About

Ann Shy

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.

Having been through a divorce that included attorneys and mediation 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 believe information is power and therefore I prioritize client input to shape my clients’ goals and outcomes through the legal process.

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 was raised in Chapel Hill, lived next door to my parents for 20 years raising my two sons in rural Orange County. Both sons remain active stewards of the family land

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 and as a member of the National Philosophy Honors Society.

Jeffrey Fisher

Licensed NC Attorney, Currently Inactive, Reactivating in 2025
Jeffrey’s LinkedIn

I am passionate about land conservation, thoughtful land use and natural resources. Over the years, both as a nonprofit leader, landowner, farmer and attorney, I have supported a wide range of projects aimed at restoring ecosystems and creating public parks and game lands.

My practice of real estate law focuses on conservation easements, public-private partnerships, wetland and stream regulation, eminent domain and infrastructure-related permitting.

Among the matters I have helped guide was a successful legal effort on behalf of 130 of Chatham to protect Box Creek Wilderness near Asheville, North Carolina, from a proposed eminent domain taking. The case preserved thousands of acres of ecologically significant forest and demonstrated how conservation-minded landowners can effectively assert their rights in defense of sensitive landscapes.

Earlier in my career, I contributed to community efforts to preserve Hollow Rock Nature Park in Durham, North Carolina. The project emerged as a compromise: community members, local governments, and landowners—including Duke University and a residential developer—worked together to raise funds and structure a deal that conserved ecologically valuable land while ensuring fair compensation for private owners. I helped navigate legal and civic frameworks to support this balanced outcome. I believe that true stewardship requires the ability to see all sides of a conflict, pursue thoughtful compromise, and resist the urge to demonize those with differing perspectives.

Before founding Dogwood Legal, I practiced law at Tuggle Duggins and The Forrest Firm, where I developed a foundation in real estate, environmental, and corporate law. I earned my J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law, hold a master’s degree from the Duke University Nicholas School of the Environment, and earned my undergraduate degree from North Carolina State University.

In addition to practicing law, my wife Svetlana Andrianova Fisher and I co-own and operate Honeysuckle Farm in Chapel Hill. I also manage timber and farmland tracts across North Carolina through Arcadian Land and Water, a land investment and management company I founded. My work on the land informs my legal practice and deepens my understanding of what it means to care for property across generations.

Anna Farmer

Associate Attorney
Anna’s LinkedIn

I am a compassionate and goal-oriented legal resource for my clients. I use my extensive training in dispute resolution processes, my legal research and writing skills, and my years of experience in family law to help clients reach satisfactory resolutions and move forward with peace of mind.

I graduated summa cum laude from the North Carolina Central University School of Law in May 2024, with a Certificate in Dispute Resolution from the School of Law’s Dispute Resolution Institute. I served on the Moot Court Board as the Vice-Chair of Intra-school Competitions, organizing three intra-school competitions for my classmates and competing in two national competitions. These experiences honed my legal research and writing skills, as well as my ability to think creatively about novel legal issues. As a 3L, I worked as a Certified Legal Intern in the School of Law’s Family Law Clinic. I appeared on behalf of indigent clients in Durham County and successfully resolved child custody and divorce matters. Through my work in the Clinic, I developed my professional identity and advocacy skills.

After graduating and earning admission to the North Carolina Bar, I joined Ann Shy as her first Associate Attorney. I began working for Ann as a paralegal in my senior year at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and continued to work for her throughout law school and while I awaited my bar admission.

As an Associate, I gradually grew my caseload, primarily in family law but also assisting clients with issues such as breach of contract, commercial arbitration, conservation easements, and land use regulations. I furthered my commitment to mediation by volunteering with the Dispute Settlement Center, and received training on transformative mediation and interpersonal conflict. I was awarded a full scholarship from the North Carolina Bar Association to receive a 14-hour training on collaborative law, expanding my dispute resolution skillset.

As a Carrboro native, I am passionate about community building. In addition to working and living in my hometown, I am proud to say that as of 2023 I own a small part of it -- I am a part-owner of Lapin Bleu, a bar, art gallery, and music venue in the Midway District.