ATLANTA (December 7) – Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton announced today that attorneys Rupert Barkoff, Chris Bussert, Marc Lieberstein, David Mayberry, and Michael Tyler were recognized in the prestigious 2017 International Who’s Who of Franchise Lawyers as five of the best franchise attorneys in the world. Mr. Barkoff was also selected as one of the top three “Thought Leaders” in franchise law in North America.

Since 1996, Who's Who Legal has identified the foremost legal practitioners in multiple areas of business law. Published by Law Business Research, the book contains Who’s Who Legal’s current assessment of exactly who are the very best legal practitioners. This peer-nominated distinction is based upon a comprehensive and independent survey of both general counsel and private practice attorneys worldwide. For more information about Who’s Who Legal, please click here.

Mr. Barkoff, Chairman of Kilpatrick Townsend’s Franchise Team, has been practicing franchise, distribution and corporate law for more than 40 years. His franchise practice emphasizes solutions to registration and structuring issues and developing individual and collective solutions to franchisor-franchisee relationship problems. During the course of his career, Mr. Barkoff has represented numerous start-up, national and regional franchisors in establishment and operation of their franchise systems. He has negotiated encroachment policies, counseled clients on the establishment and operation of purchasing cooperatives, and acted as mediator and arbitrator in the resolution of franchisor-franchisee disputes. Mr. Barkoff is also the Founder of the Franchise Law Institute, a newly formed group whose purpose is to study franchise law throughout the world.

Mr. Bussert has more than 30 years of experience in helping clients protect and defend their most important assets and brands. Mr. Bussert represents clients in trademark, franchise, copyright, and unfair competition litigation, including proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, and in licensing and trademark clearance and prosecution matters.

Mr. Lieberstein’s practice focuses on intellectual property licensing and franchising in the retail/consumer goods and services areas, fashion/apparel and accessories, and commercial/industrial design, including the drafting, negotiation and enforcement of license and franchise documents and agreements, as well as implementation of branding and commercialization objectives for clients via licensing and franchising. In conjunction with the services above, he counsels clients on creating effective strategies for procuring, protecting and enforcing their global intellectual property assets.

As lead trial counsel, Mr. Mayberry has helped clients resolve intellectual property law claims at trial, in arbitration, through mediation and creative settlements outside the courtroom. He has complex litigation experience in trademark, copyright, patent, trade secret, franchise and antitrust cases. Mr. Mayberry also counsels clients on trademark and trade dress enforcement and protection issues.

Mr. Tyler focuses his practice on commercial litigation, franchise litigation, products liability and land use litigation. He has extensive experience representing significant corporate clients in a wide variety of cases in federal and state courts both at the trial and appellate level. Mr. Tyler has represented companies in a broad range of business litigation matters, including contractual disputes and business torts. He has represented both national and regional franchisors in prosecuting and defending claims involving franchisees. Additionally, he has defended national and international companies in products liability cases.

For more information about Kilpatrick Townsend, please visit: www.kilpatricktownsend.com.

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