Experience
Michael Laidhold joined Plave Koch as a partner in April 2007. He has over 20 years of experience with a variety of commercial, licensing, franchise, corporate and business development matters across a diverse range of industries. Michael’s experience includes structuring new franchise programs and restructuring existing franchise programs; dealership and distribution relationships; re-branding franchise systems; drafting and negotiating franchise, licensing, and distribution agreements, asset purchase agreements, and related commercial contracts; terminating and renewing franchise relationships; establishing the business parameters of the franchise program (including supply and distribution relationships); counseling clients with respect to compliance with state, federal, and international regulations; and assisting in dispute resolution proceedings. He has also been involved in working with conventional dealership businesses, such as the distribution of medical parts and surgical supplies. Michael has authored and co-authored several articles on branding, licensing, franchising, and distribution issues, and spoken on those topics at industry seminars.
Education
- University of Pittsburgh Law School (J.D.)
- University of Pittsburgh (M.P.I.A.)
- Miami University (B.A.)
Admitted to Practice
- District of Columbia
- Pennsylvania
- Virginia
Honors
- Who’s Who Legal – Franchising
- Best Lawyers in America
Presentations
Presenter, Moderator, or Co-Presenter:
Navigating the New Normal with Financial Performance Representations
International Franchise Association – 51st Annual Legal Symposium
May 2018| Washington, DC
The Ins and Outs of Franchise Advertising Programs
International Franchise Association – 49th Annual Legal Symposium
May 2016 | Washington, DC
The Risks and Rewards of Franchising on the Path Less Traveled: International Franchising in Uncommon Markets
American Bar Association – 35th Annual Forum on Franchising
October 2012| Los Angeles, CA
Franchise Agreement Drafting: The Essentials
International Franchise Association Legal Symposium
May 2009| Washington, D.C.
Publications
Author or Co-Author:
Improperly Prepared FDDs: What's a Franchisee To Do?
April 2011| Franchising World
Assessing Materiality in Franchise Disclosure Documents: A Canada- U.S. Analysis
0 Franchise Law Journal, 245
Spring 2011| Washington, D.C.
Card Interchange Fees Under Fire
December 2010| Franchising Update
Size, Experience Matters in Registration and Disclosure Requirements
April, 2010| Franchising World
New Business Opportunity Rule Proposed by FTC
The Franchise Handbook
October 2006
The FACT Act and its Effect on Franchising
Franchise World
June 2004
Franchising in Asia - A more Regulated Environment
September 2001| Franchise Times
Private Party Access to the WTO: Do Recent Developments in International Trade Dispute Resolution Really Give Private Organizations a Voice in the WTO?
1999| 12 Transnat'l Lawyer 427
