Covington lawyers provide advice on the full range of distribution issues, encompassing pricing and marketing activities, promotional programs, B2B exchanges and other forms of distribution over the Internet, compliance with federal and state franchise laws, and privacy, security and other issues unique to e-commerce. Harvey Applebaum is a former head of the Antitrust Section of the American Bar Association, and a frequent lecturer on the Robinson-Patman Act and other distribution issues. The firm advises a broad range of US clients in the manufacturing and retailing industries on pricing, distribution and franchising issues, and we have defended clients in dealer termination litigation in federal and state courts throughout the country.
We have assisted numerous clients in conducting antitrust audits of their operations, in developing antitrust guidelines for their employees, and in conducting antitrust training programs. Because of this substantial experience, we are able to assist clients in developing effective compliance strategies applicable to the latest distribution technologies without reinventing the wheel.
In Europe, Covington lawyers have advised clients on all aspects of distribution networks. Representative clients include Harley-Davidson, Krispy Kreme, Bacardi, and Volvo Construction Equipment. The advice we provide extends to all aspects of distribution law, including the structuring of complex pan-European distribution networks for compliance with applicable European Union and national competition and commercial law requirements; drafting various types of distribution or franchise agreements (or the adaptation of clients’ US model agreements) for use in European Union and other jurisdictions, often in several local languages; advice on international choice-of-law issues; assistance with the preparation or international transposition of franchise and similar manuals to be provided to franchisees; advice on national franchise registration requirements and similar formalities; assistance with legal training programs for distributors, dealers and franchisees; ongoing compliance programs; and the management of termination and other disputes with distributors and franchisees.
Henriette Tielemans and David Hull, both partners in our Brussels office, lead our European distribution practice with the assistance of more than 50 lawyers in our London and Brussels offices. Reflecting the diversity of our clients and their legal needs, our European lawyers are qualified to practice in England and Wales, Germany, France, Austria, Belgium, Spain and the US. A significant number are qualified in more than one jurisdiction, and, collectively, the languages spoken encompass most of the languages of the European Union. Our European offices maintain extensive collections of European Union and national legal resources, enabling us to offer our clients a “one-stop shop” for their distribution needs.
Senior lawyers with substantial business practice counseling experience include David Addis, Harvey Applebaum, Charles Buffon, Evan Cox, Mike Fanelli, John Graubert, Tim Hester, David Hull (Brussels,) Bing Leverich, Steve Rosenbaum, Anita Stork, Henriette Tielemans (Brussels), Ted Voorhees, and Sonya Winner.
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