Speaking Engagement

“But They Were Not My Client”: The Prospect of a Franchisor’s Outside Counsel Being Liable to an Aggrieved Franchisee

Blank Rome partner Charles S. Marion will serve as a presenter for “‘But They Were Not My Client’: The Prospect of a Franchisor’s Outside Counsel Being Liable to an Aggrieved Franchisee,” a virtual lunch and learn being presented by the Antitrust, Franchising, and Trade Regulation Section of the State Bar of Michigan (“SBM”) on Thursday, July 28, 2022, via Zoom.

Chuck and Ari N. Stern will discuss their Franchise Law Journal article of the same name, “‘But They Were Not My Client’: The Prospect of a Franchisor’s Outside Counsel Being Liable to an Aggrieved Franchisee,” exploring:

• The duties and responsibilities, if any, that a franchisor’s outside counsel owes to a prospective franchisee
• The impact of any state franchise laws on the relationship between franchisor’s outside counsel and a prospective franchisee
• Potential causes of actions a franchisee could assert against a franchisor’s outside counsel
• Defenses to commonly asserted claims against franchisor’s outside counsel
• Policy considerations attendant to the relationship between franchisor counsel and prospect
• Best practices that outside counsel should employ to eliminate or reduce the risk of such claims

This lunch and learn will take an in-depth look at the authors’ perspectives as they summarize the article and offer their viewpoints before opening the topic up to attendees for discussion.