Ronald K. Gardner Jr. - Minneapolis, MN

Overview

Ronald K. Gardner Jr. | Franchisee Lawyer Contact Me: (612)359-3501 | rkgardner@dadygardner.com Ronald K. Gardner, is a partner at Dady & Gardner, P.A., who limits his practice to the representation of franchisees, franchisee associations, dealers and distributors in their relations with their franchisors, manufacturers and suppliers. Ron, along with the rest of his colleagues at Dady & Gardner, P.A., prides himself on the fact that the firm has a national reputation for effectively and efficiently helping their franchisee, association, dealer and distributor clients to improve their relationships through negotiations and trust building, and when necessary, resolve their disputes through litigation, negotiation, mediation and arbitration.

Given his extensive experience (and you can read more about that below if you choose), he is available to talk to you at no initial charge about whatever issues you may be having with your franchisor, manufacturer or supplier.

Specifically, Ron has helped clients in dozens of industries, including fast food, automobile, trucking, construction equipment and agricultural implements. Ron has represented businesses of all sizes, including multi-unit franchisees, as well as single owner operations. Ron also does extensive representation of franchisee associations, representing some 25 associations, including several of the top 10 largest franchise associations in the world. He has handled disputes ranging from unlawful terminations to encroachment to cases regarding franchisor's failure to comply with registration and disclosure requirements of the FTC and state governments and has negotiated franchise agreements for entire systems. He has represented or counseled clients in all 50 states and several foreign counties. Ron has been named one of Minnesota's top 100 "Super Lawyers" six different times, a "Legal Eagle" by the Franchise Times (having been inducted into the "Legal Eagle Hall of Fame" for appearance every year the list has existed), and he has been named as one of the "Best Lawyers in America" in the field of Franchise Law every year since 2006. For 2014-2015 and again in 2018-2019, "Best Lawyers in America" named Ron the "Lawyer of the Year" in Franchise Law in Minneapolis. Chambers USA has said he is "a pretty rare guy - his advice can truly be relied upon," as well as calling him "the premier franchisee lawyer in America." Finally, Who's Who has recognized Ron as one of the ten most highly regarded franchise lawyers in North America-and he is the ONLY franchisee lawyer to be on that list in the last decade (2010-2020).

Ron is a member of the American, Minnesota, Hennepin County and Rice County Bar Associations. He is a Past Chair of the ABA Forum on Franchising, the country's leading group of franchise attorneys (and the first "franchisee lawyer" to ever be elected to this position). In addition to the chairmanship of the Forum on Franchising, he also served as Division Director of the Forum's Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution Division, and Co-Chair of the 2005 Orlando Forum. He is also an active participant in the American Association of Franchisees and Dealers. He is also one of only four franchisee advocates serving on the North American Securities Administers' Association Special Franchise Project Group-a highly select group of franchise practitioners who advise state policy makers on franchise regulation issues. Ron is a frequent speaker at various gatherings on franchise and distribution-related topics, such as the Annual Forum on Franchising, the National Convention of the American Association of Franchisees and Dealers (having received the AAFD's Total Quality Franchising Chairman's Award for Distinguished Service to the Franchising Community in 2017), the International Franchise Association, the International Bar Association and the International Distribution Institute. He speaks regularly to various franchise and industry groups about their rights. Ron is a former author of a widely cited franchise treatise, as well as the author of numerous books, chapters and papers on the rights of franchisees.

Ron graduated magna cum laude in 1991 from Mankato State University, and is a 1994 cum laude with honors graduate of the Hamline University School of Law, and was been honored by his law school as a Hamline University School of Law Distinguished Alumnus, making him one of only 35 of the graduates at Hamline to ever be so honored. He and his wife Becky are the proud parents of Devyn and Zach, as well as the proud grandparents of Ryan and Owen.