Jodi Shields Yin

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Occasionally Jodi Shields Yin just offers comforting words as she and her client walk to the courthouse, where they’ll be seeking an order to keep the client and/or children safe.

Yin, who concentrates in family law, says her background helps her tremendously in these situations. Post-college, she volunteered for Teach for America in Louisiana for two years, and then worked at a battered women’s shelter in Kentucky for two years as a court advocate and outreach educator.

These days, she says: “We help people through some extremely difficult and heart-wrenching circumstances. I like being able to help them through those challenging times. I find it really fulfilling, and I think I’ll be doing it for a long time to come.”

She came to Madison because her husband, Eric Yin, had been accepted to law school at the University of Wisconsin. He now works for the University of Wisconsin Foundation, and is currently participating in JAG Officer Training for the National Guard. They have two children.

What is your favorite U.S. Supreme Court opinion?

DeShaney v. Winnebago County Dept. of Social Services.

What was the worst U.S. Supreme Court opinion?

DeShaney v. Winnebago County Dept. of Social Services.

What trait do you most like in others?

Positive motivation.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Spending time at my family’s one-room cabin in the Middle-of-Nowhere, Colo.

Who is your favorite writer?

Zora Neale Hurston.

What can you spend hours doing that’s not law-related?

Biking with my children.

What was your favorite toy as a child?

Strawberry Shortcake.

If you could be a superhero, who would you be?

Wonder Woman.

How many countries have you visited? Which ones?

Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Africa, Mexico, Canada, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, England, Switzerland, Austria, Norway, Belgium and Kentucky — my home state, a unique place.

What are you craving right now?

Sleep.