(Nashville, TN/October 12, 2011) Joel R. Buckberg, head of the franchise and hospitality practice groups of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC, has been named to the International Who's Who of Franchise Lawyers 2011. He is one of only 323 attorneys worldwide included in the 2011 list, which recognizes the world's leading franchise lawyers based on feedback from clients and peer attorneys.
Mr. Buckberg, who practices in the Firm's Nashville and Atlanta offices, counsels business clients, particularly in hospitality, franchising and distribution, on strategic planning, transactions, financing, mergers and acquisitions, regulatory compliance and operations. Active in the International Franchise Association (IFA), he serves as administrator for the organization's Franchise Compliance Training Program, a remedial educational program for violators of federal and state franchise regulations. Mr. Buckberg is also a legal advisor and trainer for IFA's Fran-Guard compliance and business culture training program. Additionally, he serves as the host for the IFA's quarterly Franchise Business Network meetings in Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi. Mr. Buckberg served as co-editor of the 2009 edition of Annual Developments in Franchise and Distribution Law, published by the American Bar Association. He is the editor of Baker Donelson's Hospitalitas electronic newsletter on franchising and hospitality, and for five consecutive years has been named by Franchise Times magazine as a Legal Eagle in its annual listing of the country's leading franchise attorneys.