Donna Marie Medina

Overview Donna Medina concentrates her legal practice on domestic relations, drawing from nearly 35 years of experience in civil litigation focusing on divorce, child custody, adoption and guardianships of both children and vulnerable adults. Representing both men and women in high-asset divorce and complex family disputes, Donna helps resolve matters involving spousal support, property and asset division, child custody and support, parenting time, changes of domicile and school district, and other issues involving the best interests of children. Understanding how divorce changes lives forever, she guides her clients through the separation and divorce process with the least amount of animosity and acrimony possible, involving psychologists and social workers, accountants, financial advisors, and mediators when appropriate. Donna also counsels clients on private adoptions and guardianships, appearing in court on behalf of parents and children when conflicts arise. She is one of few Michigan attorneys with extensive experience in contested direct placement adoptions and has represented many adoptive families and birth mothers in their efforts to terminate the parental rights of putative fathers under the adoption code. In 2019, after three years of litigation, the Michigan Supreme Court reversed trial court orders in four related cases, thus allowing Donnas clients to finalize adoptions of two children in placement since birth. These decisions strengthened the rights of adoptees over those putative fathers who had neither established a relationship with nor supported their child. The decisions made it clear that adoptions must take precedence over other types of family court cases. Family disputes require patience and perspective, and Donna assesses situations from all angles to achieve both current and long-range outcomes, listening to the clients immediate needs while crafting positive, sustainable solutions. When a marriage relationship deteriorates to the point where courtroom litigation is the only viable option, Donna works tirelessly to include the client in all facets of case preparation and decision making. Donna received a bachelors degree in business administration, summa cum laude, from Wayne State University, but opted to pursue a career in law after recognizing that her true passion was to help families whose lives were affected by unforeseen challenges, particularly those involving children. She attended Wayne State University Law School in the evening while working full-time as a paralegal. Donnas dedication to her clients is matched only by her commitment to the important causes she supports. She has volunteered as an attorney at Turning Point, an organization committed to improving the lives of domestic violence and sexual assault survivors, and she has also served on the Board of Directors of both Community Treatment Centers in Detroit, an organization that assists recently released prisoners transition back to society, and Project Rehab, which helps persons afflicted by alcoholism and substance abuse issues in the Grand Rapids area. Donna also volunteers her services with the Wayne County Child Support Help Program sponsored by the Booth Legal Aid Clinic. A certified family law mediator, Donna volunteers her services at the Wayne County Dispute Resolution Center. She is also an active member of the State Bar of Michigans Litigation and Family Law Sections and the Adoption Subcommittee, the American Bar Association, the Oakland County Bar Association, and the Oakland County Boat Club, for which she served as one of its few female Commodores. Professional Affiliations State Bar of Michigan Family Law Section, Adoption Subcommittee Litigation Section Oakland County Bar Association American Inns of Court American Bar Association Wayne County Family Dispute Resolution Center Wayne State University Alumni Association Community/Civic Activities Morning Star Adoption Center Member, Board of Directors Booth Legal Aid Clinic Turning Point Volunteer Attorney Project Rehab Past Board of Directors Member Community Treatment Center (Detroit) Past Board of Directors Member Oakland County Boat Club Commodore (2007-2009) Honors & Awards Michigan Lawyers Weekly Women in the Law (2015) Admissions Michigan 1991 News & Insights WWRP Names New Partners and Associates - 2011March 20, 2011 Practices › Practices Business and Commercial Family Law and Adoption Litigation Probate Litigation Education › Education Wayne State University Law School, Juris Doctor, 1990 Wayne State University Law School, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Accounting, summa cum laude, 1986 First Place National Scholarship and Michigan Academic Awards, American Society of Woman Accountants Kappa Gamma Sigma Honor Society National Gold Key Honor Society