Antitrust falls within our Regulatory Compliance practice.  We counsel our clients to understand antitrust concerns by:

• Reviewing group buying and selling arrangements.

• Implementing general antitrust compliance and enforcement programs.

• Advising them what they can say at association members meetings and events, including online discussion forums.

• Counseling our clients about setting minimum and maximum prices.

We help our clients to establish their businesses by providing services in:

• Drafting and filing articles of incorporation and other business formation documents.

• Counseling on the different business structures.

• Updating and revising bylaws.

• Drafting corporate resolutions.

• Establishing and interpreting policies and procedures.

• Annual reports and other compliance related matters.

• Drafting and negotiating contract agreements.
  

Most businesses spend their entire existence developing and building their trade name, brand, and/or logo.  For most, it is one of their most valuable assets and without it, they are indistinguishable from the crowd.  We help our clients to protect their valuable intellectual property, including copyrighted works, trademarks and service marks, and trade names.

Our services include:

• Applying for and maintaining federal trademark, service mark, and certification mark registrations in the United States and worldwide.

• Conducting and analyzing searches to help determine whether new marks are available for adoption.

• Drafting and negotiating copyright and trademark permissions policies, license agreements and assignment documents.

For our small to medium size clients, one costly lawsuit can be enough to put them in financial jeopardy.  Ensuring that every facet of your operations has sound business practices will go a long way to ward off any legal exposure.  This is the case even for companies not subject to government regulations. We can help to structure a prevention program.

A lawsuit is costly and is often an inefficient means of resolving disputes.  In most cases, the winner in the lawsuit is everyone else put the parties.  To save our clients the expense, time and uncertainty of litigation, we evaluate our clients’ disputes with an eye to avoiding lawsuits, if possible. We also counsel our clients and help them take steps to avoid a recurrence of the problem.

Our services include:

• Best business practice program
• Dispute resolution
• Dispute avoidance practices
  

In this section, we outline the full-range of services we provide to our franchisor and franchisee clients. 

We help franchisors meet the compliance burdens at the state and federal levels, and help them to navigate common pitfalls that can escalate if ignored or not addressed effectively.  

Our services include:

• Handling and overseeing all the franchisor's legal operations. In essence, functioning as your in-house lawyer at an off-site location.   

• Structuring and documenting franchise and distribution programs; drafting franchise agreements, Franchise Disclosure Documents, and collateral agreements and documents.

• Advising companies on structuring distribution relationships that avoid regulation under state and federal franchise disclosure and business opportunity laws.

• Preparing state registration of franchise offerings, and counseling on compliance with all elements of disclosure regulation.

• Franchise and dealership terminations and transfers and counseling on compliance with federal and state relationship regulation.

• Addressing relationship problems and advising on ways to enhance franchise and distribution relationships.

• Expansion into foreign countries through master franchising, area development relationships, and other structures.

• Advising franchisors and franchisees of area development and master franchises, and negotiating related agreements.

Our service to the franchisee clients includes:

• Reviewing and explaining the framework of the franchise agreement and disclosure document.

• Franchise agreement before the statutory required time .

• Ensuring  undisclosed promises have not been made.

• Assisting in negotiating more favorable terms of the franchise agreemen.

• For multiple locations owners, handle and oversee all the franchisee's legal operations. In essence, functioning as your in-house lawyer at an off-site location.

You will confront regulatory compliance issues if you operate a business that is regulated by federal, state or local governments.  Truth be told, it is the rare business that is not regulated, directly or indirectly.  These regulations can have wide-ranging consequences, including the bottom line for your business.  To ensure that your business operates at all times within the appropriate regulatory safety zone, it is best to have a best-practice compliance guide.  We can structure your regulatory compliance program. The list of industries that are regulated is exhaustive and we cannot list them all here, but some of them include franchising, import/export, food, liquor, credit, healthcare, debt-collection, securities, real estate, insurance, education, banking, gaming, warehousing, etc.

Despite your best efforts, your business may be asked to appear before government regulatory bodies or respond to such an inquiry, for one reason or another.  To give yourself a chance, sometimes it makes sense to be represented by an attorney. If your business ever have to deal with this issue, we will be there to see you through.

Our regulatory compliance services includes:

• Structuring best practice compliance programs
• Best practice counseling
• Representation before local, state and federal regulatory bodies