Tim Patterson

Tim Patterson is an associate, litigator, and business counselor with Foley & Lardner LLP. He is a member of the firm’s Distribution & Franchise and Business Litigation & Dispute Resolution Practices.

Tim counsels manufacturing clients on product distribution law, dealership law, channel-network management, and antitrust-related issues in all 50 states, and he regularly represents these clients in complex commercial litigation matters in both state and federal court.  Tim also served as in-house counsel for a global medical device manufacturer’s equipment and services business units.

Tim manages Foley’s “State Distribution & Franchise Law Map,” a tool with which Foley’s clients can easily access comprehensive information concerning distribution and franchise laws in the United States. Additionally, Tim is a regular speaker at Foley’s Annual Law of Product Distribution & Franchise Seminar, and a volume editor of the International Agency & Distribution Agreements treatise.

Tim’s litigation practice also includes a focus on fiduciary litigation. Tim regularly represents clients in contested estate and trust matters, including disputes involving estate planning documents, claims of breaches of a fiduciary’s duties to beneficiaries, and other claims against and on behalf of estate representatives, trustees, and beneficiaries.

Speaking Engagements & Publications

• Author, “Making the Case: Remote Litigation Can Benefit Your Franchise in the Long-Term,” Global Franchise Magazine (August 2021)
• Speaker, “All Over the Map—Navigating Challenges Posed By State Law,” Foley & Lardner LLP Law of Product Distribution Franchise Seminars (2021)
• Speaker, “State(s) of Confusion: Defining the Relationship Under State Distribution Laws,” Foley & Lardner LLP Law of Product Distribution Franchise Seminars (2019)
• Speaker, “Termination: Building Your Best Case,” Foley & Lardner LLP Law of Product Distribution Franchise Seminars (2018)
• Speaker, “Reaping What You Sow: Protecting Your Future Yields with Non-Competes and Trade Secret Law,” Foley & Lardner LLP Law of Product Distribution Franchise Seminars (2017)

Education

• Marquette University Law School (J.D., magna cum laude)
  • Comment editor, Marquette Law Review
  • Recipient of seven, CALI Awards
• University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee (B.A., magna cum laude)
  • Dean’s List

Admissions

• Wisconsin
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern and Western districts of Wisconsin
• 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals