Most Highly Regarded Firms: Texas 2008 - Franchise
A select group of six lawyers from just three firms make up the franchise chapter.
The franchise Bar in Texas may be small but it possesses the high-quality individuals to service the needs of both franchisors and franchisees; the individuals below drew praise from clients and peers alike.
Haynes and Boone LLP boasts a strong international reputation in this area and provides three of the lawyers for our short list, a showing unmatched in this chapter. Joyce Mazero is practice leader for the firm's franchise and distribution group, as well as the restaurant and food service industries practice. Mazero is well known for her cross-border work and is a frequent writer in the franchise arena. She is a member of the ABA forum on franchising and a past vice chair of the International Bar Association's section on business law (international franchising committee). Mazero is joined on the following pages by two other partners, Deborah Coldwell and Gayle Cannon. Coldwell's focus is on franchise litigation and she is "greatly respected" in this area. Cannon is "extremely experienced" and advises franchisors, area developers, master franchisees, franchisees and trade associations in domestic and international matters. Recent matters in which she has participated include restructuring the franchise programme for an executive business suite franchisor, which included revisions to agreements for eight countries, compliance with disclosure obligations in several countries and expansion into additional countries. Cannon is a member of the ABA Forum on Franchising, Antitrust Section and a past president and board member of the franchise and distribution law section of the Dallas Bar.
DLA Piper US LLP is a global powerhouse for franchise work and boasts one of the most highly nominated practitioners in this chapter. Ann Hurwitz counsels clients from a variety of industries on the structuring and operation of their franchise programmes. She is especially well versed in the operational, relationship and regulatory issues arising from the ownership of multiple concepts, co-branded opportunities, concept acquisition and disposition and the restructuring of distribution systems.
Michael Santa Maria's move in the summer of 2007 to Baker & McKenzie LLP from DLA Piper gives the firm its first entry in this chapter. Santa Maria is known for his work on master franchising, development agreements and direct franchising matters on the international scene. His knowledge of the South American markets was praised by sources during the research.
The Vernon Law Group PLLC is a boutique firm that focuses on compliance matters relating to franchise. John Vernon has a respected international practice that has seen him represent a multinational hotel franchisor and an international language school in developing their Mexican franchise operations as well as representing a US hotel franchisor in the development and implementation of franchise systems, and related regulatory compliance in over 35 countries.