Frank Zaid

Background

About Frank Zaid

Frank's most current activities include serving on franchisor advisory boards or boards of directors, acting as a franchise mediator or arbitrator of franchise disputes, being retained as an industry/legal expert witness in franchise cases, and providing franchise business operations consulting advice. He graduated as a Chemical Engineer from the University of Toronto in 1968 and then attended Osgoode Hall Law School of York University from which he graduated with First Class Honours in 1971. He was regularly named as the most most frequently recommended franchise lawyer in Canada and among the leading international franchise lawyers in the world. He was the first recipient of the Canadian Franchise Association's most prestigious award - the Lifetime Achievement Award - in 2009. In his 40 years of franchise law practice with Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP in Toronto he chaired a leading franchise law group and was involved with over 400 franchise systems. He served as General Counsel to the Canadian Franchise Association and Chair of the Supplier Forum of the International Franchise Association. Frank was the first Chair of the Ontario Bar Association Franchise Law Section. He serves on franchisor advisory boards or boards of directors of leading franchisors in Canada, is available to act as a member of advisory boards of emerging or established franchise companies, and with his extensive experience in franchise legal matters and business operations he is frequently retained as a franchise consultant. Through ADR Chambers in Toronto, he is the only mediator and arbitrator in Canada to restrict his alternate dispute resolution practice to franchise disputes. He also is available to serve as an independent ombudsman to individual franchise systems. Frank is regularly retained to act as an expert witness in franchise disputes and is available to prepare expert opinions and/or testify in dispute matters. Frank frequently appears as a profile speaker/panelist at franchise webinars, industry conventions and conferences and is available for such events. He has written books, publications andk hundreds of papers on franchising throughout his career. He has been referred to in the Superior Court of Ontario as the most knowlegeable franchise lawyer in Ontario and his works have been cited in the Supreme Court of Canada.