Shawn grew up in the White Rock /South Surrey area and currently resides in Langley with his wife, Christine, and his young son, Timothy.  Shawn is a graduate of Semiahmoo Secondary School and a past director of the Alumni Association.  He attended the University of British Columbia and obtained his BA (in International Relations) in 1995.  Shawn then attended the University of Manitoba and obtained his law degree in 1998.   Following law school, he returned to White Rock to article with the law firm of Cleveland & Doan.  Shawn was called to the bar in British Columbia in May of 1999. He became a partner of the firm of Cleveland Doan LLP in 2006.

While at law school, Shawn was the recipient of the DM Thompson prize in Property Law, the Bowman prize in Evidence and the Samuel Hyman Memorial prize in Debtor & Creditor Rights.

Shawn practices primarily in the areas of wills and estates, condominium law and real estate law and has appeared as counsel in Provincial Court, Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal on a variety of matters.  Shawn frequently lectures on the subject of wills and estate planning for financial institutions and community organizations and edits the firm’s publication on Wills and Estate Planning. He is honourary legal counsel for the Pacific Condominium Association for whom he regularly writes and lectures.

Professionally, Shawn is a member of the Law Society of British Columbia, the Fraser Valley Estate Planning Council, the Canadian Bar Association Wills & Trusts and Real Property subsections and the Canadian Condominium Institute.   In his spare time Shawn loves to spend time in his garden (weather permitting of course). Shawn is involved in various church and community organizations.  He is very pleased to serve the community in which he has grown up.