Her Story
About Shayna
Shayna Rachel Thompson is a licensed legal paraprofessional based in the Greater Phoenix area, dedicated to making the legal system more accessible to individuals and families navigating complex challenges. She currently serves as a Legal Paraprofessional at Moshier Law while also leading her own family court coaching practice, Shayna Thompson Law. Her family law work focuses on divorce, child custody, orders of protection, evidence management, document preparation, mediation support, trial preparation, and strategic legal guidance. Through her practice, she provides clients with transparent flat-fee services, unbundled legal support, and personalized coaching designed to help them approach their legal matters with greater clarity and confidence to be able to represent themselves. Before transitioning into the legal profession, Shayna spent approximately 15 years working in mental health agencies beginning as a case manager supporting individuals with drug abuse, serious mental illness (“SMI”) and people transitioning from incarceration or domestic violence situations. She progressed into clinical coordination and leadership roles, gaining extensive experience in case management, advocacy, team leadership, and supporting individuals through highly challenging circumstances. Her background in mental health continues to inform her approach to family law, particularly in understanding the emotional and personal complexities that often accompany divorce, custody disputes, and protective-order matters. Shayna earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Arizona and a Master of Legal Studies with a focus on Criminal, Family and Juvenile Law from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University. She became a Legal Paraprofessional licensed through the Arizona Supreme Court and also holds license as a Certified Legal Document Preparer and a Notary Public Commission. Beyond her professional practice, Shayna has contributed to organizations focused on human rights, domestic violence, and sexual assault prevention, including Families Against Mandatory Minimums and the Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence. Guided by her belief that injustice threatens justice everywhere, she is committed to advocacy, accessibility, and helping clients navigate difficult legal circumstances with dignity and confidence.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Shayna
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success in my current profession largely to my 15 years in mental health and being raised in a family that surrounded me with parents and siblings who are all leaders in their separate fields. My personal and professional experience has strengthened my empathy, advocacy, and case-management skills, which I now use to help individuals access justice and navigate challenging legal issues. I am passionate about my work in family law, particularly client coaching, case management, and advocating for clients.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I’ve received is to do for myself , what I advise others to do, and to do what’s right, even when it’s difficult. Because of this advice I use my position and experience to advocate for others every day. My involvement with the Arizona State Bar, prison rights advocacy, and the Arizona Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Network has reinforced the importance of service and meaningful impact. I’m inspired by my family’s legacy of helping others including my Mother who was the first Female, Jewish Superintendent in Peoria Unified school district and my brothers who are College Deans, Honored Attorneys, and Nationally Recognized Advocates in the LGBTQ community.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would tell young women that it’s never too late to go back to school or change careers or to pursue whatever it takes to achieve your dream. Anything worth achieving requires hard work and perseverance, and the pathway there is not always linear, and may involve detours along the way. Stay the course, remain committed to your goals and never stop fighting to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others and in your community along the way.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest personal challenges in my career has been developing myself in the fairly recent career transition while balancing personal responsibilities of motherhood and the care and eventual grief and honoring the loss of my incredible mentor and mother and Father in the past few years. At the same time, these experiences have strengthened my commitment to continue her legacy of helping others and creating meaningful opportunities to serve my community.
Professionally, my biggest challenge has been finding a home for my career development in the right Law Firm for me which took a lot of trial and error before landing at Moshier Law. I learned a lot about trusting the process during this journey and am proud to have never let fear of the unknown or negativity cause me to sacrifice my value and integrity simply for a paycheck. The right home is out there and I am glad that I overcame the hardships on the path to finding where I belong.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me are integrity, perseverance, family, service, and personal growth. Returning to school after a stable and comfortable career in mental health to completely shift gears to Law and finally earning my legal paraprofessional certification have taught me the importance of resilience, self confidence and determination. It also showed me that it takes a village and how lucky I am to have had support from my husband, children, friends, and family along the way so that I could be present for my family while continuing to grow professionally, serve others, and pursue my passions, including dance, theater, choir, painting, and supporting my children’s school activities.
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