Overview
Our team of internationally renowned franchise attorneys excels at providing focused, strategic growth solutions and practical advice to business owners and franchisors. We can provide valuable guidance through system growth, expansion abroad, business acquisitions or mergers. Our relationships with clients are often continuous, and we’re there to handle not only large transactional matters or disputes but to offer sound day-to-day counsel.
Our Promise
As a client of Greensfelder’s franchise team, you will not be a number. When you need us, we will answer with the personalized attention you need and want. Our clients tell us, “We have never had such responsive counsel.” We work to understand what your business is trying to do (we come visit you, on our dime). This allows us to prepare documents that fit your business needs, rather than a standard form.
Our Services
We are a one-stop shop for emerging and established franchisors, including those going international, providing sophisticated strategic planning across a variety of franchise categories. Our team of transactional attorneys helps to put the right agreements into place and ensure compliance, with the goal of minimizing problems down the road. When disputes do arise, our franchise litigation team can assist with early dispute resolution as well as full litigation including class action defense.
Clients frequently seek our experience in the following areas:
Transactional
- Drafting and negotiating franchise agreements and area development agreements
- Preparation and registration of franchise disclosure documents
- Development and management of exemption-based franchise systems
- Compliance with business opportunity laws and registration
- Mergers and acquisitions of and due diligence for franchise systems
- Drafting and negotiating domestic and international distribution and supply agreements
- Terminations and renewals
- Marketing, branding and rebranding matters
- Advertising and social media
- Review of operations manuals
- Insurance liability, vicarious liability and joint-employer issues
- Post-termination restrictive covenants
- Advising lenders on loans for franchise transactions
- Alternatives to franchising
- Gift cards and loyalty programs, data privacy, data rights and data breach
- Intellectual property protection including trademark advice and registration
Litigation
- Mediation, arbitration and litigation of franchise, antitrust and regulatory issues
- Defense of breach of contract, terminations and non-renewals, violations of restrictive covenants, and other frequent franchise/distribution-related disputes
- All facets of class action litigation, from initial pleading challenges through class certification, trial or settlement and claims processes. Read more about our extensive class action experience here.
- Negotiation of state franchise, relationship or sales representative disputes
- Dealing with federal and state administrative agencies
- Litigation of industry-specific matters such as those involving state motor vehicle franchise practices statutes, the Petroleum Marketing Practices Act and state motor fuel marketing laws, and state consumer protection statutes
- Intellectual property protection and enforcement
- Read more about our Franchise Litigation & Dispute Resolution practice here.
Our Clients
We work with franchise systems in all stages – from startup to national and multi-national franchisors – and advise service- and product-based franchisors, distributors and manufacturers, including food services, health care, real estate, motor fuel, hospitality, gyms, restaurants, insurance and educational organizations.
Our firm also counsels franchisors on other related matters, including employment, real estate and tax issues, non-compete and confidentiality agreements, and business succession planning.
Our Blog
Greensfelder’s Franchising & Distribution attorneys frequently write and speak on franchise topics. For updates on recent developments in franchising law, read our Franchising & Distribution Law Blog.
Our Team's Awards & Recognitions
Greensfelder's franchise team is honored to have received individual and group recognitions and awards, and a recent selection of the most noteworthy are listed below. We believe these achievements are a reflection of not only our attorneys’ individual talent and drive, but also the teamwork of our tight-knit group and strong collaboration with our client partners.
- Chambers USA nationwide ranking in Franchise Law, as well as individual rankings for Leonard Vines and Beata Krakus
- U.S. News - Best Law Firms Tier 1 ranking for Franchise Law
- Lewis G. Rudnick Award, ABA Forum on Franchising (Leonard Vines)
- ABA Forum on Franchising Governing Committee (Beata Krakus and Leonard Vines)
- The Best Lawyers in America, Franchise Law (Dawn Johnson, Beata Krakus, Leonard Vines, Susan Meyer)
- St. Louis area Franchise Law Lawyer of the Year (Dawn Johnson and Leonard Vines)
- Chicago area Franchise Law Lawyer of the Year (Beata Krakus)
- International Distribution Institute, U.S. Country Expert on Distribution Law (Beata Krakus)
- Certified Franchise Executive (Dawn Johnson and Paul Woody)
- Crain's Notable Women in Law (Susan Meyer)
- Missouri Lawyers Media Women’s Justice Award (Dawn Johnson and Abby Risner)
- Franchise Times Legal Eagles
- Who's Who Legal: Franchise
Read or download our Franchising & Distribution Services brochure to learn more about our experience and how we can help you.
Attorneys
News & Insights
News
- June 1, 2023
- Restaurant Dive, January 30, 2023
- January 26, 2023
- January 6, 2023
- December 8, 2022
- November 3, 2022
- September 9, 2022
- Thomson Reuters, June 3, 2022
- June 1, 2022
- Missouri Lawyers Media, May 9, 2022
- Franchise Times, April 2022
- March 15, 2022
- 1851 Franchise, November 8, 2021
- October 2021
- August 11, 2021
- May 20, 2021
- Franchise Times, April 2021
- Franchise Times, February 19, 2021
- November 12, 2020
- November 5, 2020
- September 28, 2020
- August 3, 2020
- July 14, 2020
- April 23, 2020
- Franchise Times, February 2020
- Franchise Times, January 15, 2020
- November 2019
- November 1, 2019
- September 2019
- August 15, 2019
- April 2019
- Congratulations to Beata Krakus and Leonard Vines on being named to the Franchise Times’ 2019 Legal Eagles listApril 2019
- October 31, 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- 1851 Magazine, April 2018
- Congratulations to Beata Krakus and Leonard Vines on being named to the Franchise Times’ Legal Eagles listApril 2018
- Franchise Times, May 9, 2017
- May 24, 2016
- April 1, 2016
- January 11, 2016
- May 19, 2015
- Franchise attorney Beata Krakus has been ranked in Chambers Global-wide 2015 as an "Up and Coming Lawyer."March 12, 2015
- John Baer, Beata Krakus and Lenny Vines selected for International Who's Who of Franchise Lawyers 2014.December 30, 2014
- John Baer, Beata Krakus and Lenny Vines named Legal Eagles for 2014 by Franchise Times magazineMay 22, 2014
- October 17, 2013
- Franchising & Distribution group honored as a 'Midwestern powerhouse' in 2012 International Who's Who Legal of Franchise LawyersDecember 5, 2012
- John Baer, Lenny Vines, Beata Krakus and Chris Feldmeir named in 2013 The International Who's Who of Franchise LawyersSeptember 10, 2012
Seminars & Speaking Engagements
- Panelist, "Choosing effective dispute resolution clauses in distribution: choice of court clauses"International Distribution Institute 2021 Annual Conference, May 11, 2021
- Moderator, "Regulatory Update"International Franchise Association's 2021 Virtual Legal Symposium, May 6, 2021
- Panelist, "Basics Track: Trademarks & IP"International Franchise Association's 2021 Virtual Legal Symposium, May 5, 2021
- Panelist, "Financial Performance Representations in a COVID-19 World"International Franchise Association 2021 Virtual Annual Convention, February 17, 2021
- Hot Topics Moderator, "How franchisors deal with issues of data flows from EU to US since GDPR and brand new EU regulation"International Bar Association 2020 Virtually Together, November 2, 2020
- "Advertising and Marketing Funds: What Are You Doing With 'My' Money?"ABA Forum on Franchising, Virtual Annual Meeting, October 27-30, 2020
- "Further Abroad: Beyond the Fundamentals of International Franchising"ABA Forum on Franchising, Denver, CO, October 16, 2019
- ABA Forum on Franchising Annual Conference, Nashville, Tennessee, October 10-12, 2018
- ABA Forum on Franchising Annual Conference, Nashville, Tennessee, October 10-12, 2018
- Swedish Franchise Association, Stockholm, Sweden, November 7, 2017
- "Exemption-Based Franchising Throughout the United States"ABA Forum on Franchising Annual Conference, Palm Springs, California, October 18, 2017
- "Exemption Based Franchising for Established and Start-Up Franchisors"International Franchise Association Legal Symposium, Washington, D.C., May 8-9, 2017
- ABA Forum on Franchising Annual Meeting, November 3-4, 2016
- "Is Your Distribution/License Agreement a Franchise Agreement in Disguise? Avoiding the Pitfalls of an Accidental Franchise"Association of Corporate Counsel Chicago chapter, September 7-8, 2016
- "Beware of the 'Inadvertent' Franchise"Meritas Webinar, June 29, 2016
- IBA/IFA 31st Annual Joint Conference, May 2015
- International Franchising Association Legal Symposium, May 2015
- American Bar Association Petroleum Marketing Attorneys' Meeting, April 2015
- "State Franchise Regulator’s Perspective: What You Should Know Before You Buy A Franchise"International Franchise Association West Coast Franchise Expo, 2014
Publications
- The Franchise Lawyer, Summer 2022
- The Licensing Journal, January 2022
- The Franchise Lawyer, Winter 2021
- Franchise Law Journal, Fall 2020
- "Commercial Agency Distributorship Law"GTDT Practice Guides: Franchise, Chapter 11, May 2019
- Co-author, Chapter 2, "Scope and Coverage of the FTC Rule"The FTC Franchise Rule Third Edition, 2019
- ABF Journal, November/December 2017
- Business Law Today Month in Brief, November 2017
- The Franchise Lawyer, Spring 2017
Blog Posts
- Franchising & Distribution Law Blog, May 22, 2023
- Franchising & Distribution Law Blog, April 12, 2023
- Franchising & Distribution Law Blog, March 10, 2023
- Franchising & Distribution Law Blog, March 8, 2023
- Franchising & Distribution Law Blog, February 2, 2023
- Franchising & Distribution Law Blog, January 4, 2023
- Franchising & Distribution Law Blog, January 2, 2023
- Franchising & Distribution Law Blog, December 5, 2022
- Franchising & Distribution Law Blog, November 21, 2022
- Franchising & Distribution Law Blog, October 4, 2022
- Franchising & Distribution Law Blog, September 2, 2022
- Franchising & Distribution Law Blog, February 17, 2022
- Franchising & Distribution Law Blog, November 22, 2021
- Franchising & Distribution Law Blog, November 10, 2021