|
Here is a collection of selected quotes from our clients. We let you
draw your own conclusions...
We had no idea how much we
needed representation and sound advise until Sandy's value-packed
teleclass on Intellectual Property! It was then we understood that
despite our genuine desire to inspire others, every time we published our
e-newsletter we were unwittingly infringing upon someone else's property
rights! Yikes...As life coaches committed to integrity and honesty,
what we didn't know took us off course in big ways - and that matters in
ways that have little to do with 'business' and everything to do with
living right.
And, given that we were about to write our first book (and launch our own
program) it also meant there were a whole lot of things we didn't know we
needed to, to make smart, informed decisions in our business going
forward. Because of experiencing Sandy through the teleclass, we
knew we were going to get great advice. It was clear right from the
start how expansive Sandy's knowledge and expertise is - and how 'big
firm' Good Solutions feels to us 'small firm' folks. What we didn't
expect is how she'd deliver that advice.
In short, she is the antithesis of every bad lawyer joke there is while
being as brilliantly on the mark as they come. Sandy puts the heart
- and soul - back where it belongs: into the law. We're thrilled to
have her, and Good Solutions, as part of our business team.
Lissa Bergin-Boles & Randy Boles, Soul
Fulfilled
Sandy Shepard IS an Expression of Excellence! What a treat to find an attorney who is smart, experienced, fun to work with and knows our world of professional speakers. Working with Sandy has been a joy: she gets what we do, works well with talent, and makes the scary and foreboding legalese accessible and surmountable for us laypeople. I recommend her to all my speaking colleagues navigating trademarks, service marks, contracts, incorporation, copyright issues and more.
—Craig Harrison, Founder/President, Expressions of Excellence!
Working with Good Solutions has been a very refreshing experience. During my 35 years experience with small to midsized engineering firms, I've never had a corporate attorney so quick to effectively (legally and cost-wise) respond to a variety of specific issues. My present firm, PSI, is the world's leading slurry pipeline engineering practitioner. We are fast-growing and have projects and offices around the globe. Our legal requirements are often complex, but the advice and the documents Sandy has provided or reviewed are concise and very focused on and tailored to the peculiar nature of our company...and always include the proper dash of the practical rather than unnecessary boilerplate legalese. Sandy, you are truly a "common sense" attorney and I appreciate it. It makes my job immensely easier and I especially like that you are fun to work with, too!
—Bill Wadsworth, CFO, Pipeline Systems Incorporated
(PSI)
Sandy, you've been invaluable in guiding us through the legal maze for this new startup. I've worked with two other legal groups on two other startups and you've been more efficient, more informative, more cost effective and just plain fun to work with. Thanks for making this seem effortless.
—Ron Person, President, Tor Consulting, Inc. After ten years of retaining a "top-tier" intellectual property attorney (and paying top-tier fees), we realized we were getting second-class service. On a trademark registration issue that our fancy lawyer had bungled, Sandy swooped in, untangled the knot, and put our trademark house in order. All for a fraction of what we had been paying. She has a unique ability to see the forest through the trees, come up with creative solutions, and get the job done with the least muss and fuss. We feel lucky to have found her. Woof! (Barking praise)
Wilson the Pug with Nancy Levine, authors, The Tao of Pug and Homer for the Holidays When starting our company, we were a bit overwhelmed with all the legal issues that needed to be addressed. We were able to glean some of the basics from books, but quickly realized that we had to find a knowledgeable attorney to advise and assist us. After our first phone conversation, we felt confident that we'd found the perfect adviser. Right from the start, we felt extremely pleased to have Sandy on our team. She is not only a skilled and knowledgeable attorney, but very personable, and easy to work with. On a number of occasions, she has gone out of her way to answer our questions, seemingly in record time. It's certainly nice to know that Good Solutions is there, whenever legal issues arise. We can always count on a prompt and informed response.
Scott Prentice, President, Leximation, Inc. We're a leadership development organization. For well over 10 years we've been consulting and coaching in organizations and signing whatever contract our clients' legal departments handed us. Not anymore! Sandy opened my eyes to what I was giving away by not having contracts that protected us and our intellectual property. Thank goodness I found her. Oh, and just in case you thought working with an attorney might be difficult, time consuming, or a hassle. Wrong! Sandy's a dream to work with. My company is in great hands with her.
Denise Brouillette, President, The
Innovative Edge I met Sandy three years ago and was immediately impressed with her willingness to share information and be of service to others. We were at a meeting of business consultants, a very competitive group, but Sandy seemed to be there to help, not to sell her services. I have since used Sandy to trademark a business of mine, and have referred her to several other business colleagues who have also used her services in a similar way, with great satisfaction. She will handle all of my business legal needs from now on. Sandy is reliable, responsive, extremely knowledgeable and has her clients' best interests at heart, rather than her bank account. It's almost as if she wasn't a lawyer!
Jeff Rubin, Editor/Owner, Put it in
Writing, newsletter publishers I emailed Sandy out of the blue since good solutions seemed well-suited to the needs of a start-up consulting practice. Within moments, I knew I had found my ideal counsel. Right from the start, Sandy provided the practical yet astute guidance I needed to get my business started on a sound footing, and within 48 hours, my S-corporation was established and my trademark application was on file at the USPTO. Now that’s service! Sandy is a pleasure to work with, and her philosophy of involving her clients in the work leads to a better, more cost-effective result. I feel very fortunate to have found Sandy and to have good solutions on my team.
—David Epstein, President, Strategic Ally, Inc. As an artist and a life coach, Sandy’s knowledge and personality have been invaluable. She breaks down the tough topics, the laws, the contracts, the tiny type, the nuances, etc. and makes them all accessible and digestible in a friendly and personable way that allows me to make a safe, solid, informed decision. I never realized how much I didn’t know about copyrights, trademarks, infringements, contracts, agreements, wording, etc. and how problematic that could be. Anyone who writes anything or creates anything or signs a contract of any kind would be wise to seek Sandy’s counsel.
—Shendl Diamond, LikeMinds Press I didn't even know that I would need an attorney for a contractual agreement between my employer and myself. I am an artist, and don't usually think about the contractual aspects of my work. Imagine my shock when I discovered that there were all kinds of things within the contract that I was given that didn't make (legal) sense. Not only that, the initial contract didn't specify important elements, such as my job description, and termination policies. Sandy made sure that I was compensated fairly, and that my rights were protected. She even protected rights I didn't think that I had -- and suggested things (that I was ultimately granted) that I wouldn't have even contemplated! She also advised me on how to "speak" to my employers during this stressful time, and showed me how to keep the peace, while still asking for what I rightly deserved. Sandy delivered a contract that made me feel safe, and did so in an amazingly timely fashion. As a result, my employer and I both signed the revised agreement, and I am now off and running with my new project.
—Caitlin Gray, Director, SoHo Dance Kids
As an independent contractor, I value the advice and counsel Sandy has provided me while getting my business off the ground. Her experience, skill and understanding of contracts and the business negotiation process has been invaluable to me in providing the confidence to embrace starting my own practice, as well as providing me with the knowledge I was on sound legal footing going forth. I can definitely recommend Sandy's services as both attorney and legal coach to other independent contractors looking for advice and support. She is pleasant to deal with and untangles the jungle that legalese can sometimes be. Thanks Sandy!
—Marlin Gardner, Owner, MPG Technical Services
Sandy is a terrific resource for small businesses. She's fast and efficient, and has the rare ability to work well with our clients, as an extension of our team. She does a fantastic job of helping and often leading contract negotiations, representing our company with the highest levels of professionalism and customer service.
—Charles Ogden, President, Antics Online, Inc.
Sandy helped me incorporate a consulting business
after I'd operated it for ten years as a sole proprietorship. Before I
contacted Sandy, as I sought referrals for good lawyers, a friend
described her as a "renaissance lawyer." I knew she was in all
likelihood the one for me. Sandy was great to work with, and helped me
make the business conversion in what seemed like record time. She quickly
and effectively clarified decisions that I needed to make, and offered
clear directions, explanations, and good humor throughout what could have
been a very confusing process. She even recommended me to CPAs to help
build and move my business forward correctly as a corporate entity —
who gave me quite a bit of free time and
strategic suggestions, just because I was Sandy's client. I highly
recommend her to others, and will work with her again.
—Jan Richards, J.G. Richards,
Inc.
Our company was very happy
with our previous law firm. They were professional, responded timely to
our needs, and were well versed in law. So I was hesitant to even meet
with Sandy at good solutions. Once I did meet with her, I
knew within ten minutes that she was the ideal attorney for our e-commerce
software company. Sandy's breadth of knowledge in our industry, combined
with her firm grasp of the law and 'heads up' business sense, made her
instantly indispensable to our organization. I wish I could go into more
detail about the tremendous value proposition Sandy and good
solutions brings to the table.
—Shane Campbell, CFO, MarketLive
We
started c.me studios running, complete with a big client that
needed things done yesterday. To meet the demands, we knew that
forming an LLC was mandatory, and that numerous contracts needed to be
completed in record time. Lucky for us, we found good solutions.
good solutions is
as passionate about our success as we are. Equally important,
good solutions is
sensitive to our time and monetary constraints, and custom tailor their
services accordingly. Their team is a critical component of our future
growth.
—Jonathan
Freel & Mikkel Clark, Founders, c.me
studios
Thanks Sandy! I can't believe
how efficiently things get done now that you are my legal representative.
I used to dread 'Lawyer Time' and contract negotiation as this incredibly
long and expensive process. Now it's quick and painless, thanks to you.
Your efficiency, knowledge, and dedication blow away the best high-priced
entertainment and corporate lawyers.
—David Delaski, Principal, Ball of Waxx
LLC
For years I had put off
registering our trademark, because it was so dang expensive! But when I
overheard Sandy tell how she works with clients to save them money on this
process, I said, "When do we get started?"
When I brought Sandy
in to talk with a group of my clients about registering their trademarks,
two of them discovered that their company names were already registered by
larger companies! After the panic subsided, both of them worked with her
to come up with new names and register them right away. It was a matter of
paying some money now or a lot more later. For example, one of these companies was about ready to do $10,000
worth of printing using the old (infringing) name!
—Mike Van Horn, President, The Business Group
Sandy provides our Non-Profit with very clear and
welcome service. Our bylaws were outmoded and did not speak to the
organization we had become, likewise the Standing Rules. In quick order,
Sandy re-wrote them and made sure each Board Member had an opportunity to
take part in the decision making process. We had need for a contract for a
new artist and Sandy provided one that exactly fit the bill very quickly.
An annual pledge form was needed to be created for the members of the
Board. It took a great deal of negotiation and diplomacy to finalize the
document, but Sandy stood the test and did not quit the project, and the
end result was approved by all 16 members of our Board. We are very
pleased to have discovered the skills and experience of Sandy Shepard and
good
solutions.
—Surrey Blackburn, Executive Director, Angel Island Association
Sandy Shepard has been more help
than we could have hoped for. We called
good solutions simply because we liked the very friendly nature
of her website (and, of course she did offer the legal advice we were
looking for). We hoped our interaction with her would match what her
website said she offered. We could not have been more pleased. It
was a pleasure to meet someone who in her heart truly wants the best not
only for her clients but for all of humanity. This was special to find. We
not only are grateful for her help, but are happy to have her in our
lives.
—Barbara Tovey and Alan Sheets, New Equations
Sandy came in to work as our General Counsel, and almost
immediately became an indispensable resource. She was friendly, gave us
advice we could actually comprehend, and didn't hide the ball. She helped us
understand the potential risks of each deal, without making us feel stupid about
what we didn't know. Her turnaround was so fast as to be almost beyond
belief. Part of this was due to the fact that she has been doing this for
a decade. She knows the ropes and helped us understand the best position
for us, and to explain where the other side was coming from. She not
only taught us to be able to recognize issues ourselves, but showed us how we
could become more efficient in the process. She even cleaned up historical
issues left from our high priced law firms — from renegotiating old contracts
to straightening out copyright, trademark, and URL issues, and otherwise
cleaning up things we didn't even know were a mess!
—Steve Antisdel, President & CEO, Furniturefind
Corporation
Sandy is amazingly generous with her time—unheard of with a lawyer of her caliber. She's
always responded to my questions within 24 hours, and she puts a human
face on the law. How many attorneys do you know who've been in the Marines
and are also licensed massage therapists? Not only is Sandy fun to work
with, she's open to exchanging services, which means I can afford to get
the help I need as an independent contractor.
—Sallie Goetsch, The
FileSlinger
good solutions has been exactly that for our company.
Sandy’s in-depth industry knowledge, years of experience and wide range of
industry contacts has helped our company come up with good solutions to many
critical business issues. Sandy’s great enthusiasm for protecting her
clients, her personal attention pressing issues and her “get it done”
attitude make her an indispensable asset to our company. From complex contract
negotiations to general legal counsel, we have never hesitated in giving good
solutions our full confidence and we have never been disappointed with the
results.
—Hugh E. Cherry II, CEO, TransferMagic
What makes good solutions stand out is how Sandy makes the
connection between business strategy and legal issues. Rather than
getting just a legal opinion, you get a sounding board for how to develop
a great business strategy that minimizes legal risk. I
have been working with Sandy during her Mindscape days and now
as an entrepreneur involved in business acquisitions. For many
years, I've respected and valued her input on my marketing programs
at Mindscape and now more than ever on my current acquisition contracts
and corporate structure.
—Mark Schmidt, President, Forest Investment Group, Inc.
Lawyers (at least from my
experience) are seldom innovative, cutting edge or mission-driven! And
even more rarely smart as well.
—Lotta Alsén, Creative Futures
I’ve had the pleasure of working
with Sandy for more than 10 years. She’s consistently done an outstanding
job for me, for my firm and for the friends and colleagues I’ve referred to
her. As a lawyer and a business executive, I am exceptionally impressed
with her legal knowledge and keen intelligence, her uncanny talent to quickly
get to the heart of the matter, to transform problems into opportunities, assess
alternatives, and craft simple yet elegant solutions. She works
effectively, efficiently, creatively and hard, always with an upbeat attitude.
Sandy made major contributions to my firm, helping us generate new business and
clients, and helped set us on the path that lead us to launch our FreeAdvice.com,
DoItYourself.com, ExpertPages.com
and AttorneyPages.com sites. It is
your good fortune that Sandy started good solutions, despite my
entreaties that she work for us full time.
—Gerry H. Goldsholle,
Founder & CEO, Advice
Company;
President & CEO, MetLife Marketing Corporation (retired)
Sandy Shepard of good solutions
is a business owner’s ideal attorney. She has helped me create
friendly, yet legally sound documents for use with my clients and other
business associates. She did not simply take my instructions; she
looked from a whole business perspective to see what would benefit the
long-term outcome. Sandy is easy to work with and very responsive
when quick answers are needed. I'm thrilled that I found her!
—Kathryn Maxwell, President & CEO, Maxwell Money
Management
Sandy's great! We made the best decision to hire
her as our attorney. Our business is all copyrights and licensing and we
needed to have someone like her who is on top of the latest whatever. She
is knowledgeable in our area and great at what she does! Our last attorney
experience was a bit too SNOOTY and with excess attitude but that was due
to the fact that we had to work with a law firm in the city and our
attorney was attached to or shall we say married to a HOLLYWOOD big wig
— which didn't help us at all! I highly
recommend hiring good solutions as your attorney..
—Seb Jarakian, Owner, Musync
Sandy helped me overcome my
fear and loathing of attorneys by giving me 100% honest and practical
legal advice. Her counsel saved me at least one day of my time and
nearly guaranteed my first trademark application would be accepted.
And she did it in thirty minutes flat. My assistant was able to do
80% of the trademark process based on Sandy's explicit game plan. Now, my
tagline and new book title is protected. My advice: If you
have legal questions, call
good solutions first!
—Eve Abbott, Organizer Extraordinaire
Sandy was more than a Good Solution —
she was the only Solution. Because of an
informative presentation Sandy gave to our Business Group meeting,
I discovered to my horror that I might be considered to be a
trademark infringer! But
because of perfect timing and Sandy's help,
I saved thousands of dollars.
I was just re-printing my stationery, labels, etc. with a new address . . .
so I was very grateful
— once I got over
needing to change the name I had been using on my company for years.
(The State certainly had allowed me to register in that name
— but they don't
tell you if you are stepping on a Federal Trademark!) Not to
mention, of course, the potential costs if I had been sued!
Sandy went beyond the call of duty,
getting a new name registered outside
of normal office hours, and also
helping me with business strategy. She was concerned,
diligent and got the job done
quickly for a reasonable fee. Sandy is definitely a Good Solution!
—Susan Knapp, President, A Perfect Pear™ from Napa Valley Sandy provides clarity and simplicity to an
otherwise complex and daunting aspect of deal making. On numerous
occasions, she has quickly grasped the business dynamics and negotiated
strong contracts that were readily accepted by both parties.
—Brian Bell, Independent Sales Consultant Sandy's legal practice defies standard legal
definition! She is, first, personable, caring and 'real'; then she's
articulate, knowledgeable, easily accessible and fun. Her work is
professional and fast. If
first impressions are important, hers is unique: I felt she cared
more about my business and legal budget than she did about hers.
There is definitely caring up front, but there's no fluff:
Sandy gets down to business and tells it straight. I thought I knew
a lot about contracts, since reviewing contracts is part of my business
expertise for my clients, but I learned a lot more about how to get the
right wordings readily accepted in difficult negotiations.
The way she has freely given her time and expertise, I wouldn't
even think about anyone else for my own legal needs or to confidently
refer to my clients.
—Charles T. Wilson, Risk Management Consultant,
President & Founder, RiskSmart
Solutions
Sandy, your help with
copyright and life right issues has been invaluable. Meeting you at
Lucasfilm was a lucky break for me!
—Roberta Kenney, Writer/Producer
Calling “Xena, Warrior Princess” to the
rescue! Sandy provided me with all of the energy and dedication of Xena on
my recent contract negotiation. From the opening strategy session to the
closing marathon conference call, I witnessed her creativity, foresight
and tenacity as she refused to give up until all my issues were addressed
and resolved in my favor. (Did I mention that she got my contract signed
on the day before Thanksgiving at 6 pm?)
Even though I’m a pee-wee little startup (or maybe because of
that?), Sandy included long-term implications in her contract writing, and
took the time to explain to me the issues and options surrounding them.
I’ll sleep easier knowing she is on my side no matter what dragons cross
my path.
—Carol
Sconzert, Osmosis
Creative
good solutions was a
perfect fit for a company like Multimedia Live. One of the most important
things is that good solutions understands our technology-based business
(both our strategy and our industry) and knows how to respond to most
every situation.
good solutions has been an incredible legal and business
resource for our company.
—Ken Burke, President & CEO, MarketLive
What can we say? Not only has good solutions
become an integral part of Juice!'s ongoing
growth and evolution, Sandy has helped us do it all our way — creative,
dynamic, and ground-breaking. It's rare to find a legal partner who
understands our business vision so intuitively that she proactively
generates ideas, not just solutions to problems. From setting up our
company, designing innovative business structures, to protecting our
intellectual property, this continues to be a most refreshing alliance.
Thank you.
—Bonnie Wan & Mari Cortizo, Co-Founders, Juice! LLC
I never thought working with an attorney would be
fun and enlightening. But
Sandy Shepard of good solutions helped me manage my energy and time as well as my
growth and budget as she coached me through contract reviews and
negotiations. Sandy is
extremely responsive, flexible and takes the stress out of being a sole
proprietor!
—Tricia Bannister, CHT, Principal, InQuentra
Integrated Development Business Coaching Sandy
Shepard has been an invaluable resource in the way that she has provided
legal business strategies and insights into risk prevention. Sandy is
delightfully supportive, incredibly knowledgeable and a top notch
professional. As an HR Consultant, Sandy not only helped me in my
business, she will be someone I will call in to help my clients.
—Penny Schultz, Principal, Schultz
Consulting HR Services
As
a small business owner, I look for people who bring passion, enthusiasm,
and unquestioned expertise when I seek outside help. Sandy Shepard of good
solutions brings all that and more to her legal work. I know that
Sandy will take care of everything that needs her attention, and that lets
me focus on what I need to do —
which is run and grow my business.
—Jeff Hitchcock, President,
Diabetes 123,
Children with Diabetes,
Diabetes Monitor
After working with Sandy extensively at
Mindscape/Pearson PLC on OEM sales
contracts and print collateral, I realized how incredibly knowledgeable,
detail oriented, and thorough she is.
If I had a deadline that needed to be kept, she worked with me to
ensure timelines were met and she offered solutions rather than just
‘fixing my problem’.
When
I started my own business a decade later, the first call I made was to
Sandy and I knew that I couldn’t afford NOT to have her give me business
and legal advice. If I get
sued, my career is over, so it is imperative that I have someone whom I
can trust and can review all my contracts, disclosures, etc. so that I
don’t have to. I am in an industry that is notorious for lawsuits, and I
know that with Sandy doing my legal work, I don’t ever have to think
about it.
—Allison
Fortini, independent
real estate agent
good solutions has
been a tremendous help to us in generating sound contractual agreement
templates for our Reseller and VAR relationships. Their in-depth
understanding of business strategy and risk has provided benefits above
and beyond what was required. In addition, their team has long-term
experience and breadth of knowledge that clearly allows them to produce
results quickly, efficiently and economically. I would highly recommend
good solutions to any client seeking legal assistance.
—Kirsten Smith, VP of Marketing, FileTrail, Inc.
You ROCK!!!!
—Chris Graham, Owner, Dog Day Records
good solutions allows
their
clients to help create agreements and documents, which keeps the cost
down and adds a personal touch that most attorneys would never allow.
—Randy Schroeder, Principal, The Schroeder Group
Sandy, you clearly 'get' it!
And you continue to deliver beyond my wildest dreams. Never before have I
experienced an attorney so reasonable yet strong, creative yet practical,
strategic yet supportive. I've hired many attorneys in my day and for the
first time, in you, I've encountered a perfect blend of visionary thinking
— balancing both the downside risk and the upside aspiration
— all with an
eye toward smart and calculated business ascent.
As a small business, I know the odds are stacked against us
— it's a
dangerous world out there - but I know that thanks to you, we're well
provisioned and supremely prepared for our quest. With you on our team, I
can sleep at night...knowing you are watching out for the wolves!
—Steve Sue, President, StoryManager, Inc.
After getting a quote from 4
different (overpriced) trademark attorneys, we were recommended to Sandy
Shepard at good solutions — and we found that her service
was the best fit financially as well as expertise-wise; in no time she put
together a spectacular response to the US Patent and Trademark Office that
saved our trademark! But that was only the beginning — we decided that
she would become our company's general attorney, and as time goes on, our
satisfaction with good solutions only keeps growing.
—Serge K., Owner, Banana Spin Café
I've personally worked with
some of the largest and most respected law firms in several states, as well as
multinational law firms. Sandy came to work as our General Counsel
following a corporate merger, and almost immediately became an
indispensable part of our transition team, working on a variety of legal,
securities regulations, and intellectual property law issues that were
vital to preserving and maximizing the value of our business. She
addressed multiple issues that more than one high priced law firm failed
to address
— both prior to and in the context of our merger. She helped us
renegotiate prior contracts, straighten out copyright, trademark and URL
issues, address employee issues, and otherwise helped us identify issues we
had no idea even existed! I was particularly pleased with the
friendly, low key manner in which she gave us professional advice and
mentored our management team to understand potential risks without
making our department heads feel incompetent. In short, Sandy was a
team player from the beginning, with the dedication and work ethic to make
things happen in "Internet time", which — needless to say
— is fast,
very fast.
At a more personal level, I think a good part of Sandy's professional
skills are magnified by an intuitive gift for management of inter-personal
relationships. This makes her a perfect candidate for delegating
responsibilities without intimidating team members or outside
professionals retained by a firm. Especially so, in a rapidly
growing corporate atmosphere where dealing with officers and directors,
venture capitalists, bankers, potential investors, etc., as well as
corporate adversaries, must be executed in a timely, flawless manner.
Professionally, I think Sandy's hallmark is her ability to quickly
ascertain the essence of a problem, prioritize and delegate
responsibilities, and then accomplish mission goals within economic
parameters that are clearly defined. In short, Sandy not only delivered
the results, but also exceeded our expectations.
Disciplined and thoughtful, I wholeheartedly can recommend Sandy to act as
your Corporate Counsel or General Counsel without hesitation. She
knows the ropes, helped us understand our position in a comprehensible
manner, and gave us the range of options that helped us determine what
truly made sense from not only a legal perspective, but from a long-range
competitive position as well. As a result of our association with
Sandy, we not only solved a host of problems on favorable economic terms,
but we also learned to better identify and contain issues
ourselves, before they became a problem. Results speak for themselves, as
our firm is now positioned as the worldwide leader in online furniture
retailing.
—Jeffrey Antisdel, Legal Affairs Coordinator, FurnitureFind
Corporation
good solutions greatly exceeded all my expectations! Throughout the course of
our contract negotiation and drafting they provided us with extensive
advice on negotiation strategies and guided us through every step with
a dedication, thoroughness, and patience that made all the
difference. It was a great pleasure to work with such friendly,
enthusiastic, and knowledgeable people. I can't recommend them
enough.
—Jennifer Adam, musician, The Eaves
While I have worked with many attorneys for many different reasons —
civil, corporate, real estate, etc. —
Sandy is in a very select class of attorneys.
I understand how most people feel about attorneys —
I have worked with some bad attorneys, some good attorneys, and some very
outstanding attorneys.
Sandy
is in that very select class of attorneys that I consider outstanding.
She is willing to go that extra mile in her attention to detail,
thoroughly thinks about your specific situation, then giving you several
options and scenarios.
She lets you know up front what the costs are likely to be, and
considers the financial circumstances of your situation.
She will let you know how you might save money, which in our
business (commercial fishing) is often one of our major concerns!
—Robyn
Marcussen, Pacific West Seafood Company, Petaluma
In the decade that I
have known and worked with Sandy, I have always
been thoroughly impressed with her professional advice and
negotiation strategies. I always get more from Sandy than just
legal advice.
—Rosemary Yates, Vice President, The Learning Company (f/k/a
Broderbund/Mindscape)
Your prudent perseverance
prevented precipitous potential pitfalls! THANK YOU isn't praise enough!
—Leslie Davis, Managing Partner, Handy Marketing
good solutions is a great
solution! As an independent consultant, juggling multiple clients on very
tight deadlines, I require expert advice and quick turn around. Sandy is a
pro. I appreciate Sandy's ability to explain the legal risks and
ramifications in 'plain English' and clearly lay out the options
I can take to protect myself and my clients. Sandy's diverse experience
allows her to provide insight into a variety of legal issues, from
drafting contracts to answering complicated employment issues. Without
hesitation I can say
good solutions is the only solution for legal advice
and thorough implementation on tight deadlines.
—Janet Cherry, PHR, Human Resources Consultant
good solutions
provided efficient, cost-effective, friendly help securing our retail
trademark.
—Tom W. Allen, Owner, "jaunt: footwear and accessories for the
happy traveler", St. Helena, CA
Sandy has been a breath of
fresh air in the world of consultants! I found
good solutions to go beyond my wildest
expectations in dedication to getting the job done with as much or
more enthusiasm than I had for my own project. I loved how Sandy just took
over in the most sublimely supportive manner. I enjoy telling others what
a rare gem she is. I am sincerely grateful that
good solutions is out there,
dedicated to being of service.
—Connie Clark, MA, MFT, Owner, JoyWorks
What got me to call Sandy was her reputation as a
terrific lawyer; what keeps me coming back is that she does so much more.
I regard Sandy as a strategic partner, as a member of my personal
management team. She is especially skilled at providing a broad set
of legal options for solving problems. She is smart, responsive, an
excellent negotiator, and a very quick study. Her high level of
professionalism is only rivaled by an infectious enthusiasm for the people
with whom she works. I never thought I would say this about a lawyer, but
I actually enjoy working with (and learning from) Sandy. I would recommend
her services without qualification.
—Rodney Williams, VP of Marketing, Efficas, Inc.
Sandy, you are fabulous.
Without hesitation, you guided me, step-by-step, through the process of
researching online my client's trademark image. I so value and appreciate
your self-help philosophy. I looked great in my client's eyes for saving
her money and helping assure her that her image was original, all in part
to your behind-the-scenes guidance. good solutions is
exactly what your company stands for, in my eyes.
—Catharine Martin, Creative Director
good solutions not only
wrote a writer's/speaker's contract template for me, it was written so
that I can use it again and again.
good solutions is a law firm that makes
sense.
—Amelia T. Hambrecht, Principal, Sachem Entertainment/Hambrecht
& Associates
I am a business lawyer at
Lanahan and Reilley and use Sandy for support for certain situations
— she is always willing, available and knowledgeable!
—Michael Shiffman, Partner, Lanahan & Reilley
good solutions recently did
an amazing job helping me put together a complex document. It
was a daunting task for me
— but Sandy worked with me in a kind,
patient, and reassuring way to overcome my trepidation about drawing up a
'legal document.' She personalized the process and made it as fun a
project as was possible, given the task. I'm not comfortable with 'legalese'
(or the legal process in general), and it's important for me to have an
attorney who can speak 'my language', yet translate my words and meaning
into appropriate legal jargon. Sandy works as a competent, efficient
guide for me through legal matters — she can push me when I need to
be pushed, yet encourage me when I need encouragement, and together as a
team we get the job done. Sandy has acted as my attorney for both
personal as well as business matters, and has shown incredible range and diversity in the legal tasks/skills that she is able to accomplish.
It's like 'one stop shopping' — and I enjoy the convenience!
—Susan Bird, Hypnotherapist and Dive Instructor
In following Sandy's advice,
I feel a great confidence that my business is protected.
—Jeff Yates, President, Dream Home Systems
good solutions puts a
completely new spin on legal counsel and business strategy. Sandy is
proactive, personable and tenacious as hell. She gives me lots of great
advice and insight and helps me cut through the legal mumbo-jumbo so I
know what I'm signing and I'm not flying blind. She has helped both me and
my clients avoid pitfalls, leverage opportunities, and protect our business
from major problems down the road. I am incredibly thankful that we met
when she was counsel to Broderbund
— where she untangled a sweepstakes problem
that was dumped on me
— perhaps with more diplomacy, understanding, and tact than the
situation deserved.
—Jane Markell, Principal, JEM Marketing
Every company should have a
General Counsel like this on board. Sandy really listens — after
a thorough needs assessment and thought-provoking question and answer
session, she delivered an outstanding resolution and in a timely manner to
boot!
—Claudette E. Paäge, President, Paäge
et Cie
Sandy
did some amazing things with our contracts that made a huge difference in
our communications with our clients and our protection through the
contracting process. Her
ability to describe legal conditions in an easy-to-understand language has
made the process much easier for our clients and has thus expedited the
contract negotiation process. The
questions Sandy asked throughout the time she worked with me helped me to
clarify expectations and really raised the bar on our level of
communication with our clients. Thanks
for all your help, Sandy!!!
—Kathy O'Donnell, Principal, O'Donnell
Redmond My
firm has worked with Sandy for almost two years now and she is fantastic.
Our business requires very quick turnaround on complex projects. She
quickly grasps what we are trying to accomplish and on every account has
added value to what we are doing. Unlike other law resources we have used,
Sandy is very adept at client service. I am always amazed at how quickly
she responds, even if only to say she cannot read the 20 page document on
her Blackberry but will read it later that evening. I highly recommend her
services to anyone looking for someone who is smart, thinks outside the
legal box and is highly responsive.
—Michael Olch, Owner/Business Director, Wrecking
Ball Advertising
Nolo
Press recommends finding legal counsel who will act as a legal coach. Look
no further because Sandy is the best coach around. Sandy has been an
amazing lawyer to work with. She is full of great time- and money-saving
ideas that anyone who is starting a new business should know. She's always
taken time out of her insane schedule to respond to my requests no matter
how big or small. I'm glad she's on our side. Thank You Sandy!
—Steve Kuo, Principal, On The
Fly Films
Sandy is a terrific attorney
and a wonderful person. I can always count on her when I need to. As a
graphic designer, I was looking for someone who could help me with
standard contracts and disclaimers, but what I got was a friend who helped
me avoid legal pitfalls I didn't even know existed. She has
single-handedly changed my perception of attorneys.
—Denise Derammelaere, alien
identity I have been with Sandy Shepard for 2+ years now. What I like about Sandy is that you get personalized service that meets your needs. All the larger firms I considered were more concerned with getting their large retainer up front. Sandy was immediately concerned with my needs, not her revenue. She responds promptly and speaks in plain English. She doesn't talk down to her clients to make her work sound more important than it is.
One of the main reasons I like her is that on numerous occasions she has stopped me from using her services. This may sound strange but she cared about my business enough to say "I can do this for you but it will cost you a lot. Here's a way you can do it yourself without having to pay me." I know with Sandy that she isn't going to pad her bill with unnecessary work. Another thing I respect is that she doesn't take on work beyond her specialty. She plays to her strengths and when my legal advisory needs required specialty advise, she referred me to appropriate specialists. She didn't try and "keep it in the firm" the way a large firm would.
For small to mid-size businesses, I say "don't be impressed by the trappings of a big sexy firm. Sandy will advise you and not drown your business in legal fees. Lastly, I like that Sandy is independent of a large firm because she is the one you contract with and she is the one who services you. You don't get sold by a partner then passed down to a junior attorney --- and one who is judged by billable hours --- for the work.
—Brad Prescott, Owner, FM Publishing
|