Vast Experience With Distribution and Franchise Issues
The Distribution & Franchise Practice of Foley assists clients in structuring solid distribution and franchise relationships and in anticipating potentially difficult legal issues before they arise.

Some of the services we provide to our clients include:

• Establishing dealer networks and implementing sales procedures
• Negotiating and documenting distributorship, sales representation, and franchise agreements and programs
• Merging distribution channels
• Resolving dealership and distribution disputes
• Creating performance management systems and contract provisions
• Overseeing warranty programs and terms of purchase and sale, including electronic data interchange (EDI)
• Securing financing for the production process and for purchases by dealers and other end-users

In addition, our attorneys are knowledgeable about issues inherent with such transactions, including issues related to antitrust compliance and international distribution laws.

Nationwide Counseling and Litigation
An important benefit to our clients in distribution and dealer matters is our NationLink Distribution Database. Surprisingly, there is no commercial service that provides a complete collection of all of the laws necessary to address distribution questions. Normal research aids are incomplete, and no service adds the background research on the decisions of the courts in each state.

Introduced in 1994, NationLink provides efficient and correct answers to distribution problems in any of the 50 states. We created this internal database of research on the laws of product distribution for every state, including state laws regulating the distribution relationship, case law interpreting the state law, and research memoranda on the common law principles of each state as they affect the distribution contract. In addition, we have the online capability to monitor pending distribution legislation in all 50 states.