Looking Ahead to IFA26 Legal: Connections That Last a Career

My very first Legal Symposium was in 2015 in Chicago.

I had been in franchising for less than three years — two of which were spent in-house drinking from a firehose as a solo GC at a restaurant franchisor (IYKYK) — and not only was I attending, I was also speaking at a breakout session entitled “How to Ensure Your Franchisees Knock It Out of the Park: Implementing KPIs in Franchise Agreements.” I knew five people going into the event: my boss, my former outside counsel, my co-panelist, and the Legal Symposium task force member coordinating the session.

To say I was nervous is an understatement.

Our program carried a baseball theme because I am a die-hard Cubs fan and former Chicago resident.

I brought baseball caps from various MLB teams to bribe attendees to participate. I figured if the session was a complete bust, at least some attendees would walk away with something of value. Zero self-confidence.

Within the first 15 minutes of our first run of the session, I realized how truly amazing it is to be a member of the franchise bar. Sensing my unease, people shared their own experiences about driving franchisee performance, asked questions about integrating KPIs, and the presentation quickly turned into a productive dialogue. The same thing happened during the second session the following day. My gripping anxiety faded.

And my task force coordinator? Jason Adler, who I am lucky enough to call my closest friend and have watched proudly as he grew professionally to his current role as Chair of the Forum on Franchising and Global Deputy General Counsel of a Roark Capital portfolio brand. In the last decade, we have celebrated milestone birthdays, bar mitzvahs, and a myriad of other life events.

My co-panelist? Elliot Ginsburg, now one of the leading franchisee attorneys in the country who has remained a trusted confidant and friend.

I also remember sitting starstruck during a panel discussion on franchise relationships led by franchise legends Brian Schnell, Aziz Hashim, Catherine Monson, and Ann Hurwitz. Today, I have the privilege of continuing to work with three of them, allowing their transformative wisdom to shape my path in franchising. (Ann retired several years ago, but the mark she left on franchising lives on.)

I furiously took notes in sessions on advanced FDD drafting techniques and financial performance representations led by David Kaufmann and Susan Gruenberg. I relied on those notes for the next three FDD renewal seasons. Today, I also have the privilege of working closely with Susan on the IFA Fran-GuardTM task force and NASAA Advisory Committee.

I laughed along with speakers Courtney Seely (then GC of Smashburger) and Claudia Levitas (then GC of Hooters) during a session on crisis management, having navigated my own PR disaster in my prior GC role. I have looked to Courtney for advice and guidance throughout my career and watched with admiration as she led the legal departments of Orange Theory, Molson Coors, and now CableLabs. Claudia, now the AGC of Roark Capital, is a trusted confidant in my current role at IFA.

In many ways, I have grown up with the people I first met at that 2015 Legal Symposium. I love them like family and look forward to seeing them each year like I’m going home for the holidays.

So when people ask why they should attend the Legal Symposium, the answer is simple: you can show up as a brand-new franchise lawyer knowing barely anyone and walk away with connections that stay with you personally and professionally for decades.

It is an absolute gift to be part of the franchise legal community — and those relationships would never have happened without the in-person connections the Legal Symposium provides. Looking ahead, I know those connections will continue to shape the next generation of franchise leaders, just as they shaped me.

Sarah Davies is the General Counsel, VP of Legal & Government Relations at the International Franchise Association and the Executive Director of the IFA Law Center. 

 

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