Eric H. Karp has served as counsel to numerous independent franchisee associations, providing a broad range of advice and guidance on matters including franchise disclosure documents, franchise agreements and issues that affect the relationship between the franchisee community and the franchisor, as well as vendors and suppliers to the system. He has represented franchisees throughout the country in a myriad of franchise issues including sales, purchases, relocations, remodels, transfers, defaults and terminations and lease issues.
Eric is a Past Chair of the Governing Committee of the American Bar Association (ABA) Forum on Franchising, having served as its Finance Officer from 2011 to 2016, the Co-Chair of the 2013 Annual Forum on Franchising meeting and Chair of the Governing Committee from 2017 to 2019. He was also Editor-In-Chief of The Franchise Lawyer from 2008 to 2010 and served on the Section Officers Council of the ABA from 2010 to 2019. Eric is the author of chapters in two books published by the Forum, and three articles published in the Franchise Law Journal.
Eric has been selected multiple times for inclusion in The International Who’s Who of Franchise Lawyers, The Best Lawyers in America, The Franchise Times Hall of Fame, a New England Super Lawyer by Boston Magazine, one of America’s Leading Franchise Lawyers by Chambers USA, and Wall Street Journal New England Lawyers of the Year
Eric was a member of the Board of the American Franchisee Association (AFA) for ten years, was the principal author of the AFA Model Responsible Franchise Practices Act and served as the Program Chair of the 1999 AFA Franchisee Legal Symposium. He was a member of the American Association of Franchisees and Dealers (AAFD), a member of its Fair Franchising Standards Committee, Co-Chair of the AAFD 17th Anniversary Conference and Franchisee Leadership Summit in May 2009, and a presenter on numerous other occasions at AAFD conferences. Eric also participated in three presentations to meetings of the Coalition of Franchisee Associations.
In June 1994 Eric testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Small Business Committee on “Self-Regulation of Franchising: The IFA Code of Ethics.” An elected delegate to the 1995 White House Conference on Small Business, Eric has three times testified before committees of the Massachusetts Legislature on franchise issues.
From 1996 through 2021, Eric served on the Franchise Project Group of the Franchise and Business Opportunities Committee of the North American Securities Administrators Association. He has been a presenter at the ABA Forum on Franchising on fourteen occasions, and four times at the International Franchise Association Legal Symposium. He was also an active participant in the debate over the revision of the Federal Trade Commission’s Franchise Disclosure Rule from 1997 to 2007 and has been an equally active participant in the current review of the Franchise Rule. Eric has also been a regular guest lecturer at Babson College in its MBA program on franchising.
Eric has been quoted in numerous media, including MSNBC, the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Forbes, The Boston Globe, Franchise Times, State House News Service, Business Franchise Guide, Continental Franchise Review, Optometric Management, Vision Monday, Success Magazine, Smart Money Magazine, Fortune Small Business Magazine, Realtor Magazine, Income Opportunities Magazine and Entrepreneur Magazine.
Eric is a graduate of Boston University and Boston University School of Law.
