Trailblazing Her Way: Law Alumna Michelle Handelsman

A Bruin’s journey from Belmont Law to building her own practice

Alumna Michelle “Shellie” Handelsman (‘14) originally moved to Nashville to pursue a music career, but ultimately shifted her focus to something other than vocal performance. She boldly explored new paths, auditing classes to discover her next calling. It was a business law course at Belmont University that struck a chord within her, so the Pittsburgh native decided to go to law school.  

At the time, Belmont held interest sessions for the inaugural class of the first new law school to open in Middle Tennessee in nearly 100 years. Belmont Law assured tenacious and inquisitive prospective students that it would earn accreditation and do everything necessary to become a reputable name in Music City’s community of legal professionals. With courage and an open mind, Handelsman hedged her bets on Belmont’s fledgling law program. 

“One of the biggest things that I did was network,” Handelsman recalls. She attended every Bar Association event she could and proactively reached out to make new professional connections. Her tenacity paid off — most of her work now comes from referrals from that early networking. 

From moving to Nashville to enrolling in Belmont’s College of Law, Handelsman’s career journey has been marked by brave, pioneering choices that have led to success and purpose.  

After graduating, she struggled to find her place at local firms, so Handelsman decided to take her career into her own hands. "I couldn't find what I wanted. So, I created it," she said. 

Today, she successfully owns and operates Handelsman Law where she practices in the areas of estate planning, probate, conservatorship law, entertainment and sports law, intellectual property law (copyright and trademark) and business law. 

Now, over four years into her entrepreneurial journey, Handelsman has no regrets. "It's been the best decision I've ever made,” she said. “I love the work I do. I actually feel like I'm helping people." 

Using the networking skills she fine-tuned as a law student and embracing a persistent spirit has supported Handelsman well in other aspects of her career. 

In 2022, she was elected president of the Lawyers' Association for Women (LAW) Marion Griffin Chapter, an organization she first connected with as a Belmont law student. 

“LAW is one of the biggest things that has had an impact on me,” Handelsman said. “The very first LAW meeting I went to was an LAW continuing education luncheon that one of my Belmont Law classmates invited me to attend with her. After passing the bar, I became involved on LAW’s board. LAW has been so beneficial to me, both professionally and personally.” 

Under her leadership, LAW formed a new nonprofit foundation to provide scholarships and grants supporting the group's mission of empowering women and minority legal professionals. 

Belmont Law’s inaugural class will host a ten-year reunion in September, and Handelsman is taking an active role as a co-organizer for a new alumni council and reunion events. Her pioneering spirit, fueled by the grit she developed as part of Belmont's first law school class, remains strong. 

"I think a lot of my classmates had to figure out a way to trailblaze on their own," she said of her peers. “A lot of us have our own businesses now or are partners or have found other ways to succeed because we had to.” 

Belmont Law has become a respected name in Nashville’s competitive legal community, thanks largely to the tenacity and dedication of members in its early cohorts.