Nellie Shipley Goes Green

The latest news from Nellie Shipley:

Womble Carlyle attorney Nellie Shipley has earned LEED Professional Accreditation, the leading professional accreditation in the green, or sustainable, construction and development industry.

LEED Accredited Professionals must demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the construction and development industry in general, with a particular focus on environmentally friendly building, development and operation practices. Typically, LEED accreditation is sought by architects and contractors, but Shipley believed the knowledge gained through the accreditation process would aid her clients and thus her legal practice.

“Many of my clients are actively involved in green construction and development,” Shipley said. “In order to give these clients the best possible service, I feel I need to know as much as possible about these topics. Attaining LEED accreditation isn’t as significant as the process it took to earn that accreditation. It really helped me understand green development from the developer’s perspective and the perspectives of the developer’s other service providers (like architects and engineers).”

In order to become a LEED Accredited Professional, candidates must pass a comprehensive written exam, which includes green construction and development topics such as:

Reducing the amount of waste sent to landfills;
Environmentally sensitive site selection and development;
Conserving energy and water;
Lowering greenhouse gas emissions; and
Qualifying for tax rebates, zoning allowances and other state and local incentives.

Shipley’s practice focuses on real estate development throughout North Carolina, including the rapidly growing Cary region of western Wake County, where Shipley lives. She’s played a role in developing many major residential, retail and business projects throughout North Carolina, however.

Shipley has particular experience with “green development,” including energy-efficient buildings and developments that use less processed water. She also is heading Womble Carlyle’s Green Initiative from the Raleigh office, which is working to help the firm itself adopt more environmentally friendly practices.

In addition to her work as a real estate attorney, Shipley is active in numerous community and economic development organizations in western Wake County. She is the chair of the Cary Economic Development Commission, and has served as chair of the Cary Chamber of Commerce and president of Triangle Commercial Real Estate Women. She is a founding member of the Triangle District Council of the Urban Land Institute and volunteers in local schools. Shipley can be seen driving around town from time to time with her younger daughter in their new Smart car, which qualifies for preferred parking in projects that earned a LEED point for providing preferred parking for fuel-efficient vehicles under Credit 4.3 of the Sustainable Sites point category.