• Franchising

Q: Please list your professional accreditations, degrees, licenses, and certificates granted:

A: J.D., Washington University in St. Louis
B.S. with Distinction, Cornell University
Member in good standing of the California and New York State Bar Associations
California State Bar Certified Specialist in Franchise and Distribution Law

Q: Please list your affiliations or memberships in any professional and/or industry organizations:

A: Member, American Bar Association Forum on Franchising; past chair of the organization and former editor of its publication, Franchise Law Journal

Q: Please list any teaching or speaking experience you have had, including subject matter:

A: Please see Rochelle Spandorf Bio for a complete list

Recent teaching and speaking experiences:

American Bar Association
“Trademark Licensors Beware: Is Your License or Distribution Agreement Really a Franchise?,” author of article published in Landslide Magazine, December 2024/January 2025: IP Portfolio Management, a publication of the American Bar Association, Intellectual Property Section.
“What is a Franchise Fee Under California Law?”, The Franchise Lawyer, Vol. 28, Issue 2 (2024).
“Fundamentals of Structuring a Franchise,” speaker at the 2024 Fundamentals of Franchising Intensive Course at the ABA Forum on Franchising, October, 2024.
“How is Employment Law Changing the Franchise Relationship?,” co-author of paper and co-presenter of 5-hour intensive course at the ABA Forum on Franchising, November, 2023.
“Fundamentals of Franchise Disclosure and Registration Practice,” speaker at the 2022 Fundamentals of Franchising Intensive Course at the ABA Forum on Franchising, November, 2022.
“The Desperate Consequences of Flunking the ABCs,” author of article published in ABA Franchise Law Journal, 41 Franchise L.J. 439, Spring 2022.
2020 Annual Regulator Workshop, speaker and author of paper presented at the ABA Forum on Franchising, October, 2020.
“Forty Years of the Franchise Law Journal,” contributing author of article published in ABA Franchise Law Journal, 40 Franchise L.J. 105, Summer 2020.
“Can Federal Preemption Solve What’s Wrong With Franchise Law?,” author of article published in ABA Franchise Law Journal, 39 Franchise L.J. 477, Spring 2020.
“Fundamentals of Franchise Disclosure and Registration Practice,” speaker at the 2019 Fundamentals of Franchising Intensive Course at the ABA Forum on Franchising, October, 2019.

Other Speeches and Publications (Outside of American Bar Association)
"Avoiding the Accidental Franchise When Structuring Licenses or Distribution Agreements," featured speaker for national CLE webinar produced by Strafford Publications, Inc. (February, 2025).
“Trademark Licenses and Accidental Franchises,” featured speaker for national CLE webinar produced by Strafford Publications, Inc. (June 26, 2024).
“The Essentials of Franchise Law,” featured speaker for national CLE webinar produced by CEB, a non-profit program of the University of California (August 3, 2023).
“The Essentials of Franchise Law,” featured speaker for national CLE webinar produced by Lawline (February 14, 2023).
“Negotiating and Drafting Franchise Agreements: Key Provisions and Negotiating Strategies,” featured speaker for national CLE webinar produced by Strafford Publications, Inc. (February 7, 2023).
“Attorneys Serving as Expert Witnesses in Franchise Cases,” article published by Los Angeles Lawyer Magazine, a publication of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, (October 2021).
“Avoiding the Accidental Franchise: Best Practices for Structuring Licenses or Distribution Agreements,” featured speaker for national CLE webinar produced by Strafford Publications, Inc. (September 28, 2021).
“Trademark Licenses and Accidental Franchises,” featured speaker for national CLE webinar produced by Strafford Publications, Inc. (August 17, 2021).
“10 Tips for Reading an FDD: Part 1, Tips 6-10,” featured in: Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine: Issue 4, 2021 (Part 3 of a 3-Part Series).
“10 Tips for Reading an FDD: Part 1, Tips 1-5,” featured in: Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine: Issue 3, 2021 (Part 2 of a 3-Part Series).
“Reading the FDD: The Argument Against Simplification,” featured in: Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine: Issue 2, 2021 (Part 1 of a 3-Part Series).
"Expert Q&A on Trademark Licensing and Accidental Franchises," Practical Law, a Thomson Reuters publication (June 2021).
“Reasons To Disclose 2020 Data When Selling Franchises,” published by Law360, January 11, 2021, https://www.law360.com/articles/1343371/reasons-to-disclose-2020-data-when-selling-franchises
"Drafting Product Distribution Agreements: Allocating Supplier and Distributor Risks," featured speaker for national CLE webinar produced by Strafford Publications, Inc. (May 19, 2020).
“Protecting Your Brand and Networks during COVID-19: Practical Steps for Brand Owners Relying on Independent Contractors,” published by The Licensing Journal, Vol. 40, No. 5 (May 2020).
“When Cannabis and Franchise Laws Collide,” article published by Marijuana Venture magazine, September 4, 2019.
“Franchising and the Cannabis Industry,” article published by Marijuana Venture magazine, July 22, 2019.
“Franchising in the Marijuana Industry Begins to Light Up, published by Law360, May 2, 2019, https://www.law360.com/articles/1154096/franchising-in-the-cannabis-industry-begins-to-light-up

Q: Have any of your accreditations ever been investigated, suspended or removed? (if yes, explain)

A: No

Q: On how many occasions have you been retained as an expert?

A: More than 20 during my career

Q: For what area(s) of expertise have you been retained as an expert?

A: Franchise and distribution law topics including whether a particular contract is a franchise; franchise sales compliance; best practices by franchisors or franchisees; and franchise contract enforcement.

Q: In what percentage of your cases were you retained by the plaintiff?

A: 50%

Q: In what percentage of your cases were you retained by the defendant?

A: 50%

Q: On how many occasions have you had your deposition taken?

A: Once

Q: When was the last time you had your deposition taken?

A: March, 2025

Q: On how many occasions have you been qualified by a court to give expert testimony?

A: N/A

Q: On how many occasions have you testified as an expert in court or before an arbitrator?

A: N/A

Q: For how many years have you worked with the legal industry as an expert?

A: 20 years

Q: What services do you offer? (E.g.: consulting, testing, reports, site inspections etc.)

A: Outside consultant to evaluate franchise cases

Q: What is your hourly rate to consult with an attorney?

A: $975/hour

Q: What is your hourly rate to review documents?

A: $975/hour

Q: What is your hourly rate to provide deposition testimony?

A: $975/hour

Q: What is your hourly rate to provide testimony at trial?

A: $975/hour

Q: Please list any fees other than those stated above (E.g.: travel expenses, copy fees, etc.)

A: Actual out of pocket expenses

Jonathan Solish, Esq.
Partner, Bryan Cave Leighton and Paisner
120 Broadway, Suite 300
Santa Monica, CA 90401-2386
3105762156
jonathan.colish@bclplaw.com

Zana Bugaighis, Esq.
Partner, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
920 Fifth Avenue
Suite 3300
Seattle, WA 98104-1610
2067578304
zanabugaighis@dwt.com

Craig R. Tractenberg
Partner, Fox Rothschild LLP
2000 Market Street
Philadelphia PA 19103-3222
215244-7161 or 2152609414
ctractenberg@nixonpeabody.com