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welcome to blue fence advisors

For more than thirty years, I have helped companies solve problems. Sometimes the problems are big, intricate, and nuanced; other times they involve simple blocking and tackling. What do they all have in common? They are distractions that keep the company from focusing its resources on its primary business. I have served as the outside and in-house attorney giving legal advice and litigating disputes, and I have served as the business executive helping to create and manage the solutions and business processes. I bring a unique focus and perspective to my clients – a mix of legal and business analysis and advice – which is always delivered with a heavy emphasis on practical solutions that can be efficiently implemented.

Contact Information

Fax                 :     +1 (240) 238-6590

Address

blue fence advisors llc
9814 Bald Cypress Drive
Rockville, Maryland 20850

What's With the Name

“Blue Fence” is a tip of the hat to one of my mentors, Wayne Day, the former majority owner and CEO of John J. Kirlin, Inc. Wayne was a brilliant and dynamic businessman, who taught me more than I could ever put to words. One of Wayne’s driving beliefs was attention to every detail, no matter how small, which was never more evident than when he developed and constructed his new corporate headquarters building. If Wayne gave you a tour of the building, he would finish by pointing to a small satellite parking lot, which was lined on three sides with a chain link fence. Wayne had plastic inserts made to give the fence color and he matched the color exactly to the “Kirlin blue” that branded his company and accented the building. At the end of the tour, the last thing you were sure to hear was, “and what do you think of that blue fence?” Every time I think of the “blue fence” I think of Wayne’s relentless attention to detail.

what others say

I’ve known Chip professionally for more than thirty years. He has a thorough understanding of business finance and operations and he’s always demonstrated a keen ability to find practical solutions to difficult problems. He is an excellent attorney and I trust his judgment and, more importantly, I trust his word.
Ken Grunley
CEO, Grunley Construction Co., Inc.
Chip Mitchell has a unique ability to evaluate and create sophisticated operating agreements, articulating them in understandable ways.  He has simple methods for developing new strategies and structures to help chart organizational paths for future success. His ability to weed through the minutia and focus on the important topics is inspiring, along with his ability to strategically align the necessary parties during the process.  Chip’s deep expertise in construction law, particularly in federal contracting, makes him particularly impactful for companies like ours. We endorse Chip for any organization needing a trusted advisor looking to help develop a scalable legal structure.
Rick Hermanson
CEO, Hermanson Company
Chip enjoys a stellar and well-deserved reputation as a lawyer and problem-solver. What you may not know though is that Chip is also a brilliant teacher who can take a rather mundane and esoteric subject such as ethics and infuse it with humor and real world stories bringing it to life for his students whether they be administrative assistants or the CEO.”
Courtney McKendrick Green
Jordan Foster Construction
Chip came to our rescue when our animal shelter was told by our builder that we had to accept substandard construction on our new building. He took our case pro bono. He thoroughly evaluated all of our issues and even found some problems that we were not aware of. After methodically addressing all of our concerns, he brought strong, authoritative arguments to the builder’s attorney and achieved a logical settlement that was acceptable to both parties. I am confident that we would not have achieved a timely and acceptable settlement without Chip’s firm, helping hand.
Tom Divilio
President, Baywater Animal Rescue
Cambridge, MD
Chip combines a unique skill set. He is part businessman, part contractor and part attorney. He has helped me resolve a number of complex issues before they became major problems and he has helped me resolve a number of complex disputes after they became major problems. He has also helped me preserve relationships with clients and business partners on many occasions. I trust his judgment and I value his advice
Charles Burlew
Past President, Sordoni Construction Services, Inc.
We recently engaged Chip to provide a full-day seminar for our operations staff on Construction Risk Management and Construction Contracts Review.  Chip provided insightful examples and strategies that our staff can use on a day-to-day basis.  His experience as a trade contractor provides a unique perspective that few attorneys or consultants can offer.
Frank Ferrucci
President, F+F Mechanical
We have really enjoyed working with Chip for our educational offerings in the DC area. He’s truly an industry expert, and his content was very informative. The feedback from our attendees for his “Killer Contract Clauses” session was nothing but glowing. We have worked with Chip in both online and in-person settings. As an instructor, Chip takes challenging content and delivers it concisely with clear value for those who attend his sessions.
Randall Chenworth, Director of Education
MCA of Metropolitan Washington
At various times over three decades, I have been Chip's client, his co-worker, and his business partner. At his core, Chip is an exceptionally effective problem solver and deal maker. He's an excellent lawyer, but he also has a deep understanding of business operations. He can evaluate the most complex issues and he always finds the most practical and efficient solutions. He has an excellent reputation; he is well respected; and his counsel is always trusted.
Gary Grandchamp
Retired Business Executive
Chip has that unique and rare quality among Mediators that he can tell both sides equally not what they want to hear, but what they need to hear, which goes a long way to getting a case successfully settled.
Patrick S. Cassidy
Cassidy Law, PLLC
Our members found Chip’s Legal and Risk Management seminars highly useful. Chip presented four-hour seminars on “Killer Contract Clauses” and “Managing Change Orders and Claims.” His presentations and approach to these issues were very straightforward and practical, and focused heavily on the realities that we face in our industry. Chip is up-to-date and very knowledgeable on these topics, and he had great advice that could actually be used in real situations. We received considerable feedback from our membership expressing their desire to have Chip present additional seminars in the future.
Michael Stirling
Director of Member Relations, Northern California Mechanical Contractors Association
Chip has been a business associate and friend for over twenty years. He is someone who I have tremendous respect for and have used for business, legal and risk management advice many times. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend him for his expertise.
John Wagner
Managing Director, Construction Practice, Arthur J. Gallagher
I have known and worked with (and against) Chip Mitchell for more than thirty years. He is a quick study, and always gets to the heart of the problem. If you are looking for someone to provide sharp, intelligent, and thoughtful legal or business advice, there is no one better than Chip.
Barbara Werther
Samek Werther & Mills, LLC.
I have known Chip for more than twenty-five years. He has a unique skill set: part attorney, part corporate executive, and part financial manager. Chip and I have worked closely on a myriad of complex construction disputes. I am continually impressed by Chip’s ability to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of a business dispute, and efficiently divine a solution that works for his client. His clients benefit from his straight-forward demeanor and his common-sense approach. Chip has my highest recommendation as an attorney and as a business advisor.
Paul Stynchcomb
Principal, Vero Construction Consultants Corp.
Chip is an incredible teacher, who manages time and time again to make contracts and complex legal issues interesting (anyone who has ever reviewed a contract can understand why that’s impressive). Chip has a trifecta of skills that make him a powerhouse of an instructor: extensive experience and legal knowledge; an interactive teaching style; and an engaging and personable nature. He takes what sound like pretty dry topics and makes them both accessible and applicable to the world outside the courtroom, providing legal knowledge as a tool to help drive the day-to-day business decisions project managers have to make. His classes are dynamic and interactive – his breadth of knowledge and experience allows him to integrate the learning material with students’ own experiences. Every session Chip teaches for us results in feedback like ‘I would have liked to spend more time on contracts’ and ‘I wish we had more time with Chip!’
Amy Harding
Principal, Vero Construction Consultants Corp.

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