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In the evolving legal landscape, LeAnn Shelton perfectly exemplifies dynamic leadership as a licensed attorney and registered architect with over two decades of expertise. Her journey from Associate Partner at Davis Brody Bond to General Counsel at Rockwell Architecture, Planning and Design, P.C. is a testament to her exceptional leadership skills, passion, resilience, and unwavering commitment.
The Inspiration: Transition from Architecture to Law
LeAnn’s path to becoming the General Counsel of Rockwell Group was unexpected. Initially, the firm was not looking for in-house counsel. A headhunter reached out to her about Rockwell Group while she was leading urban design and large-scale master planning projects, including a luxury resort project in the Caribbean.
Before her interview with Rockwell Group, LeAnn purchased a copy of one of the studio’s earliest monographs, Spectacle. She was struck by its unique approach to what real estate developers refer to as “placemaking,” and hospitality developers call “experiential design.” To LeAnn, Spectacle explores the interplay of culture, space, energy, and history that creates vibrant public phenomena such as the Palio in Siena, or a NASCAR race in Daytona. LeAnn enjoys figuring out how to make things happen, whether it’s a built project, a temporary installation, or a more ephemeral event, and she saw immense potential for those opportunities at Rockwell Group. For her, the legal skill set is a business tool necessary for executing the creative vision.
LeAnn’s Leadership: A Strong Background in Law and Architecture
Both law and design are creative fields that require finding a path to the desired result based on a given set of facts, or physical conditions, and a program. LeAnn excels at communicating with both designers to help identify key questions, with clients to address their concerns. The relationship between architect and client is built on trust and respect. As LeAnn states, “When people feel you understand their needs, you can work together to produce a great project.”
LeAnn’s Dynamic Leadership and Expertise
LeAnn became Rockwell Group’s first CLO, and she believes the firm was glad to have her on board. With the studio’s diverse practice and entrepreneurial spirit, LeAnn’s role demands quick thinking and adaptability. Projects often need to be designed and built within months—or even weeks—requiring her to respond swiftly to a wide range of challenges.
Additionally, with over 15 years of experience as a designer, LeAnn is aware of potential issues and knows how to resolve them. Her work enables the designers to focus on the design process, while she handles the business side.
Navigating the Legal Challenges
Architecture and design firms, like many other businesses, encounter a variety of legal issues. For example, threats to intellectual property rights are a longstanding concern, and these threats have become even more pronounced with the rise of social media and digital usage. Additionally, the field of architecture and design is particularly susceptible to economic fluctuations. When financing becomes unavailable, projects can come to a halt, and payment issues may arise.
The Role of Legal Professionals in Fostering Innovation
The built environment is largely shaped by land use regulations that govern factors such as location, height, density, access, materials, fire codes, and preservation, to name only a few. While these regulations can limit creativity, they can also be leveraged by skilled professionals to foster innovation and allow creativity to thrive.
Emerging Technologies
The story of artificial intelligence is still unfolding. The rules regarding copyright protection for AI-generated designs are constantly changing. At first, AI-generated designs were not considered copyright-protected. Now, sometimes they are. Moreover, AI has the potential to significantly reduce the time required for analyzing contract reviews as well as for visualizing design concepts. This effectively can free up more time for tasks that demand thinking and creativity.
Evolution at Rockwell Group: As Per the Industry Trends
At the core of Rockwell Group’s work is the belief that they are setting the trends rather than simply following them. They feel that the studio has thrived by focusing on innovation instead of being overly concerned with industry trends. For instance, when COVID forced restaurants to close, they collaborated with the city of New York City and the hospitality industry to create DineOut, a kit for outdoor dining kit that helped restaurants reopen and sustain jobs. Additionally, Rockwell Group has a design innovation studio called the LAB that that blends interactive technology, architecture, strategy, and storytelling. These examples reflect the team’s ongoing commitment to innovation and creating solutions that did not previously exist.
Advice for Legal Professionals in Creative Industries
Every professional, whether legal or otherwise, must be in a constant state of transformation. Industries evolve and change, as do your interests. Pursue your curiosity. Put it all together.
