Kassel, Sanford A.

ERIC H. KARP is a partner in the Boston law firm of Witmer, Karp, Warner & Ryan LLP where his practice concentrated in franchise and business law. He was one of only 173 lawyers from 49 countries selected for inclusion in The International Who's Who of Franchise Lawyers 2004-2005, published by Law Business Research.

Mr. Karp serves as counsel to numerous franchisee associations in such chains as McDonald's, Pearle Vision, Domino's Pizza, Denny's, TCBY Yogurt, Jackson Hewitt, Woodcraft, Portable On Demand Storage, and Colors on Parade. He has represented franchisees throughout the country in a myriad of franchise issues including sales, purchases, relocations, remodels, transfers, defaults and terminations and lease issues.

He serves on the Board of Directors of the American Franchisee Association (AFA). Mr. Karp also served as Chair of the AFA Model Responsible Franchise Practices Act Committee, was the principal author of the Model Act and served as the Program Chair of the 1999 AFA Franchisee Legal Symposium.

In June, 1994 Mr. Karp testified before the U.S. House Small Business Committee on "Self Regulation of Franchising: The IFA Code of Ethics." An elected delegate to the 1995 White House Conference on Small Business, Mr. Karp has twice testified before the Joint Committee on Commerce and Labor of the Massachusetts Legislature on franchise issues. Mr. Karp has also provided advice and assistance to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee and its staff on proposed federal legislation on franchising.

Since 1996 Mr. Karp has served on the Franchise Project Group of the Franchise and Business Opportunities Committee of the North American Securities Administrators Association. He has been a presenter for the American Bar Association Forum on Franchising and the International Franchise Association Legal Symposium and an active participant in the debate over the revision of the Federal Trade CommissionÕs Franchise Disclosure Rule.

Mr. Karp has been a regular guest lecturer at Babson College in its MBA program on franchising.

Mr. Karp is a graduate of Boston University (B.A. Political Science 1974) and Boston University School of Law (J.D. 1977).