Shawn D. Mercer is a native of Raleigh, North Carolina. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Speech Communications from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1989. He went on to receive his law degree from the University Of South Carolina School of Law in 1992 where he was a Coleman Karesh Scholar. Shawn was admitted to the North Carolina Bar in 1992 and is also admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, United States Tax Court, and numerous Federal Circuit and District Courts across the country.
He has been admitted pro hac vice to practice before state courts and motor vehicle boards throughout the nation. Shawn was also formerly a certified superior court mediator. Mr. Mercer has been awarded an “AV” Preeminent rating, the highest recognition of legal ability in the profession from Martindale-Hubbell, the rating source for attorneys for more than a century.
Shawn’s national practice is devoted solely to representing motor vehicle, motorcycle and RV dealers, as well as dealer associations. He provides counsel to the firm’s dealer clients in areas including manufacturer facility and incentive programs, franchise realignment, audit charge backs, sales performance agreements, terminations, dealership relocations and add-points. He regularly represents dealers in disputes with manufacturers and consumers in mediations, administrative proceedings and in state and federal court. He also assists various state dealer associations with revising and updating state franchise protections and he regularly works with dealers to address factory disputes, F&I concerns, human resources matters, advertising compliance and consumer complaints.
Along with his 30 years of practice in these areas, Shawn is a frequent speaker to state and local dealer associations and other groups about dealer issues and is a regular contributor to various dealer association newsletters and other publications. He is a long-standing member of the National Association of Dealer Counsel as well as other professional organizations. In his time away from the office, Shawn is actively involved in various community and civic causes, including current service on non-profit Boards. Shawn enjoys running, playing tennis and pickleball, fine wine, and spending time at the coast with his family.