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Doing Deals: Contract Drafting


Biography

Biography:

Michelle Simpson, Esq., is an Adjunct Professor teaching Contract Drafting. Professor Simpson is also a Partner and Managing Attorney at Poe Simpson Law, LLC, where she practices in the transactional areas of for-profit and non-profit general business, entertainment and real estate law. 

Professor Simpson graduated magna cum laude from Howard University (HU) in Washington, DC in three years with a BBA in Business Management and continued her studies at Harvard Law School (HLS) in Cambridge, MA. Participating in a HLS legal services clinical, she was able to gain invaluable experience as a Student Advocate servicing clients in the transactional areas she continues to work in to this day. Through hands-on courses and internships at HU and HLS, she has over 20 years of experience in the for profit and non profit industries of corporate, small business, start-ups, entertainment, real estate, information technology and healthcare.

Upon graduation from HLS, Professor Simpson spent a year clerking for a Federal District Judge in Nashville, TN. In 2005, she relocated to Atlanta to pursue a career as an Entertainment Attorney. Jonathan Leonard, Esq. provided her with additional experience as an attorney for entertainment clients by allowing her to intern at his firm, Jonathan E. Leonard, P.C. (JLPC). Upon successfully passing the Georgia Bar, she began her own firm in 2006 and has been an entrepreneur continuously for over 15 years.

Professor Simpson most often assists clients with entity formation and dissolution; contract drafting, reviewing and negotiations; intellectual property registration and licensing; real estate closings and escrow transactions; and consultations regarding legal business strategic planning, development and dispute resolution. Most of her clients are entrepreneurs, creators, independent entertainment companies or real estate investors. Clients note that she is dependable, honest, thoughtful, diligent, responsive, organized and creative. She has a natural ability to recognize the needs of her clients and provide them with an array of options which allow them to reach their goals while maintaining organization, accountability and integrity. She is also a formidable negotiator when it comes to representing her clients' interest with third parties.

Professor Simpson has regularly contributed as a panel member or speaker for various organizations and conferences throughout her career, including at Emory Law. She is dedicated to assisting her community in ways that include her legal and business expertise and in ways that do not. She is passionate about justice/equality/equity, education, health/wellness/mental health, art and entrepreneurship. Her favorite ways to spend her time outside of work are learning something new, eating great food and spending quality time with her family and friends, especially her daughter, Tatiana.

Expertise: corporate business law, small business law, start-up business law, entertainment law, intellectual property law, real estate law, commercial and residential real estate closings, attorney escrow and paymaster services, non profit law, healthcare law, business consulting, project management, loan default mitigation, dispute resolution and complex problem solving.

Award: 2017 Legal Elite Attorney, Georgia Trend.

Membership Organizations:

  • Georgia State Bar – Business, Real Property, Entertainment & Sports and Intellectual Property Sections;
  • Harvard Alumni Association – Admissions Committee Interviewer, and Race Working Group;
  • Howard University Alumni Association – Recruiting Committee, and Volunteer Committee;
  • Black Entertainment & Sports Lawyers Association (BESLA);
  • Georgia Lawyers for the Arts (GLA) – ProBono Attorney and host of seminars on Contract Basics and Negotiations;
  • Georgia Piedmont Technical College, Design & Media Production Technology Program – Advisory Board;
  • Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) – Mentor;
  • Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) – Digital Media & Entertainment and Social Collaboration Committee Planning Committee and Host of “Branding Georgia’s Entertainment Industry” event (2016);
  • Georgia Music Industry Association (GMIA) – Advisory Board; and
  • Fulton County Schools – Governance Board (2014-2016); Foundation Board (2016-2018).