Franchise Practice Continues to Receive National Recognition

ATLANTA (April 12) – Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton announced today that attorneys Rupert Barkoff, Chris Bussert, and Marc Lieberstein were named 2018 Franchise Times Legal Eagles, representing the best and brightest attorneys franchising has to offer. Mr. Barkoff has been listed in this prestigious ranking every year since 2004, the first year Franchise Times published Legal Eagles. This is Mr. Bussert’s fourth year receiving the recognition and Mr. Lieberstein’s first time being recognized, further highlighting the strength and depth of Kilpatrick Townsend’s franchising practice.

Franchise Times Legal Eagles are superior attorneys, selected from nominations by their clients, peers and Franchise Times editors. The 2018 class of Legal Eagles live and breathe franchising. They understand the gravitas of every single legal battle, every transaction, and every document, which creates a spirit of collaboration and efficiency.

Mr. Barkoff is Chairman of the firm's Franchise Team and is resident in the firm's Atlanta office. He has been practicing franchise, distribution and corporate law for over 40 years. Mr. Barkoff's 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, he has represented numerous start-up, national and regional franchisors in establishment and operation of their franchise systems.

Mr. Barkoff has published over 300 articles on franchise law, and is the former Co-Editor-in-Chief of the ABA’s Forum on Franchising publication Fundamentals of Franchising. He currently teaches franchise law at the University of Georgia School of Law, and is a member of the Franchise Advisory Committee to Georgia State University’s Business School. He has been ranked one of the ten most respected franchise lawyers in the world.

Mr. Bussert is Senior Counsel in the firm's Trademark & Copyright Team and is resident in the firm's Atlanta office. He 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. He is a former Editor-in-Chief of the Franchise Law Journal and formerly served on the Governing Committee of the ABA Forum on Franchising.

Mr. Lieberstein is co-chair of the firm’s Retail & Consumer Goods Industry team. His practice focuses on intellectual property licensing and franchising in the retail/consumer goods and services areas, fashion/apparel and accessories, food and beverage, 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, Mr. Lieberstein counsels clients on creating effective strategies for procuring, protecting and enforcing their global intellectual property assets. He has also participated in and used alternative dispute resolution forums such as arbitration and mediation to enforce and/or resolve disputes in licensing and other transactional matters.

For more information on Kilpatrick Townsend’s Franchise Team, please click here.

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

Follow the firm on Twitter: @KTS_Law.

###