Dady & Gardner

Name

Dady & Gardner

Legal name

Dady & Gardner, P.A.

Website

https://dadygardner.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Billable Hours: The firm handles the vast majority of cases by charging for time on a pay-as-you-go basis. Rates are competitive with other firms. Each case typically has a partner and junior lawyer assigned.
2. Contingency Fee Arrangements: For cases with substantial money damages (generally at least $250,000) that can be proven through financial records and collected from a solvent franchisor, the firm may agree to contingency arrangements where clients pay out-of-pocket expenses only.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Dady & Gardner, P.A. is a Minneapolis-based boutique law firm that has focused exclusively on franchise law since 1994, exclusively representing franchisees, dealers, and distributors nationwide. The firm provides legal counsel across the franchise lifecycle, including termination/nonrenewal defense, franchise agreement and FDD review, breach of contract, fraud and misrepresentation claims, territorial protection, franchise association formation, group representation, mergers and acquisitions, and dealer-side matters for automobile, truck, and heavy construction equipment dealers. The firm has never represented a franchisor, positioning it as exclusively aligned with the franchisee/dealer side.

Product overview

Dady & Gardner, P.A. is a Minneapolis-based law firm that has focused exclusively on franchise law since 1994, exclusively representing franchisees, dealers, and distributors nationwide. The firm provides comprehensive legal services across multiple practice areas including Termination/Nonrenewal, Buying a Franchise/Agreement Review, Breach of Contract, Fraud and Misrepresentation, Franchise Associations, Territorial Protection and Franchise Expansion, Automobile/Truck/Construction Equipment Dealers, Group Representation, Mergers and Acquisitions, Changes in Franchisor Policies, and Other Unfair Practices. The firm operates as a unified legal practice rather than a modular product architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Termination/Nonrenewal Legal Services Legal representation for franchisees facing wrongful termination or nonrenewal of their franchise agreements, including challenging franchisor attempts to end relationships without good cause.
• Buying a Franchise / Agreement Review Legal assistance for prospective franchisees reviewing Franchise Disclosure Documents and franchise agreements to identify potential trouble spots before committing to a franchise purchase.
• Breach of Contract Legal Services Legal representation for franchisees when franchisors fail to perform their contractual obligations, helping clients obtain compensation and enforce agreements.
• Fraud and Misrepresentation Legal Services Legal representation for franchisees who were misled during the franchise sales process, including recovery of verdicts and settlements for misrepresentation claims.
• Franchise Associations Legal Services Assistance with organizing and counseling franchisee associations, including helping franchisees form groups for short-term purposes or formal long-term organizations.
• Territorial Protection and Franchise Expansion Legal Services Legal representation addressing encroachment issues and denial of expansion rights, including fighting franchisor attempts to place new franchises too close to existing locations.
• Automobile, Truck and Construction Equipment Dealers Legal Services Legal representation for automobile, truck and heavy construction equipment dealers facing manufacturer decisions regarding brand elimination, dealer consolidation, or dealer terminations.
• Group Representation Legal Services Legal representation for groups of franchisees facing common problems with franchisors, leveraging collective strength to achieve solutions through negotiations and demonstrations of unity.
• Mergers and Acquisitions Legal Services Legal counsel for franchisees and dealers facing merger or acquisition situations involving their franchisors or suppliers, including challenging acquisition rights and securing franchisee protections.
• Changes in Franchisor Policies Legal Services Legal response to franchisor policy changes that disadvantage dealers and franchisees, including facility upgrade requirements, equipment mandates, territory reductions, and unfair sales terms.
• Other Unfair Practices Legal Services Legal representation for franchisor or supplier conduct that does not fit traditional categories but appears unfair, addressing novel forms of franchisor mistreatment.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 350 franchise and supplier organizations represented successfully
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Urso Liguori Micklich PCcoreOthers · 3 December 2025Dady & Gardner announced expansion with opening of a new East Coast office through partnership with Urso Liguori Micklich PC. Nicole Liguori Micklich, previously managing partner of Urso Liguori Micklich PC, joins as Managing Partner of the Northeast office along with Sam Agostini and Linda Urso from the partner firm.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Faegre Drinker: Am Law 100 firm with a substantial national franchise and distribution practice. Represents both franchisors and franchisees and competes for the largest multi-jurisdiction franchise disputes that exceed boutique capacity.
• Reed Smith: Global firm with a substantial franchising and hospitality practice. Competes for high-end franchise transactional and litigation work with deeper bench than franchise boutiques.
• DLA Piper: Global law firm with a market-leading franchising practice group. Primarily franchisor-side, but competes for the most complex, multi-state franchise disputes where boutique capacity is a constraint.
• Lathrop GPM: Midwest-rooted national firm with a recognized franchise practice group. Competes for both franchisor and franchisee work and offers broader corporate capabilities than pure boutiques.
• Norton Rose Fulbright: Global law firm with a recognized franchising practice. Competes for cross-border franchise matters and large franchisor engagements, providing scale-based competition to boutique franchisee firms.

Direct peers

• Larkin Hoffman Daly & Lindgren: Minneapolis-based full-service firm with a dedicated franchise and dealership practice. Closest geographic and practice-area peer to Dady & Gardner, representing both franchisors and franchisees with a comparable mid-market client roster.
• Kaufman Dolowich & Voluck: National firm with a dedicated franchise practice group representing franchisees. Competes for similar dispute, termination, and FDD review matters across multiple jurisdictions.
• Gray Plant Mooty: Minneapolis-based firm with one of the most recognized franchise and distribution practices in the country. Overlaps directly with D&G in franchise disputes, dealership work, and association representation in the upper Midwest.
• Zarco Einhorn Salkowski & Brito: Florida-based boutique focused on franchise and dealership law on the franchisee/licensee side. Closest like-for-like niche peer to D&G given its exclusive franchisee-side representation and trial-oriented practice.

Emerging players

• Culhane Meadows PLLC: National virtual/alternative-fee law firm with a dedicated franchise practice. Competes on flexible fee structures and serves a similar franchisee client base, particularly where traditional firm pricing is a barrier.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DadyandGardner
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC74R38_i9NkmY9YZGqpePsQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/dadyandgardner
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dadygardner

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dady & Gardner