Jim adds the benevolence and perspective that only a father of 4 daughters can deliver.  More than that, he brings over two decades of franchise litigation, arbitration, and mediation experience to Plave Koch.  His resume includes some of the best-known cases in franchising, particularly in post-merger disputes. 

Publications (as author or co-author)

Prevailing Franchisor Awarded Attorneys’ Fees

July 30, 2007 | Franchise Alert

Operation of Competing Brands Upheld Again

September 2005 | The Franchise Lawyer, Vol. 9, No. 1  

Using the Lanham Act to Combat Foreign Trademark Piracy

May 18, 2001 | Franchise Alert

Operation of Competing Franchise Systems

May 28, 2000 | Franchise Alert

Using the Lanham Act to Combat Foreign Trademark Piracy

34th International Franchise Association Legal Symposium

May 2001 | Washington, DC

Representing Multiple Brands

International Franchise Association Annual Convention

February 2001 | Las Vegas, NV

The Role of Technology in Tactical Execution

International Franchise Association Annual Convention

February 2001 | Las Vegas, NV

Mergers and Acquisitions of Franchise Companies

32nd International Franchise Association Legal Symposium

May 1999 | Washington, DC

Acquiring and Operating Multiple Franchise Systems

International Franchise Association Annual Convention

March 1999 | Miami Beach, FL

• J.D., with high honors, The George Washington University Law School; Order of the Coif
• B.A., Brown University

• Editor in Chief, The George Washington Law Review

Clerkships

• Law Clerk for the Honorable J. Clifford Wallace, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (1980-1981)

Bar & Court Admissions

• District of Columbia Bar
• Virginia Bar
• New York Bar  

• Member, American Bar Association, Sections of Litigation and Antitrust, Forum on Franchising.