Franchise Law Compliance Manual, Third

With over a decade of experience, Liz Dillon counsels growing and experienced franchisors to expand and maintain their franchise systems. She assists start-up franchisors to develop and position their franchise systems for growth both domestically and internationally. Liz typically manages the franchise registration process for more than 45 well-known brands every year and has worked with over 20 start-up franchisors. She has helped franchisors expand into Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. She brings extensive knowledge and experience in preparing and registering disclosure documents, as well as franchise, development, and supply agreements. Clients value her ability to provide real-life solutions to challenging problems. They depend on her responsive and pragmatic, yet creative, advice. Tenacity is a strength that has helped Liz gain the recognition of being named a “Legal Eagle” by Franchise Times, honored as a “Minnesota Rising Star” by peers, selected as an “Up & Coming Top Franchise Law Attorney” by Chambers USA and Chambers Global, and acknowledged as an “Up and Coming Attorney” by Minnesota Lawyer. In addition, she has earned the Certified Franchise Executive designation from the Institute of Certified Franchise Executives. James A. Goniea, a partner in the firm's Franchise and Distribution Practice Group, is resident in the firm's Philadelphia office, and has litigated on behalf of, and provided counsel for, many of the most prominent names in franchising over the past twenty years. Mr. Goniea has represented franchise clients in courts across the country and internationally on a wide variety of issues including, among others, territorial disputes, non-competition covenants, trademark disputes, system compliance, collections matters, wrongful termination and enforcement of arbitration and venue provisions. Before joining Wiggin and Dana, Mr. Goniea served as the Vice President and General Counsel of American Driveline Systems, Inc. ("ADS"), the company that owns the AAMCO Transmissions and Cottman Transmission brands. As General Counsel of ADS, Mr. Goniea had primary responsibility for overseeing and managing all legal, regulatory and compliance matters on behalf of both brands. In addition to addressing matters relating to corporate governance and contract negotiation, Mr. Goniea served as the company's primary litigator, frequently appearing in court and trying cases on behalf of both AAMCO and Cottman. Mr. Goniea also was responsible for managing the company's Customer Relations and Consumer Affairs departments. From 2000 to 2006, Mr. Goniea was a partner in the San Francisco office of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal (now SNR Denton). 1112