Dawn Newton Partner (510) 451-3300 dnewton@donahue.com Download vCard LinkedIn

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Dawn Newton is a business attorney whose practice focuses on franchise law, intellectual property, and data privacy. She is certified as a legal specialist in franchise and distribution law by the Board of Legal Specialization of the State Bar of California.

As a franchise law expert, Dawn represents a broad spectrum of franchised businesses, particularly restaurants and retail concepts, and she serves as outside general counsel for several. Many of her clients’ concepts are targeted to children, including tutoring, daycare, and supplemental education. Her experience includes:

Managing the regulatory and compliance work of mature and expanding franchise systems
Structuring new franchise systems for start-up franchisors, including drafting Franchise Disclosure Documents (FDDs), franchise agreements, area development agreements, and managing registrations and exemptions.
Assisting businesses with resolving complex franchise law violation situations

For businesses or attorneys subject to a California DBO requirement to obtain remedial franchise compliance training, she offers a comprehensive full-day training which meets DBO standards.

In addition to her franchise practice, Dawn helps clients safeguard and preserve their intellectual property, such as:

Trademark and copyright prosecution and licensing
Creating and registering new marks and expanding marks internationally
Developing strategies to protect and enhance intellectual property
Policing and responding to allegations of infringement
Advising on issues raised by new forms of media

Dawn also advises clients regarding data privacy issues, including compliance with various privacy and security laws including CCPA, GDPR, COPPA, CalOPPA, CAN-SPAM, and more. Her experience includes responding to data breaches, creating compliance plans, and vendor management.

Professional & Community Affiliations

Member, American Bar Association Forum on Franchising, 2004-present
Annual Meeting Co-Chair, American Bar Association Forum on Franchising, 2017
Member, Governing Committee, American Bar Association Forum on Franchising, 2015-present
Member, International Franchise Association, 2015-present
Chair and Commissioner, Franchise and Distribution Law Advisory Commission, Board of Legal Specialization, State Bar of California, 2008-2015
Chair, Intellectual Property Section, Alameda County Bar Association, 2011-2013
Member, Franchise and Business Opportunity Advisory Committee, North American Securities Administrators Association, 2022

Recognition

Listed, Legal Eagles, Franchise Times, 2022, 2024
Listed, Who's Who Legal: Franchise, 2017-2021
Named, The Best Lawyers in America© – Franchising, Best Lawyers, 2013-present
Named, Rising Star, Northern California Super Lawyers, 2010
Awarded, AV® Preeminent™ (5.0 out of 5) peer-review rated, Martindale-Hubbell™
Recipient, Future Leader Award, Forum on Franchising, American Bar Association, 2010

Past Articles/News

Legal Topics You Need to Know, Franchise Times, March 29, 2022
Donahue Fitzgerald Recognized in the World Trademark Review’s 2022 WTR 1000 Ranking, March 3, 2022
Franchising and Trademarks: Where, Why, and How?, July 29, 2021
Donahue Fitzgerald Ranked in Top Tier of 2021 “Best Law Firms”
Donahue Fitzgerald Attorneys Recognized in the Best Lawyers in America® 2021 Edition, Best Lawyers in America, 2021 Edition
EU-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework Found Inadequate. SCCs Still Stand., July 16, 2020
Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) – Employee Privacy Issues, March 27, 2020
Donahue Fitzgerald Ranked in Top Tier of 2020 “Best Law Firms”
Donahue Fitzgerald Attorneys Recognized in the Best Lawyers in America® 2020 Edition, Best Lawyers in America, 2020 Edition
California Consumer Privacy Act, This post was originally published on November 7, 2018 and updated on July 16, 2019
GDPR-Year One: Practitioners’ Perspective, May 23, 2019
Impacts of the New Revenue Recognition Rule (ASC 606), November 15, 2018
Donahue Fitzgerald Ranked in Top Tier of 2019 “Best Law Firms”
Donahue Fitzgerald Attorneys Recognized in the Best Lawyers in America© 2019 Edition, Best Lawyers in America, 2019 Edition
Donahue Fitzgerald Ranked in Top Tier of 2018 “Best Law Firms”
Donahue Fitzgerald Ranked In Top Tier of 2017 “Best Law Firms”
Franchising a Marijuana Business: It’s Not Quite Mission Impossible, Franchise Law Journal, American Bar Association, co-authored with Shannon L. McCarthy, vol. 35, no.3, Winter 2016
Advertising and Social Media

Books

The Annotated Franchise Agreement, Forum on Franchising – American Bar Association, contributing editor, 2018
“Negotiating Key Provisions,” Chapter 2, Mergers and Acquisitions of Franchise Companies, second ed., Forum on Franchising – American Bar Association, contributing author, 2014

Recent Speaking Engagements

October 21, 2024
Franchising 102: What You Should Know, From a Franchise Attorney
Inner City Advisors

September 18, 2024 | Mexico City, Mexico
Global trends for the cannabis market: new frontiers and opportunities
International Bar Association

April 30, 2024 | Virtual
Kiss, Marry, Kill: IP Licensing, Franchising, and DIY Agreements in Cannabis
Lawline

April 19, 2023 | Santa Monica, CA
2023 Cannabis IP Law Conference
California Lawyers Association

December 01, 2022 | New Orleans, LA
NASAA 2022 Franchise and Business Opportunities Training
NASAA (North American Securities Administrators Association)

October 14, 2021 | Atlanta, GA
ABA’s 44th Forum on Franchising
American Bar Association Forum on Franchising

October 27, 2020 | Webinar
ABA’s 43rd Forum on Franchising
American Bar Association Forum on Franchising

November 15, 2019 | Las Vegas, NV
CLA 44th Annual Intellectual Property Law Section Institute
California Lawyers Association

October 17, 2019 | Denver, CO
ABA’s 42nd Forum on Franchising
American Bar Association Forum on Franchising

October 07, 2019 | Walnut Creek, CA
GDPR and CCPA: Consumer-Focused Privacy Laws And Their Impact
Contra Costa County Bar Association

Past Speaking Engagements

IFA’s 52nd Legal Symposium, International Franchise Association (IFA), May 06, 2019, Washington D.C., DC
Preparing for the California Consumer Privacy Act, January 24, 2019, Oakland, CA
ABA’s 41st Forum on Franchising, American Bar Association Forum on Franchising, October 10, 2018, Nashville, TN
ABA’s 40th Annual Forum on Franchising, American Bar Association Forum on Franchising, October 18, 2017, Palm Dessert, CA
Fundamentals of Franchising, American Bar Association’s Forum on Franchising, November 02, 2016, Miami, Florida
The Forgotten Asset: Copyright Law for Estate Planners, East Bay Estate Planning Council, September 12, 2016, Oakland, California
The Forgotten Asset: Copyright Law for Estate Planners, Bar Association of San Francisco, November 17, 2015, San Francisco, California
What You Need to Know About Franchising Your Business, November 10, 2015, Oakland, California
Fundamentals 201: Drafting the Six Most Challenging Items in the FDD, Forum on Franchising – American Bar Association, October 15-16, 2015, New Orleans, Louisiana
Nationalizing Your Brand, 2015 Cannabis Business Summit, National Cannabis Industry Association, June 28, 2015, Denver, Colorado
Handling Defaults and Terminations, 48th Annual Legal Symposium, International Franchise Association, May 5, 2015, Chicago, Illinois
Franchising v. Licensing, National Cannabis Bar Association, February 12, 2015, San Francisco, California
Advanced Disclosure Issues, Forum on Franchising – American Bar Association, 2013, Orlando, Florida
Best Practices for Establishing a Franchise Compliance Program, Forum on Franchising – American Bar Association, 2010, San Diego, California