Shana D. Paula

Shana D. Paula earned her Bachelor of Arts in English, with minors in Business Law, Religious Studies, and Psychology from Stetson University in 2007, as Presidential Merit Scholar and graduating Summa Cum Laude, top 1% of her class. She went on to receive her Juris Doctor from Stetson University College of Law in 2010, where she was the SBA Vice President, Intramural Sports Commissioner, and student liaison with Supreme Court Justice Thomas on behalf of Stetson University.

Shana is an accomplished litigation attorney with extensive experience in family law, constitutional law, international human rights, and alternative dispute resolution. She is a member in good standing with both the Florida and Indiana Bar and has dedicated over a decade to serving as a Guardian ad Litem (GAL) and advocating children in need of services (CHINS). Shana is proficient in Spanish and practices with a Spanish speaking paralegal.

Currently, Shana practices throughout the state of Indiana, representing clients in a wide range of family law matters, including divorce, paternity, guardianship, adoption, and third-party custody cases. She has over twenty years of experience in alternative dispute resolution, serving as a peer mediator throughout her primary, post-secondary, and graduate education, and professionally as a family law arbitrator, domestic relations mediator, parenting coordinator, and parenting time supervisor. She is frequently appointed as a GAL in high-conflict dissolution and adult guardianship cases across multiple Indiana counties.

In addition to her domestic legal practice, Shana has a strong background in international law, particularly in international constitutional law and contract law under the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG). She studied abroad in Den Hague, Netherlands, focusing on international criminal law, and had the unique opportunity to observe court proceedings at the International Criminal Court (ICC) during the Charles Taylor trial. Her international studies in Argentina, France, and Germany further deepened her expertise in comparative legal systems, constitutionalism, international business law, and global human rights issues.

Shana’s past legal career includes experience in criminal defense, protective orders, OWI defense, and public defender work.. Additionally, she served as the Best Practices Director and Pre-Adjudication CHINS Mediation Program Director for the Marion County Superior Court – Juvenile Division, where she significantly improved mediation settlement success rates.