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I knew that I wanted to become a lawyer at a young age.  I argued with my high school history teacher to persuade him to allow me to do my term paper on a constitutional law topic, which he claimed wasn't a true "history" topic.  I won that battle and my paper was ultimately published in The Concord Review.  Most importantly, that experience was the start of a great relationship with that teacher.  He is now retired and I am long out of high school, but we still run into each other around town from time to time.. Since realizing my childhood goal 19 years ago, I've grown and changed, both as a lawyer and as a person.  What I've realized is that the core of my practice - and the part I enjoy the most - is working with people to help them successfully solve problems or otherwise get through a difficult time in their lives or business.  I've truly enjoyed and valued the client relationships that I've built over the years, and I look forward to continuing and expanding those relationships into the future.. I am also very involved in my community and with my two children.  I served several years as President of my Church’s ladies’ guild, I served as a Board Member and Clerk of Longmeadow Baseball Association, and I was a Board Member and still am a regular member of Bon Vivants cooking club.  In addition, I've coached youth baseball, basketball and soccer.  I am very active in my children's schools, including serving as a room parent, field trip chaperone, lunch/recess monitor, and Editor-in-Chief for the school's annual Yearbook.. People ask me all the time - "how do you do it all?"  I usually reply somewhat tongue-in-cheek, "I don't sleep very much."  And although I am definitely tired most nights, I wouldn't change a thing!

Susan A. McCoy, partner with Cooley Shrair, manages our Estate Planning department. An Agawam native, Susan brings a diverse background of legal experience assisting clients with their personal and business planning.. She is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst (B.A., English) and the Western New England College School of Law (JD, 1996, cum laude). Susan received the American Jurisprudence Award in Torts in 1994, and was a member of the Law Review from 1994-1995.. Susan is a member of the National Association of Elder Law Attorneys, the Massachusetts Bar Association, the Hampden County Bar Association, Western Mass Eldercare Professionals Association and the Estate Planning Council of Hampden County. Susan was a 2010 recipient of BusinessWest’s “40 Under Forty” award and was recognized in 2012 as one of the top twenty-five “Women To Watch” by Western Massachusetts Woman’s Magazine.. Susan provides a broad spectrum of estate and trust planning services for our clients, ranging from simple plans for young families to more sophisticated estate tax plans and planning for children with special needs.. She also focuses her practice on meeting the needs of elders in our community, providing elder law planning for those preparing for the increasing costs of nursing home care, as well as assistance with Medicaid/MassHealth applications.. Representing small, closely-held businesses, Susan provides assistance with formation, financing, succession planning and general business needs.. In addition to assisting with planning needs, Susan also provides her clients with assistance in all matters of residential and commercial real estate, including purchases, sales and refinances.

Attorney Karolina Weagle joined Shatz Schwartz & Fentin, PC in 2022 and concentrates her practice on estate planning. Prior to joining Shatz, Schwartz & Fentin, PC, Attorney Weagle worked at a firm in Boston representing clients in litigation and criminal defense matters, and later returned to western Massachusetts where she practiced in the areas of real estate, estate planning, and estate administration . Originally from Southampton, Massachusetts, and now residing in Westfield, Attorney Weagle graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice and Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Westfield State University in 2015. Soon after, she enrolled at New England Law | Boston, where she graduated cum laude in 2018. While in law school, Attorney Weagle made the dean’s list every semester, was awarded the CALI Excellence for the Future Award in Property II in spring 2016, and earned the New England Scholar Award for 2015–2016.. Attorney Weagle is also fluent in Polish.