Cheng Cohen Attorney To Present The "Annual Developments" At American Bar Association's Forum On Franchising

CHICAGO, Oct. 7, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Fredric A. "Ric" Cohen, partner at Cheng Cohen, the franchise industry's, full-service boutique law firm, will co-present the "Annual Developments" at the American Bar Association's 38th Annual Forum on Franchising in New Orleans on Thursday, Oct. 15 at 8:30 a.m. This signature event reviews the year's key judicial and legislative developments affecting franchising and distribution.

Some of the cases that Ric will discuss include:

• Patterson v. Domino's Pizza, a California Supreme Court decision addressing when a franchisor may be held liable for the acts of a franchisee's employee;
• Unlimited Opportunity v. Waadah, a Nebraska Supreme Court decision refusing to enforce or rewrite a franchisee's noncompetition covenant;
• Bertico, Inc. v. Dunkin' Canada, a Quebec Court of Appeal decision holding that a franchisor owes its franchisees a duty to protect and enhance its brand; and,
• Recent case law, legislation and proposed legislation concerning minimum wages and franchisor liability as employer or joint-employer of its franchisees and their employees.

To coincide with the presentation, Ric and co-presenter Peter C. Lagarias, also have co-authored the Annual Franchise and Distribution Law Developments 2015, the Forum's Annual Developments book, which will be provided to all conference attendees and is available for sale on the ABA Forum on Franchising website.  Together, they reviewed hundreds of cases and studied state, federal and international statutory and regulatory changes to identify emerging trends and developments impacting franchising and distribution. This edition contains a new chapter, "Employment, Vicarious Liability and Discrimination," prompted by the growing prominence of the vicarious liability and joint employer theories of franchisor liability.   

"I have been a frequent panelist and moderator at previous gatherings of the American Bar Association's Forum on Franchising but it is a true honor to speak at the conference's hallmark event," said Ric Cohen, partner of Cheng Cohen, LLC.  "I'd like to thank Peter Lagarias and all of the attorneys and staff at Cheng Cohen for all their time and effort researching and producing with me the Annual Developments book. I look forward to reporting on the key legal and statutory developments that took place this past year to the franchise and distribution law community."

Ric is a co-founding partner of Cheng Cohen LLC, located in Chicago, Ill. For nearly thirty years, he has represented franchisors, licensors and manufacturers in litigation, arbitration and enforcement actions. Prior to founding the Cheng Cohen firm with his partner Amy Cheng in 2007, he was a partner at DLA Piper and its predecessor firms where he served as Co-Chair of the firm's Franchise Litigation practice and as its Hiring Partner.  He has also authored or co-authored a variety of papers and articles on topics relating to franchising and franchise litigation and frequently presents at the ABA Forum on Franchising's Annual Meeting and the International Franchise Association's Annual Legal Symposium.  For his work in the area of franchise litigation, Ric has been recognized by Chambers USA Guide, The Best Lawyers in America, Who's Who Legal, Super Lawyers, and Leading Lawyers.

About Cheng Cohen, LLC:
Established in 2007, Cheng Cohen grew out of a simple credo: to provide uncompromising client service and sound, practical legal advice to franchise and distribution clients for a fair and reasonable fee. Today, the boutique law practice is recognized as one of the leading franchise firms in the country providing franchisors, licensors and manufacturers with the comprehensive legal services, litigation support and development assistance needed to bring their products and services to market efficiently and economically. In addition to its consistent first tier ranking for franchising by U.S. News – Best Lawyers listing of Best Law Firms, Cheng Cohen has also been recognized by Chambers & Partners USA as a leader in franchising for both client service and commercial awareness. Additional information about Cheng Cohen can be found at www.chengcohen.com.

Contact:
Jessi Nunez
Fish Consulting
[email protected]
954-893-9150

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SOURCE Cheng Cohen