Gerald A. Cook

Partner

 

Gerry is co-chair of the firm's Franchising, Licensing & Distribution Group. He focuses his practice on counseling franchisors, distributors and licensors in franchising, licensing and distributorship transactions, regulatory compliance with franchise laws and handling disputes and dispute resolutions. He has:

• Counseled clients in all areas of franchising
• Developed and drafted franchise disclosure documents and related agreements for franchise systems in various industries
• Handled franchise registration, disclosure and dispute resolution as general counsel for a publically traded national and international franchise company
• Conducted workout and lease negotiations for underperforming corporate stores and franchise locations
• Enforced post-termination obligations and covenants in terminated franchise agreements and litigated franchise disputes
• Developed system standards compliance, default and termination procedures for franchisors
• Negotiated and completed the sale of international development rights and international product distribution rights through exclusive distributorship, master franchise and area development agreements
• Maintained state registration of franchise opportunity offerings
• Developed and implemented alternate dispute resolution procedures for franchised systems
• Negotiated and drafted novel strategic business alliance agreements, co-branding agreements, and dual host franchise agreements in the United States, Canada, and Mexico
• Obtained a dismissal of a lawsuit against a franchisor based on acts and omissions of its franchisee

Client Resources

Franchise Law Update Blog
Gerald contributes regularly to the firm's Franchise Law Update blog, which highlights not only the regulatory aspects of franchising but also diverse topics such as business finance, employment, litigation and the protection of intellectual property including trademarks and copyrights.
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Franchising, Licensing & Distribution

International

Trademarks

Litigation