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Gray Plant Mooty’s Stephen Vaughan Named Vice Chair of DC Bar’s Franchise Law Committee

7/1/2010

announce that Stephen Vaughan, a shareholder with the firm’s Washington, DC, office, has been named vice chair of the District of Columbia Bar Association’s Franchise Law committee.

The DC Bar’s Franchise Law committee sponsors programs and events relating to changes and developments in franchise law and related areas, such as bankruptcy, antitrust, and intellectual property law. The committee provides a forum for discussion of franchise law and these related areas and monitors legislative and regulatory developments that affect franchising. Members include both in-house and outside counsel for franchisors, franchisees, developers, distributors, and related entities, as well as government regulators.

Vaughan is a member of Gray Plant Mooty’s Franchise & Distribution and Business & General Litigation practice groups, and its White Collar Defense team.

He represents clients in federal and state court cases pertaining to financial fraud, employment law violations, contract disputes, trademark and trade dress infringement, shareholder disputes and derivative litigation, health care fraud, and government investigations. Vaughan has served as first chair and cochair in federal and state court trials involving business torts, fraud, employment law violations, general liability, and trademark infringement, and he has successfully argued preliminary injunctions on behalf of the firm's clients.

In addition, Vaughan represents clients in commercial transactions and corporate formation. He counsels and assists clients in preserving their intellectual property rights, including trademark and copyright registration, licensing, trademark prosecution, and Internet domain name protection. He also helps business owners identify issues specific to the franchise relationship and counsels them on establishing franchise systems, developing and maintaining system standards, enforcing system standards, auditing practices, and contracting.

Vaughan also serves clients—from start-up companies to established corporations in the fitness, health care, hotel, food service, publishing, and entertainment industries—in general business transactions.

He received his J.D. from The Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law in 1998.

About GPM:

Gray Plant Mooty is recognized as one of the leading corporate law firms in Minnesota and one of the top franchise firms in the world. Our roots go back to 1866. Today, we are a 170-attorney, full-service firm with offices in Minneapolis and St. Cloud, Minnesota, and Washington, DC. Our attorneys and staff provide exceptional client service and value to our clients, and directly or with our global affiliations, we provide comprehensive legal services on a regional, national, and global basis.