Foreword

• Author: Ronald K. Gardner
• Pages: xvii-xvii

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Foreword

When the Franchise Law Compliance Manual was originally conceived in the

mid-1990s, it was one of those rare ideas that, on its face, everyone knew was

going to be so important and helpful that we were simply left to wonder why it

had not been done before. Under the steady hands of Steve Goldman and Bret

Lowell, and with significant assistance from the Corporate Counsel Division

members, particularly its then-Chair, Jeff Brimer, the Franchise Law Compliance

Manual came to fruition. In that first edition, the Forum on Franchising brought

to bear significant expertise to assist companies engaged in the business of fran-

chising in creating and establishing a multitude of compliance programs. The

Manual rightfully focused on both legal and practical issues that faced all com-

panies engaged in franchising.

In this second edition, we have gone even further. Given his extraordinary

contributions to the first edition, Jeff Brimer was the Forum’s obvious choice as

the editor of this second edition. Jeff brought considerable skill and talent to edit-

ing this fine piece, setting out to rework, reorganize, and expand on the tremen-

dous work that was contained in the first edition.

Working with 15 deeply experienced practitioners (including a handful of the

original authors), Jeff has put together a product some thought would not be pos-

sible—an improvement over the first edition. Besides the updates and reorganiza-

tion, this second edition contains an entirely new section on compliance in the

age of international franchising. This alone brings this volume up to date as fran-

chising embarks on its second half-century. Further, much of what you will find

in chapters 1 through 6 is the result of best practice and improvements that prac-

titioners of the fine art of franchising have developed over the last 15 years.

On behalf of the entire Forum on Franchising, I thank Jeff and the authors of

this fine publication for their spectacular contribution to the continuing evolu-

tion of franchise law—and, perhaps more importantly, helping to supply sound

practical and legal advice to those who are charged with complying with all

aspects of franchise law throughout the United States and even more so now,

throughout the entire world.

Ronald K. Gardner

2010 Chair, Forum on Franchising

American Bar Association

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