USA – CALIFORNIA Law and Practice Contributed by: Dawn Newton and Hayley M. Lenahan, Donahue Fitzgerald
Donahue Fitzgerald is a full-service Northern Califor - nia law firm with more than 50 attorneys and offices in Oakland, Walnut Creek and San Rafael. Its fran - chise team, founded by Dawn Newton, represents franchisors in a range of industries, including tradi - tional and quick-service restaurants, children’s pro - grammes, retail businesses and real estate broker - age companies, and regularly advises on Franchise Disclosure Document maintenance, franchise sales compliance, system restructuring, renewals, termi - nations and franchise-related disputes. The team also serves as outside general counsel to franchisors
whose systems operate nationwide and, in some cas - es, internationally. The team also provides counsel on franchising matters supported by the firm’s broader capabilities in mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property (including copyright and trade mark licens - ing and enforcement), real estate transactions, em - ployment law, litigation and dispute resolution, and trusts and estates. This multidisciplinary approach enables the firm to address the complex legal and business issues that arise throughout the franchise life cycle.
Authors
Dawn Newton is a business attorney whose practice focuses on franchise law, intellectual property and data privacy. Certified as a legal specialist in franchise and distribution law by the Board of Legal Specialization of
Hayley M. Lenahan is a partner in Donahue Fitzgerald’s Litigation practice group, with experience in handling franchise, corporate and complex commercial cases. She advises clients through all stages of
the State Bar of California, she has worked with franchise systems in the fields of seated and fast casual restaurants, real estate, retail, children’s programmes, personal services, healthcare, con - struction, consulting and hospitality. She is a fre - quent speaker and author on the subject of fran - chise law and held various leadership positions in the American Bar Association’s Forum on Franchis - ing.
litigation, from pre-dispute strategy and investigation to discovery, mediation, motion practice and trial preparation. Her experience includes franchise litigation and arbitration, stockholder derivative actions, corporate control disputes and trade secret matters. Hayley brings a strategic, results-driven approach to helping businesses and individuals resolve complex legal challenges. She is admitted to practise law in California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware (inactive).
Donahue Fitzgerald 1999 Harrison Street 26th Floor Oakland, CA 94612 USA Tel: +1 510 451 3300 Web: www.donahue.com
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