Mr. Vines is an Officer in the Corporate Practice Group. He has extensive experience in representing clients engaged in franchising and distribution, and has counseled clients on a wide range of corporate and business matters. He is a nationally recognized expert in franchising and has testified as an expert witness. He has represented national, regional and local franchisors and has provided advice on alternatives to franchising, structuring franchise and distribution programs, complying with applicable state and federal laws and regulations, drafting legal documentation, handling franchise terminations and transfers, resolving franchisor-franchisee disputes, and defending state enforcement actions. He has assisted start-up and established franchisors, as well as franchisees and franchisee associations. Mr. Vines works closely with litigators on trial strategy and alternative dispute resolution and has represented companies and individuals on legal matters, such as real estate transactions and mergers and acquisitions, and has served as counsel for the developer of several major shopping center developments.
Mr. Vines is a frequent lecturer on franchise topics for various organizations, including the American Bar Association Forum Committee on Franchising, the International Franchise Association, the Missouri Bar, the South Carolina Bar Association, and the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis. He has also written for numerous publications on franchise and related issues, including The Franchise Law Journal and the ABA Journal. Mr. Vines served as a member of the Governing Committee of the American Bar Association Forum Committee on Franchising, and is a member of the industry advisory committee of the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) franchise project group. He is a certified mediator and former municipal judge.
Publications
- Co-Author, Chapter 2 of The FTC Franchise Rule, American Bar Association Forum Committee on Franchising, 2012.
- "Fractional Franchise Exemption: Friend or Foe?," Franchise Law Journal, Volume 30, Number 2, Fall 2010, Leonard D. Vines, Beata Krakus, and Karen Satterlee.
- "The Inadvertent Franchise: When is a Dealership or Distributorship a Franchise?" Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis (June 2008)
- "Franchising Report: New FTC Rule Puts Parent Companies at Risk of Having to Provide Financial Information for its Franchisor."Franchise Newsletter. (August 2007)
- Franchise Law Journal, Co-author, "Damage Control for Violations of Registration and Disclosure Obligations" Winter 2005
- The Franchise Lawyer, Winter 2002, Co-author, "Intervening Franchisor Entitled to Recovery on Injunction Bond"
- LJN's Franchising Business & Law Alert, "The Proposed Amended FTC Rule: What Franchisors Can Expect." Spring 2001
- Journal of the Missouri Bar, "Dealerships and Distributorships-Beware the Franchise Minefield." May-June 2000
- St. Louis Bar Journal, "What is and What is Not a Franchise?," Winter 1991
- The Audio Lawyer, ALI-ABA, "Negotiating the Franchise Agreement," May 1987
- St. Louis Business Journal, "Before You Franchise..." May 26-June 1, 1986
- Contributing Editor, Current Legal Forms (Rabkin & Johnson), Matthew Bender & Co., Revision of chapter on "Sales of Stock and Business Assets"; Preparation of "Legal Background," 1986; Revision of chapter on "Business Franchises"; and, Preparation of "Legal Background," 1986, 1992,1995
- St. Louis Bar Journal, "Franchise Disclosure and Registration Requirements," Winter 1985; Spring 2001
- St. Louis Business Journal, "Franchising Allows Expansion but Increases Legal Work." November 5-11, 1984
- ABA (American Bar Association) Journal, September 1986, "A Client Letter" (for evaluating a franchise opportunity)
- The Audio Lawyer, ALI-ABA, "Franchise Disclosure and Registration Requirements," May 1985
- Journal of the Missouri Bar, "An Attorney's Checklist for the Sale or Purchase of Business." June 1983
- Contributor, Allen Fishman's Business Financing Kit, Prentice-Hall
- Editor, Mergers and Acquisitions of Franchise Companies, American Bar Association Forum Committee on Franchising, 1996
Media
Seminars
- Speaker, Roadmap for the Default and Termination Process, ABA Annual Forum on Franchising, Los Angeles, CA, October 2012.
- Top 10 Pit-Falls for a Start-Up Franchisor, International Franchise Association Legal Symposium, Washington, D.C., May 2011
- Best Practices for State Franchise Registration, American Bar Association Forum on Franchising, Toronto, CA, October 15, 2009
- The Inadvertent Franchise: When is a Dealership or Distributorship a "Franchise"?, Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, June 30, 2008
- Franchising and Licensing, Missouri Venture Forum, St. Louis, MO, November 2005
- Underreporting, International Franchise Association, Washington, D.C., May 10, 2005
- A Matter of Honor: Franchising in the Professions, ABA Annual Forum on Franchising, Hollywood, Florida, October 2003
- Franchising 101: What is a Franchise and What are the Legal Implications of Being a Franchise? Missouri Bar, program on Current Issues in Franchise Law, March 2003
- Rescission of Franchise Agreements: Law and Policy, ABA Annual Forum on Franchising, Scottsdale, Arizona, October 2002
- Fundamentals of Franchising, "Counseling Franchisees" ABA Annual Forum on Franchising, Scottsdale, Arizona, October 2002
- Alternative Business Structures to Franchising, ABA Annual Forum on Franchising, New Orleans, Louisiana, 2000
- Buyouts of Franchisees - No Fault Divorce, International Franchise Association Legal Symposium, Washington, D.C., May 1998
- Buying and Selling Franchise Businesses, ABA Annual Forum on Franchising, Colorado Springs, Colorado, October 1997 (Materials reprinted in "Joining Forces," ABA Forum Committee Seminar, Chicago, March 1998)
- The FTC Basic Disclosure Document - An Alternative to the NUFOC?, Kansas City Bar Association Franchise Seminar, April 1995
- An Introduction to Business Opportunity Laws, Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, April 1994
- Fundamentals of Franchising Seminar, American Bar Association Forum Committee on Franchising, Chicago, Illinois, June 1988; Dallas, Texas, June 1991
- Give and Take: Negotiating the Franchise Agreement, ABA Forum Committee on Franchising, New Orleans, Louisiana, October 1990; and Thirteenth Annual National Franchise Law Institute, April 1991
- Dealerships and Distributorships: You May be a Franchise (or Business Opportunity) and Not Realize It, St. Louis Metropolitan Bar Association, April 1990
- Introduction to Franchising, Franchising and Dealer Termination Seminar sponsored by South Carolina Bar, Columbia, South Carolina, December 1987
- The Franchise Investment: Advising the Prospective Franchisee (What to Do and What to Expect), Seminar sponsored by Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, March 13, 1987
- The Legal Aspects of Franchising: Creation, Operation and Termination, Seminar sponsored by Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, April 12, 1985
- Drafting the Franchise Agreement, Eleventh Annual Franchise Law Institute (sponsored by Kansas City and St. Louis Bar Associations), April 1989
- Fifteenth Annual Franchise Law Institute, April 1993 (Moderator)
- Twelfth Annual Franchise Law Institute, April 1990 (Moderator)
- Eleventh Annual Franchise Law Institute, April 1989 (Chairman)
- Deal or No Deal? Complying with Multi-State Gift Card Regulations, ABA Teleconference and Live Audio Webcast, (co-speaker), July 25, 2007
- The Respective Roles of the Franchise Consultant and the Franchise Lawyer in Structuring the Franchise System, ABA Annual Forum on Franchising, Scottsdale, AZ, (co-speaker), October 2007
- Full Steam Ahead: Tips and Traps in Drafting and Enforcing Boilerplate Clauses, International Franchise Association Legal Symposium, Washington, D.C., May 18, 2009
Awards
- "Franchise Lawyer of the Year", sole recipient for St. Louis, MO from The Best Lawyers in America for 2012
- 2011 Franchise Times Legal Eagle
- International Who's Who of Franchise Lawyers
- Chambers USA, Franchising (nationwide), 2012
- Who's Who in the Midwest
- Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers
- Who's Who in American Law
- Listed in "The High Flying List of Legal Eagles," Franchise Times
- Best Lawyers in America, Franchise Law