Kramer, John A.

Kat Tidd formed her own law firm in Dallas, Texas in 1994 emphasizing all aspects of franchise and business opportunity laws. She currently advises small and medium sized businesses, franchisors and franchisees, dealers, and entrepreneurs in general and serves as a consultant to other attorneys on franchise and business opportunity matters. Her practice emphasizes business, corporate, franchise and transactional law, including compliance, disclosure and franchise start-up related matters. Kat has worked in and with the franchise industry for more than 20 years. Kat Tidd served as vice president and general counsel of franchising, licensing and distribution companies for 12 years. She has negotiated and structured franchise and license arrangements at the U.S. and international levels, as well as working with both start-ups and mature franchise systems. She developed and managed legal departments for such companies as Taco Time International, The Plus Companies and Pizza Inn. Before relocating to Texas in 1989, she also maintained a limited private practice counseling business and franchise owners, prospective franchisees and start-up franchisors.

Kat has been an active member of the American Bar Association's Forum on Franchising and the Antitrust section since 1981, has served on the Forum Nominating Committee, published in the Franchise Law Journal, been speaker on ethics at the annual meeting of the Forum on Franchising, the Dallas Bar Association, and on Continuing Legal Education programs, as well as a frequent speaker on the topic franchises and franchising in the DFW area golf tournament chair for the Forum. She is also a member of the Texas and Oregon state bars, past Chair of the Franchise Section of the Dallas Bar Association, and past co-chair of the International Business Committee of the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce. She obtained her B.A. from the Honors College, University of Oregon and her J.D. from University of Oregon Law School.

"I've worked in and with franchising for more than 25 years (I'm not counting any more) - before, during, and after law school. 12 years as vice-president and general counsel of various franchisors, and now 11 years with my own firm. I counsel franchisors and franchisees, dealers, and entrepreneurs and working closely other attorneys (especially litigators) on franchise and business opportunity matters. My practice is 99% all things franchise [both franchisor and franchisee]: franchise disclosure and compliance, start-ups, transactions, franchise relationship and litigation/dispute resolution matters, and business opportunities."