Michael Brennan To Head International Franchising Group

Piper Rudnick partner Michael G. Brennan was installed as chair of the International Franchising Committee of the International Bar Association during the IBA's 2002 Conference held October 20-25 in Durban, South Africa. Brennan, based in Chicago, is a partner in the firm?s Franchise and Distribution practice group. He has concentrated his practice on domestic and international business, licensing and franchising matters for over 20 years. The Piper Rudnick franchise group has been a national and international leader in franchise and distribution law since modern franchising began, helping to shape the field from its inception.

The IBA, based in London, is the largest global association of attorneys. Its International Franchising Committee has more than 540 members from 80 countries and focuses on all aspects of the law and business of international franchising, including competition law principles, cross-border sales and licensing issues, and trademark and intellectual property protection. In its work over the years, the committee has worked closely with the European Franchise Federation, the Institute for the Unification of International Private Law (UNIDROIT), the International Franchise Association, the ABA Forum on Franchising and the European Commission.

During his two-year term as chairman, Brennan will have overall responsibility for planning and conducting programs on the varied aspects of international franchising. These programs take place at the annual conferences of the IBA. In addition, the International Franchising Committee conducts a full-day program every year with the International Franchise Association in Washington, D.C. The Committee also publishes a newsletter, and contributes to other IBA publications.

Brennan is the co-editor of the International Encyclopaedia of Franchising and speaks and writes regularly on topics of domestic and international business law. He earned his law degree in 1979 from DePaul University and his B.A. in 1974 from the University of Notre Dame, magna cum laude. Brennan also attended the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva, Switzerland, and the Goethe Institute in Murnau, Germany.

Piper Rudnick is a business law firm of 900 lawyers with offices in Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Edison, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Reston, Tampa and Washington. The firm's practice is focused on:

• Business and Technology - including corporate and securities, corporate governance, franchise and distribution, intellectual property, information technology, biosciences, IPOs, mergers and acquisitions, and other major transactions for companies of all sizes.
• Real Estate - comprising one of the largest and most diverse practices in the U.S., covering every aspect of commercial, retail, industrial and residential property transactions, finance, project finance and securities.
• Litigation - including a white-collar group led by a former Watergate prosecutor, and national product liability, securities, labor and commercial litigation practices.
• Government Affairs - including the internationally-known Federal affairs and legislative practice group of Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson and Hand now part of Piper Rudnick as the result of Verner Liipfert's recent merger with Piper Rudnick; a government controversies practice headed by the former general counsel of a leading telecommunications company; and leading practices in government contracts, environmental, privacy, antitrust and communications.
• International Commerce and Litigation - including international dispute resolution and public international law, supplemented by the firm's strategic alliance with The Cohen Group, an international strategic business consulting firm headed by former U.S. Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen.