ATLANTA (April 30) – Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton announced today that attorneys Rupert Barkoff, Chris Bussert, Marc Lieberstein, and Kathryn Shipe were named 2019 Franchise Times Legal Eagles, a recognition of accomplished attorneys who have a deep understanding of legal and business issues impacting the franchise industry. 

Franchise Times Legal Eagles are selected based on nominations from clients, peers, and other legal professionals. The nominations are then judged by Franchise Times editors. 

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 fifth year receiving the recognition and Mr. Lieberstein’s second time being recognized. Ms. Shipe is recognized for the first time, highlighting the strength and depth of Kilpatrick Townsend’s franchising practice. 

Mr. Barkoff is Chairman of the firm's Franchise Team and 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. 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. 

Ms. Shipe has assisted dozens of companies in structuring, forming, launching, and growing successful franchise programs in numerous industries for over 20 years. She routinely counsels franchise companies and private equity on the purchase and sale of franchise systems, and represents individual owners in the purchase and sale of existing businesses. In addition, she counsels clients on the purchase of franchise rights, assisting in the review of franchise disclosure documents, franchise agreements, development agreements, area representative agreements, and master rights agreements.

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

Follow the firm on Twitter: @KTS_Law.

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