MINNEAPOLIS, MN  (May 1, 2009) – Gray Plant Mooty is pleased to announce that attorneys Peter J. Klarfeld and Arthur I. Cantor have joined the firm’s Washington, D.C. office as members of its Franchise & Distribution practice group.

Klarfeld is recognized as one of the most experienced franchise trial and appellate lawyers in the country, having served as lead counsel for franchisors in some of the most important cases in franchising. Klarfeld currently serves on the Governing Committee of the ABA’s Forum on Franchising, and recently served as cochair of the ABA Forum on Franchising’s 2008 Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas. He is a frequent author and speaker on franchise topics, and is the editor of the well-respected treatise, Covenants Against Competition in Franchise Agreements. Klarfeld has been recognized as one of the nation’s leading franchise lawyers by Chambers USA, as one of the “Best Lawyers in America” in franchise law by Best Lawyers, and as a “Legal Eagle” by Franchise Times. He previously worked at the U.S. Department of Justice as an attorney-advisor in the Office of Legal Counsel, and has also served as trustee and chairman of the Dalkon Shield Other Claimants Trust.

Cantor has more than 30 years of experience counseling and representing clients on franchising and antitrust matters. In addition to his extensive experience with franchise and antitrust litigation, Cantor counsels franchisors on a variety of issues, including franchisee and franchise system disputes, structuring franchise arrangements, and ownership of competing franchise systems. He is recognized as one of the deans of the U.S. franchise bar, particularly in the area of antitrust, having served on the faculty of PLI’s Antitrust Law Institute for 13 years. Cantor has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America for franchise law and The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers (franchise). He previously served in the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division as special assistant to the assistant attorney general, and was a member of the Antitrust Division’s Special Trial and Appellate sections.

Prior to joining Gray Plant Mooty, Klarfeld and Cantor practiced in the Washington, D.C. office of Wiley Rein, LLP.

“Our practice group is extremely excited to welcome attorneys with the unsurpassed experience, knowledge, and reputation in franchising that Peter and Arthur possess,” says Kirk Reilly, cochair of GPM’s Franchise & Distribution practice group. “Peter and Arthur’s decision to join our D.C. office is an indication of our ongoing commitment to provide our franchisor clients with the greatest expertise and depth in the franchise legal industry. With the addition of Peter and Arthur, our franchise litigation team now has 16 litigators specializing in franchise disputes—a group I believe is second to none in the franchise legal industry in both size and experience.”

With the addition of Klarfeld and Cantor, GPM’s Franchise & Distribution practice group grows to 38 attorneys and paralegals, reinforcing the firm’s position as a top provider of legal services to franchisors across the globe.