There has never been a more important time for franchise lawyers and business executives to work together to develop strategies to respond to the threats and risks new developments present.
By Amy Cheng
For nearly half a century, lawyers and other legal professionals have attended the International Franchise Association’s annual Legal Symposium to stay current with legal developments affecting franchising. Attendees have gathered to share, discuss and debate hot topics regarding franchise law. Both in-house counsel and private attorneys come to view the proceedings as a must-attend event — not just for the content, but also for the tremendous networking opportunities.
Over the past several years, many franchise business executives have also come to appreciate the benefits of attending the Legal Symposium, and the number of non-lawyer attendees has grown year after year. It reflects IFA’s recognition of the critical impact legal issues have on the industry as a whole.
Challenges Abound
The franchise business model faces unprecedented challenges. These include the U.S. National Labor Relations Board’s ruling cementing the board’s belief that franchisors and franchisees are joint employers, challenges under state relationship laws, as well as an increase in cybercrime, ongoing immigration issues, and additional regulation around the globe.
In addition, the increased use of social media and new technology raises serious concerns across all stakeholders in the franchise business model. These concerns have drawn the attention of franchise lawyers, as well as all franchisor executives focused on how to navigate the constantly changing legal landscape. There has never been a more important time for franchise lawyers and franchise business executives to work together to develop strategies to respond to the threats and risks these developments present.
It is equally as important that franchise business executives understand these legal developments in order to effectively maintain and manage their franchise systems, much less grow them, in the increasingly challenging environment these developments create. There is no better opportunity than the 2016 Legal Symposium for all of us to engage each other regarding these potentially crippling issues and to work together toward our common goal of protecting the independent franchise business relationship.
Focused Programming
These issues have provided our task force with great fodder to develop the Symposium’s various sessions, panel discussions, keynotes and other presentations for this year’s meeting. The IFA Legal Symposium Task Force has focused its programming to assist lawyers and franchise business executives to understand better the challenges confronting our industry in order to navigate the new legal challenges we all face.
We know these few days will offer valuable information and insights that will benefit both lawyers and franchise executives, and help them continue to evolve and expand their franchise systems. We will kick off this year’s meeting with a plenary session that takes a multi-disciplinary look at the rapidly growing issue of cybercrime entitled “Cybersecurity: Conquering the New Frontier of Legal Risks.”
It’s not all about work, however. Knowing that we need to use your time and resources efficiently and make every second worthwhile, we encourage you to enjoy the sessions, but also take the time to experience all that Washington, D.C. has to offer. The laws that we all work to protect and support originate in this great city, and there is a lot to enjoy and experience.
I look forward to seeing you May 15 to 17 back in the nation’s capital. Please see the sidebar for a more complete snapshot of the planned programming. For additional information or to register for the Legal Symposium, visit legalsymposium.franchise.org.
2016 Legal Symposium Snapshot – Breakout Sessions
1. Cybersecurity: Navigating a Terrain Fraught with Peril
2. The Ins and Outs of Franchise Advertising Programs
3. Advising New and Emerging Franchise Companies As They Begin Their Franchise Journey and Seek to Take Their System to the Next Level
4. Effective Leadership Role of a Franchisor in Social Media Marketing Programs
5. Litigation – How to Benefit from Forensic Accounting in Franchising
6. Taking International Franchising to the Next Level
7. A Walk on the Wild Side: When Franchisor and Franchisee are on the Same Side of the “V.”
8. International Arbitration — It’s All Greek To Me — Navigating Through the Particularities of ICC Arbitrations
9. Death by Dangled Carrot — Litigating Financial Performance Representations
10. Early Dispute Resolution — Effectively Resolve Disputes without Having to Resort to Time Consuming and Costly Litigation
11. Why Can’t I Buy This Instead? The Issue of Unauthorized Products and Suppliers in Franchise Systems
12. Franchisee Associations: Friend or Foe?
13. Untangling the Tangled Webs We Weave: Joint Representation Issues in Franchise Cases
14. Winds of Change –Tried Techniques for Effectively Managing Risk When Implementing System-Wide Change
15. Practical and Real World Steps a Franchisor Can Take to Provide Effective Support without Crossing into Joint-Employer Territory
16. Financial Performance Representations — What Changes are in Store?
Basic Track programs on registration and disclosure, franchise default and termination, mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property, franchise litigation and international expansion will also be available. We look forward to seeing you May 15-17 in Washington, D.C. for the 49th Annual IFA Legal Symposium. Visit legalsymposium.franchise.org to register.
Amy Cheng, current chair of the Legal Symposium, is a co-founding partner with the Chicago law firm of Cheng Cohen LLC. Find her at fransocial.franchise.org.