Lathrop GPM

­­Managing Officer: Cameron Garrison

Number of partners: 163

Number of other lawyers: 175

Firm Overview: 

Clients are at the heart of Lathrop GPM corporate culture. As a full-service national law firm, the Lathrop GPM helps businesses, organisations, and individuals grow and succeed. Lathrop GPM is a leader in representing franchise and middle-market public and private clients. Its attorneys have deep industry experience in health care and life sciences, agribusiness, manufacturing, and higher education. The firm serves as a trusted legal advisor to its clients and is committed to their clients’ long-term success. Working together, Lathrop GPM helps clients build exciting futures. Lathrop GPM is an affiliate member of Multilaw — a multinational association in 100 countries.

Main Areas of Practice:  

Franchise & Distribution:  

Lathrop GPM has one of the world’s leading franchise and distribution law practices, with attorneys who serve franchisors and master franchisees at all stages of development and in markets throughout the world. The franchise and distribution lawyers offer clients a range of experience in every facet of international and domestic franchising work. Lathrop GPM also has an expansive and seasoned group of franchise litigators who represent franchisors in systemwide disputes, enforcement of non-compete obligations, and supply chain and antitrust matters. The firm’s interdisciplinary lawyers provide counsel for all franchise and distribution issues, including data privacy, employment and labour law, intellectual property, mergers and acquisitions, and real estate transactions.

Corporate & Business:  

Lathrop GPM handles corporate transactions with depth in corporate finance, emerging companies, venture capital, entrepreneurial services, M&A, private equity, securities, and corporate governance, tax, and technology. Clients ranging from privately held businesses to multinational companies depend on Lathrop GPM attorneys for day-to-day legal counsel for high-profile transactions.

Health Law: 

Lathrop GPM provides clients with a market-leading health care transactions and regulatory compliance counseling team that resolves complex regulatory issues for health care organisations and proactively implements sensible plans in an ever-shifting regulatory landscape. Clients range from multistate delivery systems and health plans to solo rural practitioners. Additional areas of deep knowledge include health care transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, facility and provider licensing, contracting, technology transfers and financing, and health care litigation.

Intellectual Property:  

Lathrop GPM provides comprehensive domestic and cross-border IP solutions. The IP attorneys help clients to acquire, protect, and defend copyrights, patents, trademarks, and trade secrets while minimising infringement risk and litigating IP matters globally. The team possesses technical expertise in biotechnology and life sciences, agribusiness and ag-tech, computer science, and optical, electrical, aerospace, and chemical engineering. The IP team is further experienced in domain name disputes, social media and internet advising, privacy and data security counselling, and advertising law.

Labour, Employment & Higher Education: 

Lathrop GPM represents employers in every aspect of employment and labour law, from proactive advice and counsel and defending lawsuits to representing unionised employers. Lathrop GPM handles internal investigations and advises employers on personnel situations, employment compliance, and providing day-to-day advice. Lathrop GPM is a leading firm in the higher education sector, counseling colleges, and universities on employment issues and student-related compliance services with respect to Title IX, sexual assault, sexual harassment, discrimination, accommodations, and privacy.

Litigation & Dispute Resolution: 

Lathrop GPM provides litigation experience in antitrust, appellate, class action, employment, financial services, franchise, general commercial, government investigations, health care, intellectual property, non-compete, product liability, real estate, shareholder disputes, trade secrets, trust and estate, and white-collar defence. Clients include Fortune 100 corporations with global operations, closely-held businesses, colleges and universities, corporate executives, and professional practice groups.

Tort: 

Lathrop GPM provides a full-circle approach to tort law, ranging from investigation and defence of claims to insurance recovery and claim prevention advice. Lathrop GPM attorneys regularly serve as lead defence counsel in injury and death cases involving product defects or failures, trucking accidents, and employee or co-worker liability that falls outside workers’ compensation law. The firm provides product liability counsel to manufacturers and distributors, defending them in cases where severe injuries are involved. It also has a toxic torts team that is adept at dealing with scientific issues and has defended hundreds of personal injury and property damage claims involving various chemicals and claims of toxic exposure.

Trusts, Estates & Legacy Planning: 

Lathrop GPM offers comprehensive estate and wealth planning strategies for individuals and multigenerational families with significant wealth (and the advisors who support them), nonprofit foundations, and family offices. The attorneys assist clients in navigating the ever-changing tax landscape, utilising cutting-edge estate planning techniques, and – when needed – advocacy in disputes involving trusts and estates.