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In-House Experience

• NexCen Franchise Management, Inc. (served as Franchise Counsel to the franchisors of The Athlete’s Foot®, ShoeBox NewYork®, Marble Slab Creamery®, MaggieMoo’s Treatery®, Pretzel Time®, Pretzelmaker® and Great American Cookies®)
• Arthur Andersen, LLP (served as a Senior Legal Counsel to the mergers & acquisitions advisory, accounting and consulting divisions)

Large Firm Experience

• Kilpatrick Stockton, LLP
• Vedder, Price, Kaufman and Kammholz

Education

• University of North Carolina School of Law, J.D. with honors, 1996
• University of North Carolina, B.A. East Asian Studies, Magna Cum Laude, 1991
   
  Ms. Shipe specializes in franchise, licensing and distribution law.  She has experience in both private practice and as the in-house franchise counsel for a rapidly expanding multi-brand franchisor.  While in-house, she was responsible for developing and implementing systems and procedures to ensure compliance with franchise and business opportunities laws, and general risk management.  She has extensive experience in the preparation of franchise disclosure documents, franchise agreements and related documents.  She has managed numerous franchise and business opportunities registration programs for both seasoned and start-up franchise companies, and is well-versed on the franchise registration and exemption process in the United States. 
  
  Ms. Shipe also has extensive experience representing both in-bound foreign franchisors and franchisors seeking to expand their brands overseas.  She has prepared, reviewed and negotiated numerous master franchise documents for franchisors in a variety of foreign jurisdictions.  She also has developed general corporate contracts for the day-to-day operations of a franchise company, including product distribution, approved vendor relationships, marketing, licensing, leases, confidentiality, consulting, franchise broker and many others.  She has been in charge of the diligence process for several proposed franchise company acquisitions, and prepared, negotiated and reviewed documents related to the purchase and sale of franchise companies.  In addition, she has represented franchisors in a variety of franchisor-franchisee disputes, mediations and complex legal proceedings.  She has provided guidance on franchise advisory council relations. 
  
  Ms. Shipe also is an experienced mergers and acquisitions attorney.  She has prepared and negotiated asset purchase agreements, share exchange agreements and merger agreements.  She also has represented clients in public offerings, private placements and federal and state securities laws reporting requirements.  Ms Shipe has been involved in the preparation and negotiation of a broad range of commercial contracts, including promissory notes, security agreements, software implementation agreements, employment agreements, severance agreements, strategic alliance agreements, stock option plans and agreements and other entity formation documents.      
  
  Through her years of experience, Ms. Shipe has developed a results-oriented approach to the practice of law.  Through the use of plain English, user-friendly documents and practical guidance, she focuses on making legal processes as efficient as possible so that her clients are more able to focus on their bottom line.
  
  Ms. Shipe is a member of the American Bar Association (Forum on Franchising) and served on the ABA Forum on Franchising’s Diversity Committee in 2006-2007.  She also is a member of the Georgia Bar (Franchise Law Section).