Bethany G. Shechtel, Esq.
Practicing In Florida & Maryland
Biography
Bethany G. Shechtel is a native Washingtonian and grew up in Montgomery County, Maryland. Bethany is a graduate of Richard Montgomery High School, Towson University, College of Notre Dame of Maryland, and the University of the District of Columbia Law School.
Bethany comes to the legal profession with a strong background in education. Bethany worked for the better half of a decade as a teacher in both Baltimore City, Maryland, and Miami-Dade County, Florida, prior to entering law school.
Capitalizing on her experience and background in education, Bethany handles cases relating to family law, domestic violence, guardianship, juvenile, and special education matters.
Upon entering law school at NOVA Southeastern University Law School, Bethany was selected to be a member of the NOVA Trial Association, Vice-President of the International Law Student Association and an editor of the International Greenbook. Upon moving back to the Washington D.C. Metropolitan area and transferring to the University of the District of Columbia School of Law, Bethany graduated top in her class earning Summa Cum Laude. Bethany, through the Juvenile and Special Education Law Clinic at UDC, successfully worked for clients at Due Process Hearings and acted as an educational advocate in criminal sentencing hearings, due process hearings, parole revocation hearings, and has worked with school systems both public and private to ensure success for the individual student.
Bethany also served as a research assistant to both Professor Andrew Ferguson and Adrienne Jones* and was able to maintain a full academic course load while employed as a law clerk. Shortly after graduating from law school the American Bar Association published an article Bethany wrote on the use of neuroscience in juvenile criminal cases**.
Bethany is a member of the Maryland State Bar Association, Montgomery County Bar Association, Frederick County Bar Association, serves as a Board Member for the Simon E. Sobeloff Jewish Law Society and is active in the Montgomery County Women’s Bar Association.
* Bellin, Jeffrey and Ferguson, Andrew Guthrie, Trial by Google: Judicial Notice in the Information Age (September 26, 2013). Northwestern University Law Review, Vol. 108, p. 1137, 2014.
Jones, Adrienne. The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same: A Section 504 Examination of the Social Security Administration’s Use of 1993 Medical Criteria to Determine Disability in 2014. American University Journal of Gender Social Policy and Law 22, n. 3 (2014): 651-692.
** Shechtel, Bethany. Using Neuroscience in a Juvenile Criminal Case (August 2014). American Bar Association GPSolo eReport, Vol. 4, No. 1.
Honors and Awards
- Rated by SuperLawyers Maryland, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021
- Selected to SuperLawyers Rising Stars Maryland, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021
- "Top 10 Under 40 Attorney Award" for the state of Maryland, as chosen by the National Academy of Family Law Attorneys (NAFLA)
- Named as one of the "Best Family Lawyers in Washington DC" in 2020 by Expertise.com
- AV Preeminent Rated by Martindale-Hubbell, 2020
- "Legal Elite Awards 2020", as published by USBusiness-News.com
- American Institute of Family Law Attorneys, named Family Laws “10 Best Female Attorney” for Maryland 2017
- Avvo Client’s Choice Badge 2015
Licenses
- Admitted to the Maryland Bar, 2014
- Admitted to the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, 2015
- Admitted to the Florida Bar, 2017
Professional Training
- The National Center for Mediation Education - 40 hour Mediation Training, September 2019
- Family Law Section, Bar Association of Montgomery County - 16 hour Collaborative Practice Training, April 2020
Education
- University of the District of Columbia, David A. Clarke School of Law, Juris Doctor, Summa Cum Laude, 2014
- Nova Southeastern University, Shepard Broad Law Center, Nova Trial Association, 2012
- Notre Dame of Maryland University, Education Certification, 2007
- Towson University, University System of Maryland, Bachelor of Science, Dual Major in Political Science and Electronic Media and Film, 2005
Professional Associations and Memberships
- Maryland State Bar Association
- Montgomery County Bar Association
- Sobeloff Jewish Law Society, Executive Board Member, 2017-Present
- Montgomery County Women's Bar Association, Executive Committee Liaison, 2017-Present
- Montgomery County Bar Association, Family Law Section
- Frederick County Bar Association
- Inns of Court Associate, 2016-2017
Publications
- Shechtel, Bethany. Using Neuroscience in a Juvenile Criminal Case (August 2014). American Bar Association GPSolo eReport, Vol. 4, No. 1.
- Shechtel, Bethany. The Practitioner’s Guide to Special Education Law: Using Special Education Advocacy in the District of Columbia for Young Adults in the Criminal System, (2014).
- Shechtel, Bethany. Determining Your Own Outcome: The Benefits of Mediation in Maryland Child Custody Cases, (2014).
Research Assistant
- Bellin, Jeffrey and Ferguson, Andrew Guthrie, Trial by Google: Judicial Notice in the Information Age (September 26, 2013). Northwestern University Law Review, Vol. 108, p. 1137, 2014.Northwestern University Law Review, Vol. 108, p. 1137, 2014.
- Jones, Adrienne. The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same: A Section 504 Examination of the Social Security Administration’s Use of 1993 Medical Criteria to Determine Disability in 2014. American University Journal of Gender Social Policy and Law 22, n. 3 (2014): 651-692.
Lectures
February 20, 2018: Protective/Peace Orders and Their Possible Impact to Consider in Family, Immigration, and Criminal Proceedings. Bar Association for Montgomery County, Maryland. Lecturers; Honorable John C. Moffett, District Court of Maryland for Montgomery County; Marc Emden, Esq. of EmdenLaw; Bethany Shechtel, Esq. of Shechtel & Shechtel, P.A.; Adriana Ruiz Robinson, Esq. of Maggio Kattar Nahajzer + Alexander, PC.
Memberships
