We invite you to join us this October in Toronto, at the ABA Forum on Franchising’s 32nd Annual Meeting.

One look around Toronto explains this year’s theme: The Architecture of Franchise Law: Engineering Excellence. Toronto is undergoing an architectural renaissance.  Recently finished projects, such as the renowned Royal Ontario Museum (site of our Thursday night annual reception and pictured on the front cover of this brochure),  embody Toronto’s commitment to excellence.

Similarly, this year’s program is aimed at maintaining excellence in franchise law.  Top-notch franchise lawyering involves fostering and honing legal skills and business knowledge. Being your client’s go-to lawyer is even more critical in this economically challenging environment. The Toronto programs will help you distinguish yourself, your firm, or your company to capture the client or consumer dollars that are being held tightly and spent prudently. Here are the highlights:

Three Diverse Wednesday Intensive Programs. Each half-day session is loaded with power-house speakers and content.

MBA Concepts for Franchise Lawyers:  A first-rate line-up of presenters, including the controller of McDonald’s USA, will discuss critical franchise business and financial concepts that every corporate or trial lawyer needs to know in order to effectively represent his or her franchise clients.

International Franchising:  An erudite panel of lawyers and franchise consultants will explain the key points involved in advising on international expansion.

Fundamentals of Franchising®:  This must-attend event for those new to franchise law lays the foundation for the remaining programs.

Thursday and Friday Workshops:  In addition to the ever-popular Annual Developments plenary, the Forum offers two days of workshops hosted by first-rate speakers that address recent legal developments and current business challenges, such as:

• Franchise Systems in Distress
• Best Practices for State Registration
• Common Discovery Issues
• Fundamentals 201Series
• The Accidental Franchise
• Bringing a Foreign Franchise to the U.S.

Relationship-Based Plenary Session: Come hear Greg Nathan – a renowned franchise relationship expert and author, who uses his “out of the box” thinking to explain the dynamics between franchisors and franchisees when counseling on legal or business issues. Greg will discuss the empirical evidence gathered through his work with franchisors on how to best facilitate better franchise relationships.

Good franchise lawyers are not only smart, they also know how to network and have fun. This year’s program will offer attendees ample opportunities to further develop professional relationships while socializing in some of Toronto’s unique venues. In addition to Thursday night’s annual reception at the ROM, the Friday night casual event will include dinner and live music in Toronto’s historical yet hip Distillery District.

In keeping with our architectural theme, Saturday’s day trip destination is one of North America’s finest natural wonders, Niagara Falls. Only 90 minutes away, this excursion will feature a tour of the dramatic Falls, lunch at a local winery and a tour of historic Niagara-on-the-Lake. Also on Saturday is the Forum’s annual community service event, where participants will take part in an indoor landscaping make-over at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in downtown Toronto.

This year’s Forum promises to deliver something for everyone. We look forward to seeing you.

                              KERRY BUNDY                                    LARRY WEINBERG
                              Faegre & Benson LLP                        Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP
                              Program Co-Chair                               Program Co-Chair