Certified as a Franchise & Distribution Law Specialist by the California Board of Legal Specialization.
Susan Grueneberg focuses on advising clients on franchise and distribution law, including regulatory compliance. Her practice emphasizes both domestic and international franchises and licensing, as well as area development arrangements and sub-franchises.
Education
- UCLA School of Law (J.D., 1979)
- University of California, Los Angeles (B.A., cum laude, 1973)
- Phi Beta Kappa
- University of Beijing, China, fellowship for post-graduate study in Chinese law and economics awarded by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, Committee on Scholarly Communication with the People's Republic of China (1979-1981)
- Yale-in-China Studies Center, Chinese University of Hong Kong, U.S. State Department Teaching Fellowship (1976-1978)
Court Admissions
- Supreme Court of California
Professional Memberships & Activities
- Advisory Committee to the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) Franchise Project Group (1996-present), Chair (2006-present)
- American Bar Association, Forum on Franchising
- Chair (2001-2003)
- Governing Committee, Member (1998-2001)
- Annual Program Co-Chair (2001)
- Women/Diversity Officer (1998-2001)
- Nominating Committee, Chair (2004-2005), Member (1996, 2007, 2010)
- International Franchise Association Legal/Legislative Committee, Member (1995-present)
- State Bar of California
- Franchise and Distribution Law Advisory Commission (2009-present)
- Business Law Section, Executive Committee (1990-1992)
- Franchise Law Committee, Chair (1988-1989), Member (1986-1989, 2006-2009), Education Liaison (2008-2009)
- Century City Bar Association, Board of Governors (1993-1996)
Representative Presentations & Publications
Representative Legal Publications
- Franchise Laws: What You Should Know Before Expanding Internationally, Co-Author, The Daily Journal (December 21, 2011)
- Assessing Potential Political And Ethnic Conflicts, Author, Franchising World (September 2011)
- Planes, Trains and Automobiles: How Franchise Companies Build Brand Awareness with the Travelling Public, Author, The Daily Journal (May 4, 2011)
- Food Trucks and Franchising: A Recipe for Success?, Author, Los Angeles Daily Journal (November 18, 2010)
- How to Identify and Avoid Problems in International Master Franchising, Co-Author, International Franchise Association, 43rd Annual Legal Symposium (May 16-18, 2010)
- Franchising 101: Key Issues in the Law of Franchising, Co-Author, Business Law Today, Vol. 19, No. 4 (March/April 2010)
- Preparing A Franchise Disclosure Document, Co-Author, Chapter 3, California Franchise Law and Practice, Continuing Education of the Bar (CEB) - California (2009)
- What is a Financial Performance Representation? Co-Author, Financial Performance Representations: The New and Updated Earnings Claims, American Bar Association (October 2008)
- Exemptions Can Work for You, Author, Franchising World (September 2008)
- How to Prepare a Franchise Disclosure Document in California Under the Amended FTC Franchise Rule, Co-Author, California Business Law Reporter, Vol. 23, No. 3 (Summer 2008)
- The FTC Franchise Rule Analysis and Commentary, Co-Editor, American Bar Association (May 2008)
- The New Frontier of Franchise Disclosure, Author, Franchising World (February 2007)
- How Franchisors Cope with the Increasing Sophistication/Complexity of Franchisee Business Entities, Co-Author, American Bar Association 2006 Annual Forum on Franchising (October 11-13, 2006)
- Creating and Maintaining Effective Relations with Franchisee Advisory Councils, Author, Franchising World (July 2004)
Representative Presentations
- How to Identify and Avoid Problems in International Franchising, Panel Member, International Franchise Association, 51st Annual Franchise Convention, Las Vegas, NV (February 13-16, 2011)
- How to Identify and Avoid Problems in International Master Franchising, Speaker, International Franchise Association, 43rd Annual Legal Symposium, Washington, D.C. (May 16-18, 2010)
- Roundtable on Best Practices in Dealing with Difficult Franchisees Through Non-Confrontational Methods, Moderator, International Franchise Association, 42nd Annual Legal Symposium, Washington, D.C. (May 19, 2009)
- What is (And is Not) a Financial Performance Presentation?, Speaker, North America Securities Administrators Association, Inc., Franchise Examiner Training, Los Angeles, California (February 28, 2009)
- What You Need to Know to Set Up an Electronic Disclosure System, Moderator, International Franchise Association's 49th Annual Convention, San Diego, California (February 15, 2009)
- Developments Under the Amended FTC Rule - Learning from our Mistakes, Speaker, American Bar Association 2008 Forum on Franchising Moderator, Austin, Texas (October 15, 2008)
- Roundtable on Exemption Based Franchising, Moderator, International Franchise Association 41st Annual Legal Symposium, Washington, DC (May 11-13, 2008)
- Eight Months and Counting - Open Issues under the FTC Rule and How To Resolve Them, Speaker, North American Securities Administrators Association, Inc., Franchise Examiner Training, San Francisco, California (March 2, 2008)
- The Future of the UFOC and Commentary; Electronic Disclosure; Phase-In Periods; NASAA Statement of Policy, and Other Open Issues Under the Revised FTC Franchise Rule, Speaker, North American Securities Administrators Association, Inc., Franchise Examiner Training, Newport Beach, California (June 3, 2007)
- American Bar Association Teleconference on the New FTC Rule, Moderator (April 12, 2007)
Professional Recognition & Awards
- Southern California Super Lawyers®, Franchise/Dealership (2006-2012)
- Super Lawyers®, Franchise/Dealership - Corporate Counsel Edition (2008-2010)
- The Best Lawyers in America®, Franchise Law (2006-2012)
- Los Angeles Franchise Law Lawyer of the Year (2012)
- Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business®, Franchising (2007-2011)
- Legal Eagle, Franchise Times (2004-2012)
- The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers
Community Involvement
- Community Services Award, Will Rogers Elementary School (1999)
- Press Interpreter, Chinese National Basketball Teams, 1984 Summer Olympics, Los Angeles, CA
