Program Honors Franchise Law Expert Philip Zeidman
The newly announced Philip Zeidman Franchising Internship Program and Fund, honoring the pioneering franchise law specialist, will educate future leaders in international franchising. It is endowed by the International Franchise Association, IFA Foundation and DLA Piper, the international law firm that Zeidman recently retired from.
An IFA news release stated that the program will provide financial aid to IFA summer interns who are majoring in business, finance, marketing, hospitality, franchising, entrepreneurship or law. Students will compete for internships, which will teach them best practices in franchising and opportunities in franchise law. The program will maintain Zeidman’s legacy of service and support for the franchising around the globe.
About Philip Zeidman
Zeidman is a graduate of Yale with a law degree from Harvard Law School. Early in his career, he was the youngest chief legal officer of any government agency, serving as general counsel for the Small Business Association, where he championed programs that helped entrepreneurs secure funding for their franchises.
Later Zeidman established a law firm with the IFA as his first client. Then after going to work at DLA Piper in 1968, he continued to support the franchise industry as a legal adviser to American and foreign companies, governments and trade associations.
Although the early years of Zeidman’s legal career were spent as a trial lawyer for the Air Force and Federal Trade Commission, he chafed under the restrictions of litigation. “I was interested in so many things, and it’s hard to do other things if you’re a trial lawyer. The court calendar is nonnegotiable,” Franchise Times quoted him as saying in a May 2022 interview about his retirement.
“In Washington, I could get involved with politics,” which he loved, Franchise Times said. “And pro bono work. And international franchising. It didn’t take much to persuade me that international was more exciting than creating one more pizza place in Arkansas.”
When the franchising industry was in its fledgling years, Zeidman worked with many VIPs: Ray Kroc of McDonald’s, Henry Bloch of H&R Block and Bill Rosenberg of Dunkin’ Donuts, and he said “those were wonderful experiences,” according to the Franchise Times article. But he added that “what I’ve enjoyed the most in the private practice of law is working with entrepreneurs, helping them achieve their dreams. That’s the part I was most appreciated for and what I will miss the most.”
Zeidman’s achievements include two significant books: Aspects of the Market Economy: Franchising, which he authored, and Legal Aspects of Selling and Buying, which he edited. His many awards include the IFA’s William Rosenberg Leadership Award, which was bestowed during the recent IFA 2023 Annual Convention in Las Vegas.
Praise from DLA Piper and IFA
Rich Greenstein, chairman of DLA Piper’s Global Franchise and Distribution Practice, said the firm’s lawyers “are thrilled to play an active role in supporting this endowment. We look forward to the impact it will make for future generations, which is fitting given Phil’s championing of young leaders over the years.”
IFA President and CEO Matt Haller praised Zeidman as a credit to the industry, saying he “is known across franchising for his willingness to invest his time and talent to grow others. … This program is yet another way his legacy will be felt for generations to come.” Haller also praised Zeidman for making “a lasting impact on the business model.”
About the IFA Foundation
The IFA is the 63-year-old Washington, D.C.-based trade industry group that supports all aspects of the industry worldwide, with its members including franchisors, franchisees and supportive entities. The nonprofit IFA Foundation, established in 1983 to safeguard the future of franchising, provides members with the resources to promote and protect the franchise business model while ensuring that franchising remains inclusive and a force for good.