Franchise & Dealership Litigation and Consulting

When it comes to the laws affecting the distribution of goods and services throughout our economy, LLG’s franchise, dealership, and distribution attorneys are some of the brightest around.  How bright? All of them currently teach and write about franchising on a national level and are active members of the ABA Forum on Franchising. Many of them are regular panelists at legal conferences on franchising sponsored by the International Franchise Association (IFA).  They put their efforts into trade groups as well, as regular participants in Associated Equipment Dealers (AED), an international trade association representing companies involved in the distribution, rental, and support of equipment used in construction, mining, forestry, power generation, agriculture and industrial applications.

How did LLG develop this extensive knowledge of franchise and distribution relationships, antitrust, distribution chain management, unfair competition, and specific relationship laws such as the Wisconsin Fair Dealership Law, the California Franchise Investment Law, and others of their kind?  They got there through years of hard work: consulting with, and litigating on behalf of, manufacturers, franchisors, distributors, dealers, and franchisees.

Many firms pledge allegiance to one side of the distribution channel or the other, which is a perfectly fine structure. But LLG believes that good clients on either side of that channel need great lawyers. Our firm’s work in franchise, dealership, and distribution law is about the intellectual pursuit and the zealous representation of a client in need. When that happens, the entire relationship is enhanced. Over the course of years, our team has worked extensively for distribution and franchise systems across a range of industries and business sectors (including hospitality and lodging, building supplies, boat manufacturing, quick service restaurants, personal service, mortuary supplies, and others). It also has measurable experience consulting with franchisee associations, and multi-unit owner groups, relating to their distribution relationships and associated rights and obligations. Our franchise and distribution team’s transactional work focuses on providing assistance to franchisees with deciding on whether to enter into franchise relationships in the first instance, reviewing and analyzing Franchise Disclosure Documents, negotiating dealer and franchise agreements, and more.

The result of all this know-how and hard work comes with recognition from our peers. LLG’s franchise and distribution attorneys have been recognized on an annual basis nationally by The Best Lawyers in America® for their work in franchising. In addition, Joseph S. Goode, our Managing Partner, was named Milwaukee’s “Franchise Lawyer of the Year” in 2015 and again in 2017 by this organization. We think that means a lot.