Trending
By CARRI GRAHAM
ST. CLAIRSVILLE - Attorney Lane Hanlon is following in her grandfather's footsteps of practicing law in the Ohio Valley.
Hanlon, 28, is an associate attorney at the Shaheen Law Group where her areas of focus are criminal law and juvenile law. She is also an assistant public defender for Belmont County where she represents criminal clients in the Eastern Division Court of Belmont County.
She graduated from Barnesville High School in 2013. After she obtained her Juris Doctor from New England Law in Boston in 2021, Hanlon returned to the area last year to join the law firm, though her career there began while she was still in law school.
"I started working at Shaheen Law Group in July 2020 while I was still in law school as a legal assistant, and became a licensed attorney in 2022. I was hired as Assistant Public Defender in the fall of 2022,"she said.
Though her original plans were to remain in Boston after graduating, she decided to return to the Ohio Valley to follow in her grandfather's footsteps. Her grandfather, Lodge L. Hanlon, practiced law for more than 52 years in the area.
"Even from a young age, I saw the way he conducted himself both as an attorney and personally: with hard work, integrity, and compassion and I hope to do the same. I met Michael Shaheen and his wife Robyn while I was still in law school. When I was offered a position at the firm, I couldn't pass it up. It gave me the opportunity to focus on the areas of law I was passionate about while learning from an experienced attorney," she said.
Hanlon said the majority of her mornings are spent in court for hearings, while her afternoons are spent meeting with clients, preparing for hearings and conducting legal research and writing. At the law firm, she said fellow attorneys often have conferences to review their cases.
"This collaborative meeting helps ensure we are giving the best possible counsel to our clients," she added.
Hanlon said she enjoys the local community and how close everyone seems to be.
"I think most people can agree that the tight knit nature of the communities that makeup the Ohio Valley is very special. It's something you do not see anywhere else," she said.
Hanlon said she lives by the motto, "a life spent helping others is a life filled with purpose." She currently serves as president of the Barnesville Area Education Foundation whose mission is to provide funds for local education systems and students that might not otherwise be available through public funds. She said the BAEF has given well over $1 million dollars in scholarships and grants to the students of the Barnesville School District since its inception.
Hanlon said she is sympathetic to her clients and their situations, something she has learned over time practicing in her field.
"Something I learned very early on as an attorney is that most of the time, no one is seeking legal assistance if everything in their life is going well. Most of the time, my clients are going through some of the most difficult and stressful times of their lives. I try to conduct myself in a manner that relays to them that I understand the adversity they are up against, and let them know they are not just another name on my file," she said.
Hanlon believes that young lawyers, such as herself, will continue to usher in an era of high-level legal assistance in the area.
"As our society becomes more complicated and presents more challenges for the people of the Ohio Valley, I see my role - and that of other young lawyers - as dedicating their time and expertise to address the needs of the citizens of the Ohio Valley," she added.
She advises people starting out to work hard, pay attention and learn from those who have more experience.
Hanlon recently became engaged to Hunter Sylvis. She said they are planning to marry this year. Her fiance has a three-year-old son, Jordy, who she said she "absolutely adores."