John R.F. Baer Wins Forum's First Rudnick Award

Earlier this year, franchising not only lost one of its true pioneers, but one of its finest gentlemen.

Lew Rudnick dedicated a large portion of his life to the development and refinement of franchise law. Among his many accomplishments, Lew was one of the founding members of this organization, and was its second Chair. He and his father, along with Phil Zeidman and other forward-thinking partners, were responsible for the creation of what has evolved into DLA-Piper – one of the most recognized franchise practices in the world.

As fellow practitioners and Forum members, however, those who knew Lew recognized in him a quality far greater than his acumen as a lawyer. In honoring Lew’s memory, the Forum honors not only his lawyerly achievements, but his contributions in reaching out and sharing his passion and curiosity with hundreds of aspiring franchise lawyers. Whether you worked for, with or against Lew Rudnick, you were treated with dignity and respect. His commitment to mentoring the next generation of franchise law practitioners will result in his influence being felt in this area of the law and on this Forum in particularly for many generations to come.

In honoring Lew’s memory, we honor a member of our organization who also exhibits these truly remarkable traits. Someone who, like Lew Rudnick, has committed a large portion of their life to helping mold our area of practice, and having done so in a way that shows respect and dignity to his colleagues and kindness and mentorship to those who have worked for, with and against him.

The recipient of the Lew Rudnick Award for 2009 is John Baer of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal. John is known to almost everyone in the Franchise Bar. Besides his extraordinarily scholarly work as the author of CCH’s Sales Representative Guide, John is the Chair of the Illinois Attorney General’s Franchise Advisory Board, and the Vice Chair of the International Franchising Committee of the International Bar Association’s International Sales, Franchising & Product Law Section. John is also on the Board of Editors of LJN’s Franchising Business and Law Alert.

Over the 32 years of its existence, John has shared thousands and thousands of hours supporting and working for the Forum on Franchising. John has spoken on countless occasions, mentored and taught hundreds of young lawyers, and done so with a smile and a helping hand. When called to contribute, John answered that call. John is a former editor-in-chief of the ABA Forum on Franchising’s Franchise Lawyer, former associate editor of the Franchise Law Journal, a former member of the Governing Committee and during his tenure on the Governing Committee, a highly successful publications officer. John has also authored over a dozen Franchise Law Journal articles, always willingly, and perhaps more importantly, always meaningful and informative.

On Saturday, October 17th, a group of Forum attendees volunteered their time at this year's Community Service Event held at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in downtown Toronto. Additionally, approximately $1200 was donated to the cause. Thank you to all who contributed. At the event, working side-by-side with those who receive treatment, the group set out to make the space a more pleasant environment. On the way to this goal, those receiving treatment felt the support of the outside world while the volunteers were given a better understanding of mental health issues. Through a cooperative effort, the group planted tulip bulbs, covered them with top soil and then anticipated, with some faith and hope, that their efforts will pay off in the spring with a colorful bloom and a brighter day.