After amassing nearly a decade of medical malpractice defense and risk management litigation experience, Maraleen D. Shields joined the Firm in 2014. She works to understand her client’s case, expectations and needs. She recognizes the importance of exploring all options to achieve a favorable result whether it be through mediation, arbitration, or trial. Her clients have come to know her for her responsiveness and candor.
She is a shareholder of the Firm’s Litigation & Trial Practice and Healthcare Groups. As a member of the Firm’s Litigation & Trial Practice Group, she has handled a wide array of matters including healthcare business disputes, municipal liability, class action litigation, personal injury matters, contract disputes and general complex litigation. She handles all phases of litigation and appellate practice. As a member of the Firm’s Healthcare Group, her practice focuses on peer review and credentialing matters, licensing and professional board disputes, Health Care Quality Improvement Act (HCQIA), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and Health Information Technology and Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) compliance, the OIG exclusion program, and risk mitigation and event management. She prepares medical staff bylaws, rules and regulations, and policies for hospitals and other healthcare facilities in compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and accreditation standards. She represents healthcare professionals engaged in the fair hearing and appellate review process, contract disputes and before state licensing boards. She is a frequent speaker for healthcare professionals.
Ms. Shields is originally from Pittsburgh, PA. Since relocating to the Lehigh Valley in 2006, she has developed strong ties to the Lehigh Valley. She is President-elect of the Parents’ Association of Cetronia Elementary School. She was formerly a member of The Hillside School’s Board of Trustees. Ms. Shields is also actively involved with the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Women in the Profession and Minority Bar Committee. In 2015, she was named to Lehigh Valley Business’ Forty Under 40.
Maraleen D. Shields, a shareholder in the Firm’s Litigation & Trial Practice and Healthcare groups, was recently published in The Legal Intelligencer. Her article, entitled “Dispelling Myths: Beginning to Address Diversity in Lehigh Valley”, discusses the common misconceptions about diversity, equity, and inclusion practices held in the Lehigh Valley. She describes the potential consequences, including […]
Maraleen D. Shields, shareholder of the Firm’s Healthcare and Litigation & Trial Practice Groups, was recently invited to be a panelist at the Diversity & Inclusion Summit presented by Olympus Corporation of the Americas. Held on September 23, the Diversity & Inclusion Summit focused on informing business leaders of strategies and existing programs to promote inclusion […]
Shareholder Maraleen D. Shields successfully represented the City of Allentown in a case stemming from slip and fall on a City pedestrian bridge. After a week-long trial, a Lehigh County jury found in favor of the City, saying it was not negligent in its maintenance of the bridge. During the trial, the plaintiff claimed that the […]
Last month, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued its long-awaited decision in Slice of Life v. Hamilton Township. As the prevalence and impact of short-term rentals continues to increase, this case will have important implications from both land use and litigation perspectives. The Court decided that the Township’s Zoning Ordinance was clear enough to prohibit the […]
The owners of Plaza at 835 West Hamilton Street brought an eminent domain proceeding against the City of Allentown, arguing that the City caused them to lose a major tenant and default on their mortgage. As a consequence, the building owner claimed that they suffered a “taking” of their property for which they sought “just […]
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