Episode 26 - Special Guest: Maraleen Shields, Esq., Political Candidate running to become the first Black Judge of Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas

Emerge Woman Magazine Podcast

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS AMAZING POLITICAL CANDIDATE AND HER CAMPAIGN AT: shieldsforlcjudge.com

Maraleen Shields was born and raised in North Braddock, Pennsylvania. After her father’s sudden death when she was in the fourth grade, she and her sister were raised by her single mother, Doris. Maraleen attended Woodland Hills High School, a school which was created as the result of a 1981 court-ordered desegregation merger. She discovered her interest in the law by participating in high school mock trial competitions.

She is a graduate of Kenyon College in Ohio, where she was a double major in political science and philosophy with a law and society concentration.

Because of her hard work both in the classroom and on campus, where she held several campus jobs, Maraleen emerged from college without any student loan debt.

She was awarded a 3-year full tuition scholarship and in 2003 she received her law degree with the highest honors from the University of Pittsburgh school of law.

Maraleen began her career handling commercial litigation and mass tort defense work in Philadelphia. In 2006, she and her husband, Kevin, chose to make the Lehigh Valley their home.

In 2014, Maraleen joined the Lehigh Valley-based Fitzpatrick Lentz & Bubba, firm becoming a member of both the health care as well as the litigation and trial practice groups.

In 2017, she became the first person of color to become a shareholder at FL&B. She joins her colleagues in many volunteer efforts, serves on several boards and has won various awards for her legal expertise, leadership and community service and influence which include:

PBA President's Award (2018); the Lynette Norton Award (2020); PA Rising Stars (2008, 2010, 2012-2018); Lehigh Valley Business Journal's Forty under 40; Lehigh Valley Magazine's Legal Leader.

Over the last 14 years, Maraleen has developed deep connections to the Lehigh Valley. She was a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Hillside School; a member of the Board of Directors of Lehigh Valley Children’s Centers; President of the Parents’ Association of Cetronia

Elementary School; and a Member of the Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council of Lehigh Valley Inter-regional Networking & Connecting (LINC).

As a candidate for Judge in the Court of Common Pleas, she runs on solid principles (among many) of critical thinking, temperament, lack of bias and communication. We are excited about Maraleen’s stellar legal expertise, community leadership and demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.