Jennifer Dolman

Practice Areas

Jennifer has been practicing commercial litigation for over 30 years, after clerking for the Chief Justice of the Ontario Court (General Division). Jennifer’s practice focuses primarily on assisting Canadian and international franchisors, from a variety of industries including quick service restaurants, retail, pharmacy, automotive, real estate, hospitality, education, manufacturing and technology, with their business-critical disputes.

She regularly defends claims by individual franchisees, as well as franchisee group and class actions, under Ontario’s Arthur Wishart Act and other Canadian franchise statutes, for rescission, breach of the duty of good faith and fair dealing, misrepresentation and interference with the right to associate, and enforcing terminations.

In addition to franchise matters, Jennifer also defends wrongful dismissal claims (in which she has responded to a number of summary judgment motions) and human rights complaints for employers, and has experience in intellectual property (including trade-mark and copyright infringement, and the protection of trade secrets and confidential information), defamation (including statements made via the Internet), privacy matters and represents manufacturers and suppliers in their disputes with agents and distributors. Jennifer has particular expertise in the area of injunctions and emergency applications, especially regarding the enforcement of restrictive covenants against franchisees, dealers, distributors, licensees or departing senior employees.

Jennifer is an active participant in franchise organizations in Canada and the U.S., is the past Chair of the Ontario Bar Association Franchise Law Section, and a frequent speaker and writer. In addition to having written over 35 franchise articles for FP Entrepreneur at: http://business.financialpost.com/author/fpjenniferdolman/, Jennifer regularly posts franchise articles on her LinkedIn account at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferdolman/, and was formerly the only Canadian on the editorial board of the American Bar Association’s Franchise Law Journal. Jennifer volunteers as a skills instructor and speaker at The Advocates’ Society, previously sat on the Board of Governors of Havergal College, an independent girls school in Toronto. Jennifer is a member of Women Get on Board Inc., and is interested in pursuing new board opportunities.

Career

McGill University, LL.B.

University of Toronto, B.A.

Bar Admission: Ontario, 1991

Professional Memberships

Advocates’ Society

American Bar Association (member of Litigation Section, Forum on Franchising)

Canadian Franchise Association

Law Society of Ontario

Ontario Bar Association

Faculty of Law Toronto Engagement Subcommittee and Fundraising, McGill University

International Franchise Association