SHANNON L. DAWSON is an Associate at the Wilmington law firm of Gordon, Fournaris and Mammarella, P.A.  Shannon’s business planning practice involves counseling and advising clients on entity formation, management, tax planning, ownership transfer, and succession planning, including the drafting of corporate governance documents, limited liability company agreements, stockholder agreements, and compensation agreements.  She is often engaged to resolve corporate officer, shareholder and partner disputes, involving breaches of fiduciary duties, restrictive covenant issues, violations of transfer restrictions, and separation agreements.  Shannon also has significant experience representing clients on all aspects of mergers and acquisitions, including preparation of ancillary agreements related to these transactions, such as confidentiality, escrow, noncompetition, consulting, employment and lease agreements.In addition to her business planning practice, Shannon also has a significant trust and estate planning practice where she drafts various Delaware trusts, including directed trusts, dynasty trusts, and asset protection trusts, to preserve wealth for future generations and minimize transfer taxes.  She also routinely represents trustees and beneficiaries in transferring the situs of trusts to Delaware and modifying existing trust instruments to take advantage of Delaware law through use of Delaware’s decanting, non-judicial settlement and merger statutes, as well as petitions to the Delaware Court of Chancery.Shannon’s practice at the firm also extends to representing individuals and businesses in tax audits and other tax controversies with the Internal Revenue Service and state and local revenue divisions.Areas of PracticeTrusts and Estate Planning, Business Planning and Transactions, TaxationBar AssociationsDelaware State Bar Association, New Jersey State Bar Association, Pennsylvania Bar AssociationEducationLaw Review: The Delaware Journal of Corporate Law; Pro Bono DistinctionB.A., B.A., The Pennsylvania State University, Economics, Political Science (2007)PublicationsSeries LLC and Bankruptcy: When the Series Finds Itself in Trouble, Will It Need Its Parent to Bail It Out?Professional AssociationsCommittees: Estate & Gift Tax, Partnerships & LLCs, Closely Held Businesses, S-CorporationsDelaware State Bar Association, Estates & Trusts and Taxation SectionsPennsylvania State Bar AssociationWilmington Tax GroupSouthern Chester County Chamber of Commerce, PennsylvaniaJ.D., Widener University School of Law (2010);American Bar Association, Section of Taxation