Eric is the managing officer of the firm's Washington, DC, office and is a member of the firm's Franchise & Distribution practice group. He also heads the firm's White Collar Defense team.
Previously, Eric served for nine years as a federal prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Justice. From 1999-2000, he served as deputy chief of the Campaign Financing Task Force, where he oversaw the investigation and prosecution of numerous individuals accused of campaign finance violations. From 1996-2000, he served in the Public Integrity section of the Justice Department and from 1991-1996 as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. Eric prosecuted a wide variety of cases ranging from homicides, kidnapping, bribery, extortion, obstruction of justice, false statements, conflicts of interest, and tax offenses, to mail and wire fraud. Eric tried more than 40 cases and handled over 20 appellate matters while with the Department of Justice and received five U.S. Department of Justice Special Achievement Awards for his work.
Prior to his service with the Department of Justice, Eric practiced civil litigation for five years in Boston, Massachusetts. In private practice, Eric has successfully represented clients in a wide range of civil and criminal matters. On the civil side, he has litigated antitrust, trademark infringement, covenants not to compete, breach of contract, financial fraud, shareholder derivative, false advertising, land use, tort, and numerous other matters. In recent years, Eric has focused his civil litigation practice in the representation of franchisors in disputes with franchisees. He has also served as outside franchise counsel on behalf of potential purchasers of large national and international franchise systems. On the criminal side, Eric has represented clients in connection with presidential pardons, campaign finance irregularities, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the Arms Export Control Act, insider trading, conflicts of interest, financial fraud, and Medicare and health care fraud.
Publications
- “FCPA: Good Compliance and Monitoring Will Keep the Government at Bay,” GPM In-House Litigator, Spring 2011
- “Defensive Measures and Focal Points in the White Collar Legal Arena,” chapter in Managing White Collar Legal Issues, Aspatore/Thomson Reuters, 2011
- "Caught in the Crosshairs: Strategies for Responding When Health Regulators Come Calling," coauthor, 2010 Health Law Institute, Minneapolis, Minnesota, June 10, 2010
- “The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act: Implications on Systems, Franchisees,” Franchising World, coauthor with Ashley Ewald, April 2009
- "Mandating English Language Proficiency for Franchisees," ABA Franchise Law Journal, Volume 28, Number 3, coauthor with Iris Rosario, Winter 2009
- "Minimum Resale Pricing Policies in the Wake of Leegin v. Creative Leather," The Franchise Lawyer, coauthor, September 2007
- "The Warranty Report: A Survey of Marine-Specific State Warranty Statutes (2004)," National Marine Manufacturers Association, coauthor, January 2005
- “Supply and Distribution Issues in Franchising,” Franchising World, June 2004
- “Utilizing Cross Default Provisions in Franchise Agreements,” The Franchise Lawyer, coauthor, Summer 2003
Presentations
- “Joint Representation of Franchisors, Their Officers, Employees, and Affiliates in Litigation,” 34th Annual ABA Forum on Franchising, Baltimore, Maryland, October 20-21, 2011
- “Government Investigations: The Tricks, Traps, and Technicalities,” panelist, GPM White Collar Roundtable, April 14, 2011
- "E-Discovery in Franchise Disputes," roundtable facilitator, International Franchise Association 43rd Annual Legal Symposium, Washington, DC, May 18, 2010
- "Priorities at the U.S. Attorney’s Office Under the New Administration - A Conversation with New U.S. Attorney B. Todd Jones," panelist, October 2009
- “Government Investigations of Antitrust Issues,” Law Seminars International Pharmaceutical Antitrust Conference, Washington, DC, April 2008
- “Nuts and Bolts of Government Investigations,” Law Seminars International Pharmaceutical Antitrust Conference, Washington, DC, April 2007
- “Protecting the Franchise System with Restrictive Covenants Against Competition,” International Franchise Association 40th Annual Legal Symposium, Washington, DC, May 2007
- “Trial Demonstration,” ABA Health Care Fraud Conference, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, May 2006
- “Franchising in the United States,” 5th Annual Convention on Franchising, Itaparica, Brazil, October 2005
- “White Collar Crime,” The Connection (National Public Radio), March 2004
- “Supply and Distribution Issues,” International Franchise Association 37th Annual Legal Symposium, moderator, Washington, DC, May 2004
- “Criminal Liability and Prosecution Under McCain-Feingold,” Georgetown University, panelist, Washington, DC, November 2003
- “The Cheney Syndrome,” The Connection (National Public Radio), January 2002
- “Prosecuting Cases in a Fishbowl,” Council on Government Ethics Laws, panelist, Tampa, Florida, December 2000
Education
- University of Chicago Law School, J.D., 1986
- Oberlin College, 1981
Bar Admissions
- U.S. Courts of Appeals, First, Fourth, Ninth and DC Circuits
- U.S. District Court, Maryland
- U.S. District Court, Massachusetts
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan
- U.S. Court of Federal Claims
- District of Columbia
- Commonwealth of Massachusetts
- Minnesota
Professional Activities
- International Franchise Association
- American Bar Association, Forum Committee on Franchising, White Collar Crime and Litigation sections
- District of Columbia Board on Professional Responsibility, member; Rules Committee
Honors and Distinctions
- Named one of the top franchise law attorneys by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, 2010-2011
- “Super Lawyer,” Washington DC Super Lawyers, 2010
- "Top Lawyer" in Washington, DC, Washingtonian magazine, 2004