Ann Shy
Attorney, Mediator, Conflict Consultant
My background in law, dispute resolution, health policy, and philosophy puts essential tools in clients' hands to navigate sensitive quality-of-life conflicts with legally binding results. Entering law school in my early 40's gave me a depth of understanding about justice and the law that is less likely in recent college graduates. Having been through a divorce that included attorneys and mediation, and continuing to co-parent two sons with my prior husband, informs my approach to client integrity. As a consumer of legal services, I encountered attorney attitudes, attorney fees, and attorney communications that sometimes brought relief and sometimes brought greater distress under already stressful circumstances. I aspire to serve others using the same high standards that I expected when I was a client.
My style is client-centered. I deliver firm, direct advice to clients based on a thorough understanding of their needs, wants, and expectations. I achieve this understanding through the unconventional business practice of not billing for reading/listening to/responding to emails and phone messages from clients. I believe information is power, and therefore must reject the billable hour when it limits the flow of information between me and my clients.
Prior to becoming a lawyer, I worked in public health in Research Triangle Park, NC, on projects funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and the World Bank. Projects included bioterrorism education, breast cancer research, Hepatitis vaccine promotion, and international consulting in emergency risk communication. I earned my Juris Doctor at North Carolina Central University School of Law and an Advanced Certificate in Dispute Resolution at the School of Law's Dispute Resolution Institute. I earned my Executive Master's at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's School of Public Health in Health Policy and Administration. I earned by Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy at Boston College, graduating magna cum laude.