WEAVER LOVELESS LAW - Key Persons
Jim Weaver has practiced law at 240 E. Park Ave., Lake Wales, Florida, since 1976. Practice areas include estate planning and trusts, probate, real estate, and business transactions. Jim is actively involved in multiple civic endeavors in the Lake Wales community. Hobbies include designing and building furniture, working in stained glass, and singing a capella choral music. As a Rotarian, Jim travels twice a year to Honduras to do relief work for the underprivileged in general and for women and children in particular.
Job Titles:
- Florida Registered Paralegal
- Paralegal
Melissa Shields, a Florida Registered Paralegal since April 28, 2008, has worked for Jim Weaver for more than 16 years. She worked side by side with Shelby Loveless for many of those years, and now is very proud and happy to be working for her.
Melissa grew up in rural Pennsylvania, outside of Titusville, and moved to Lake Wales, Florida with her mother, two brothers, and sister, after her parents were divorced in 1983. She attended Lake Wales High School from 9 th through 12 th grade. Not long after she graduated high school, she married Clyde "Sandy" Shields, a native Lake Walean. The newlyweds moved to Umatilla, Florida, where they lived for four years before returning "home" to Lake Wales. Melissa and Sandy have two adult daughters who both grew up in Lake Wales and graduated from Lake Wales High School, and four grandchildren, who all thankfully live close by and visit often.
After raising both daughters to school age, Melissa returned to college at South Florida Community College in Avon Park, Florida in 2000. She continued to work part-time and attended school full-time. She was very proud to not only be inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa Society and to be awarded the "Outstanding Student in Computer Science" award for 2002, but to also graduate Summa Cum Laude with an A.A.S. degree in Computer Programming and Analysis in December 2002.
Not long after graduation, Melissa responded to a "help wanted" ad at a local law firm and the rest is history. Melissa was originally hired and trained to take over all the real estate legal work in the office, and that is what she continues to focus on to this day. Melissa assists the attorneys in other practice areas such as probate, commercial and business law, and estate planning whenever she is needed, but working on the real estate transactions with Jim and Shelby is what she really enjoys.
Shelby Loveless graduated from the Florida State University College of Law on May 1, 2016, in the Class of 2016. The daughter of Chuck and Lori Loveless, Shelby is a third-generation Lake Walean. Shelby graduated Valedictorian of the Frostproof High School Class of 2010. Shelby attended the Florida State University Honors College and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs.
While at Florida State University, Shelby was Vice President of Finance of the Inter-Residence Hall Council, inducted into Golden Key National Honor Society and Phi Beta Kappa, and named a FSU Legal Honors Scholar. Upon graduation, Shelby was admitted to the Florida State University College of Law.
During her tenure at Florida State University College of Law, Shelby was a member of the Law Review, Journal of Land Use and Environmental Law, and the Executive Editor for the Journal of Transnational Law and Policy. Shelby also served as a Student Ambassador and a member of the Elections Commission for the Student Government Association.
While obtaining her Juris Doctorate, Shelby worked in both the public and private sector in several areas of law, including criminal, family law, and estate planning. Shelby worked for Novey Law, Sandra Green, Esq. and the Public Interest Law Center, serving all of Tallahassee. Shelby also externed with the United States Attorney's Office, Northern District of Florida, drafting and researching for both federal trial court and appellate court cases. Shelby completed her pro bono hours with the Florida Council Against Sexual Violence. Throughout Shelby's undergraduate and law school career, she worked for James M. Weaver, PA working her way from an intern to an associate. Shelby sat for the Florida Bar in July 2016 and was admitted to the practice of law on September 28, 2016.
Shelby lives in Lake Wales with her husband and miniature schnauzer where they enjoy hiking, reading, and gathering with friends.
For the past seven years, Susannah taught math at Lake Wales High School and was greatly fulfilled serving and being a part of her community. She found joy in supporting her students and had a passion for helping students gain confidence and achieve success. Susannah is honored to be providing administrative support to the staff at Weaver Loveless Law and to serve the community in a different way.
Susannah is a fourth-generation Lake Walean and has always loved being a part of the small-town community here in Lake Wales. She graduated from Lake Wales High School in 2010, walking across the stage at Bok Tower. Although she loves Lake Wales, her love of exploring different cultures and travel attracted her to obtain a bachelor's degree in Anthropology from the University of Florida.
During her college years, Susannah spent time in the U.K. running youth programs and as a live-in nanny in Berlin, Germany. She hopes to continue learning and exploring other parts of the world, but loves being settled back in Lake Wales with her family. She lives here with her husband, Scott, her daughter Piper and their dog Olive. They spend most of their time with friends and family and enjoy being active and outdoors. They have completed a 48-mile section hike on the Georgia Appalachian trail and have goals of continuing the AT hikes with the addition of their new daughter.