Sandy Shepard Email & Phone Number

San Rafael, Ca, Us

We work as outsource general counsel, providing legal and business consulting to entrepreneurs, small businesses, and legal departments with work falling off their desk. Specialties in Contracts, Licensing, SaaS. One of our trademarks is SWATlaw(R) -- We get in, get it done, get out -- You get the glory. :-) There are a few dozen testimonials at our website goodsolutions.com that are not included below, but this page is the most updated otherwise.We leverage our decades of work acting as general counsel to your advantage. We have the ability to call on top-notch litigators, human resources attorneys, tax attorneys, privacy attorneys, estate/probate attorneys, real estate attorneys and the like, getting you *exactly* the help you need. Our "archipelago" of attorneys gives you reach to pin-point specialists for both your personal and business law needs.

Established and led legal department of up to four, for privately held, fast-paced, software development and e-commerce company. Drafted and implemented standard form agreements and procedures, including licensing / ASP / SaaS / affiliate agreements; security and privacy policies; pricing model; intellectual property protection; procurement; employee handbook; outside counsel guidelines; agreements with customers, vendors, partners and contractors. Negotiated, drafted and/or reviewed all agreements. Maintained composure in time- and resource-critical situations, balancing priorities while maintaining a sense of humor and perspective. Counseled officers, VPs, division general managers and personnel regarding business and legal arrangements; conducted proactive seminars. Established negotiation strategies to enhance profitability of results while complying with legalities. Reviewed development tools, software products, websites, PR materials, advertising, marketing, and sales collateral (online and traditional distribution). Managed all litigation and general corporate matters, including M&A due diligence. Management and oversight for worldwide trademark, patent, copyright, URL, and contract databases, research, filing, and litigation. Maintained all corporate records including preparation of shareholder and directors’ resolutions, minutes, and annual state filings. Oversaw HR issues (e.g., terminations, RIF procedures, harassment) and revenue recognition issues. Assisted in drafting company’s S-1 and PPMs. Audited/obtained concessions on outside counsel bills; decreased reliance by taking work in-house. Supervised legal aspects of financing rounds. GoodHome started as a spin-off from Mattel with 25 employees and acquired companies such as Furniture By Design and FurnitureFind, increasing employee count to 250. It changed its name to Scene7, then the day before the company went public, the market crashed. Company acquired by Adobe.

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Structured, drafted and negotiated hundreds of small to multi-million dollar multi-party deals, including: software license and development agreements (with and without revenue sharing), service agreements, affiliate program, strategic partner agreements, distribution agreements for retail, OEM and educational networked solutions, confidentiality agreements (NDA, beta testing, etc.), consulting/work-for-hire, web wraps, hyperlinks. Negotiated with brands such as Tom Clancy, Doonesbury, Stephen King, American Greetings, National Geographic, Beatrix Potter, Men In Black, RKO Pictures, Marvel, and Quicken. Carried out or supervised legal work for international divisions. Worked cross-functionally with marketing, PR, Q/A, tech support, product development, sales and operations to develop and implement policies and business strategies. Provided training to sales teams. Advised traditional and on-line advertising and PR departments, screened all websites, sweepstakes/contests and product/marketing materials. Troubleshot intellectual property issues in software/games and tools, licensed or acquired content (traditional and on-line rights), and liaised with developers. Separated wheat from chaff, juggling time demands to meet deadlines and walk-in crises. Interfaced with S.A.G. and W.G.A. Supervised trademark and copyright registration/clearance. Minimized outside counsel use and stressed preventative law by developing standardized documents and procedures; overhauled all agreements and processes. Encouraged utilization of in-house Legal by being responsive to all levels of the company. Handled litigation management including collections. Managed or carried out due diligence/other functions in acquisitions, including first Pearson PLC's and then The Learning Company’s acquisition of Mindscape and Broderbund, as well as Mattel’s acquisition of TLC ($4.2 billion - under Kevin O'Leary a/k/a "Mr. Wonderful" on Shark Tank). “Spun out” from Mattel to head Legal at Goodhome.com.

See above description under Mattel for actual work experience. Timeline:1. Started working for Software Toolworks, which acquired Mindscape then changed its name.2. Mindscape acquired companies such as Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI), Palladium, Broderbund, the Total 3D division of Autodesk, Genealogy.com, and a number of other software/internet/games companies.3. Mindscape was purchased by Pearson PLC (which also owned Penguin Books, Financial Times, etc.)4. Pearson PLC purchased The Learning Company.5. The Learning Company bought itself back private.6. The Learning Company was acquired by Mattel.7. Mattel ultimately spun software divisions back out, to receive more "bang for its buck," remaining a shareholder. Spin-outs included Genealogy.com, and GoodHome (the Total 3D Home products) for which I became General Counsel.

Founded Multi-Media Focus Group. Drafted briefs, documents, and letters on issues including state/federal taxation, intellectual property protection, property law, trusts & estates. Formed California partnerships, for-/non-profit corporations, and foundations. Negotiated land sales for Bank client, including semiconductor build-to-suit with environmental indemnities & offshore guaranties; housing development; Union Square billboard lease. Analyzed archaeological/Native American issues for casino project.

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Thelen, Marrin, Johnson & Bridges became Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner.

San Francisco, Ca, Us

Initiated and executed first internship in Business Affairs. Reviewed and documented worldwide film, sound, and video element distribution for all Lucasfilm movies and George Lucas student films. Wrote reference compendium of technical film, sound, and video terms for use in negotiations. Interfaced with studios, licensees, and industry executives worldwide.

Marketed, arranged media engagements and secured endorsements for Olympians. Coordinated their schedules for promotional tours and athletic events. Organized and executed A.I.'s portion of 1989 White House Easter Egg Roll for President and Mrs. Bush. Left to pursue Marine Corps career prior to California relocation.

New York, Ny, Us

learned to type 120 wpm accurately to send buy/sell orders to the Floor by wire - wow doesn't THAT seem like a long time ago!?

This is Shepard's passive income company. Recently, Sandy wrote a book that hit #1 in its category on Amazon at Christmas. On the surface, the book "Passive Income 101: a story of paying for college without selling your soul" is geared towards teens and twenty-somethings, but it's as important—if not more important—for their parents. Using a parable style reminiscent of Og Mandino, the reader is introduced to concepts that are not generally addressed by our school system. Shepard's third book, after her acclaimed "Fempowerment" book series.PS: The date on this is just to see if you're paying attention. No, actually, it's because LinkedIn won't let you "order" your experience in anything other than chronological fashion. So I had to fudge the dates to float this below the legal work.

Menlo Park, Ca, Us

Obtained, maintained, cold called/pitched, developed and expanded law firm and corporate legal department clients in the San Francisco Bay Area. Recruited high caliber legal talent (attorneys, paralegals, law clerks). Developed strategy and drafted agreements for, pitched, and obtained high-level national accounts. Highest gross margin obtained for company in S.F./Project Professionals division. Summarized candidate strengths and weaknesses to share with and market to hiring decision makers and potential clients. Navigated and managed complex internal database systems to manage existing candidate and client pool.PS: The date on this is just to see if you're paying attention. No, actually, it's because LinkedIn won't let you "order" your experience in anything other than chronological fashion. So I had to fudge the dates to float this below the legal work. (I really worked here 2006-2007)

Parsippany, New Jersey, Us

Marin area real estate - SRES (Senior Real Estate Specialist) - specializing in issues related to 50+ year old home buyer/sellers. I did this for just long enough to know that when I invest in investment real estate, I hire someone who LOVES doing this. I hated it. ;-)PS: The date on this is just to see if you're paying attention. No, actually, it's because LinkedIn won't let you "order" your experience in anything other than chronological fashion. So I had to fudge the dates to float this below the legal work.

Double Oh! Productions uses the Bond Girl (from the ever-popular James Bond films and books) as a paradigm to help women coax out their Authentic Selves.Books: Fempowerment: A Guide to Unleashing Your Inner Bond Girl & The Fempowerment Playbookvisit us at fempowerment.com -- coaching, podcasting, articles and more!PS: The date on this is just to see if you're paying attention. No, actually, it's because LinkedIn won't let you "order" your experience in anything other than chronological fashion. So I had to fudge the dates to float this below the legal work.

Juris Doctor (J.D.) Cum Laude, Intellectual Property, Art Law, Copyright, Tax, Admiralty

Masters Of Science In Nutrition And Human Performance, Human Nutrition

M.A., International Affairs

B.A., Economics

Economics, Computer Sciences

Associate, Sex Education, Sexology

Education record