Companies rely on Dorinda for guidance in all aspects of their commercial life cycle and operations. She counsels companies on a full range of transactions needed to help them thrive and grow, from procurement, manufacturing and product development agreements to distribution, sales and licensing contracts, and from financing arrangements to spur growth to business purchases and sales. She also guides companies in day-to-day legal matters, serving in an “outside general counsel” capacity.
With over 25 years of experience representing clients in industries including food and beverage, consumer goods, and manufacturing, Dorinda helps clients achieve their goals with patience, persistence and insight.
Her keen ability to manage myriad details while remaining focused on the critical path makes her counsel invaluable. She helps her clients navigate a complex web of commercial arrangements and brings clarity to complex issues and practical solutions to intractable problems.
Representative Experience
Any result the lawyer or law firm may have achieved on behalf of clients in other matters does not necessarily indicate similar results can be obtained for other clients.
Mergers and Acquisitions
- Counsel to a vertically integrated manufacturer and distributor of turkey products in multiple matters including:
- Acquisition of another well-known turkey brand and business, creating the largest producer of turkey in the United States
- Acquisition of further processing plant in North Carolina
- Divestiture of division and related long-term supply agreement
- Purchase and sale of milling facilities
- Counsel to a national collision repair company in real estate and asset acquisitions and divestitures.
- Represented international supply chain software solutions company in connection with US acquisitions.
- Represented a manufacturer and distributor of organic rice and rice products in sale, lease, and acquisition transactions related to farmland as well as various processing facilities.
Commercial Contracts
- Assisted a large multinational technology company’s Legal Center of Excellence (COE) team to develop specific contract tools to revolutionize legal services throughout the company including:
- Working with the COE team and senior leadership to identify and prioritize the COE tools, establish a development timeline, and sequence stages for beta testing and continuous feedback
- Interviewing legal personnel in various geographies and business units to understand business needs, the landscape of relevant agreements, the client’s negotiating process, and priority issues in drafting and negotiating agreements
- Developing custom, hyperlinked “playbook” resources for heavily negotiated agreements or agreements on third-party forms, which included standard language, fallbacks, sample markups, and explanations to facilitate effective negotiation
- Developing form agreements based on legacy client agreements, with harmonized terms and company positions across agreements
- Working with the COE team to integrate certain agreement forms into a new contract management software platform
- Providing training to COE personnel in the use of tools and negotiation of key contractual issues.
- Represented multiple portfolio companies of a UK holding company in the safety, environmental and healthcare sectors in acquisitions.
- Developed standard terms and conditions of sale, standard terms and conditions of purchase, grower agreements, and other standard forms for a vertically integrated manufacturer and distributor of turkey products.
- Represented a manufacturer and distributor of organic rice and rice products in:
- Developing standard terms and conditions of sale, standard terms and conditions of purchase, and broker agreements
- Routine as well as significant contracting relationships with vendors, suppliers, and customers
- Represented manufacturer and marketer of branded basic apparel products in multiple matters including:
- Drafting and negotiation of agreements with international distributors in the UAE, Russia, Nigeria, France, Germany, and Mexico, among others
- Drafting and negotiation of development, license, and sales agreements with national retailers
- Review and negotiation of agreements with online marketplaces
- Formation of joint venture with an Israeli yarn manufacturer, including the negotiation of a long-term supply arrangement.
- Represented manufacturer of outdoor power tools in procuring custom manufacturing equipment from multiple suppliers for installation and operation of new manufacturing lines in the US and Northern Europe.
- Represented a power transmission and distribution equipment manufacturer in implementing consistent liability protections and other key provisions in its supply agreements.
- Represented multiple portfolio companies of a UK holding company in the safety, environmental and healthcare sectors in commercial contracts matters.
Corporate Governance
- Served as interim general counsel role to a vertically integrated manufacturer and distributor of turkey products.
- Served as interim in-house counsel to a medical device manufacturer located in the United States with a UK parent.
- Counseled a manufacturer and distributor of organic rice and rice products in various governance matters.
- Represented multiple portfolio companies of a UK holding company in the safety, environmental and healthcare sectors in general outside counsel services.
Professional & Civic Engagement
- Board of Directors, Longleaf School of the Arts
- Board of Advisors, Arts Together, Inc.
- Board of Directors (Past Member), Arts Together, Inc.
- Board of Directors (Past Member), Habitat for Humanity of Wake County
Honors & Awards
- Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America (BL Rankings) in the fields of Corporate Law, Securities/Capital Markets Law, 2015 – Present
