back working for the railroad. My earliest memories are of him lying in the living room of our small house in rural Appalachia on a hospital bed alongside the bay window, in a full body cast. I was seven when my father started college and eleven when I watched him cross the stage at the age of 35; the first college graduate in his family. I saw how hard my dad worked, with the help of others, to get through four years of college in hopes of improving his family’s lot in life. That experience shaped who I am and my calling to dedicate my adult life to service to others.

From a young age, I joined the military and proudly served my country for the next 20 years. As a noncommissioned officer, I spent many hours every day training young soldiers; teaching them how to survive in hostile environments. I volunteered to serve as an international arms control interpreter and spent five years traveling in the former Soviet Union working to reduce the threat of nuclear weapons.

The Army moved me to Prince William County in 1997 and I am proud to call Virginia home. My daughter, Ashley, is a special needs person and has been a great influence in my life. As Ashley grew older, it became apparent that she would need to have a carefully detailed plan for her future. Like many parents, I had no idea where to start and struggled to work through the system on Ashley’s behalf. That experience played a large part in my decision to practice law and help families with their estate planning and related legal needs.

I established my law practice to continue what I consider life’s highest calling: service to others. My background gives me the ability to see your situation through the eyes of someone who has been there. As a veteran and the father of a person with special needs, I understand at a very personal level the importance of proper estate planning.

I graduated magna cum laude from Mitchell Hamline School of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota. In addition to the mandatory coursework, I focused my studies on Arbitration Law, Family Mediation, Estates and Trusts, and Elder Law.