Franchise Times has ranked Haynes and Boone, LLP Partners Deborah S. Coldwell, Maral Kilejian and Rob Lauer among the top franchise practitioners in the U.S., naming them 2019 Legal Eagles.
This is Lauer’s first year to be included on the prestigious list of top franchise lawyers. It marks the third time that Kilejian has been selected as a Legal Eagle and the 15th year for Coldwell. In 2013, Franchise Times also inducted Coldwell into its inaugural Legal Eagles Hall of Fame.
Legal Eagles are chosen through nominations from peers, clients and the publication editors.
“These attorneys live and breathe franchising,” Franchise Times states. “No matter the issue, the Franchise Times Legal Eagles want to get it solved fast, cheap and efficient.”
About the Honorees
Based in Dallas, Coldwell represents franchisors, distributors, joint ventures, limited liability companies, partnerships and the individuals who run those companies in jury trials, bench trials and arbitrations. She has litigated across several industries – from hotels and restaurants to health clubs and tax preparation services to product and service-based franchise and distribution networks. She is a past chair of the American Bar Association Forum on Franchising. She also served the Forum as the editor-in-chief of the Franchise Law Journal and as its publications officer. Coldwell channels her love of sports by litigating sports law-related matters and serving as co-chair of Haynes and Boone’s Sports Law Practice Group. She is also a passionate member of the Food, Beverage and Restaurant Practice Group.
Also based in Dallas, Kilejian focuses her practice in the areas of franchise and distribution law, and advertising,marketing, and promotional law. She provides practical initial and ongoing counsel and legal support to franchisors in the structuring and operation of domestic franchise programs and international expansion, including in the drafting of franchise-related agreements, franchise compliance issues, franchise and business opportunity registrations and exemptions, non-traditional venues, alternative distribution channels, managing franchisee relationships, crisis management, operations manuals, marketing materials, gift card programs, and development and implementation of social media policies and guidelines. Kilejian also assists clients with nationwide and international advertising and marketing campaigns and initiatives as well as promotions, including sweepstakes and contests.
Based in Austin, Lauer is a franchise lawyer who devotes all of his practice to domestic and international franchise matters. He also concurrently serves as the administrative partner for Haynes and Boone’s Austin office and co-head of the Franchise and Distribution Practice Group. Lauer is extremely active in the Forum on Franchising as an editor, writer and speaker at forum events and is currently serving on the Forum’s Governing Committee through 2022. Lauer also currently serves as a Committee Member on the IBA’s International Franchising Committee through 2019. Lauer focuses on franchise transactional matters, and is recognized in both Chambers USA (2012 to 2019) and Chambers Global (2011 to 2019) published by Chambers and Partners, as well as The Best Lawyers in America (2008 to 2019), for his experience in both domestic and international franchising.
Haynes and Boone’s Franchise and Distribution Practice Group ranks consistently among the top global and domestic franchise practices in Chambers USA, Chambers Global and U.S. News/Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms.” Members of the group have experience in-house with franchise companies and outside in the real world working in the industries served and seek to combine business skill and legal knowledge to balance the business objectives and economic expectations of franchise and distribution clients.
To read more about the Legal Eagles, click here.