March 16, 2023 Last Update: July 27, 2026 Key Takeaways for Franchisees Closing a franchise without properly terminating your agreement puts you at risk of a lawsuit for lost future profits There are several potential exit paths, including selling to a third party, selling back to the franchisor, or negotiating a mutual exit The FTC Read more…

On behalf of Garner, Ginsburg & Johnsen, P.A. on Wednesday, December 26, 2012. Franchise financial statements contain a wealth of information that franchisees and prospective franchisees should examine carefully. Determining the worth of a franchisor’s assets New franchisors often have few assets. As a prospective franchisee, be sure to question any franchisor who does not Read more…

Updated August 26, 2026 If you’re wondering how to start a cannabis business in Minnesota, it depends on the size of the business you want to build, the rights you want to exercise (wholesale, retail, manufacture, cultivation, and so on), and what license type you actually qualify for. Minnesota now has a functioning regulatory framework Read more…

Minnesota’s adult-use cannabis market is open for business and the state now regulates everything from cultivation to retail sales under a single licensing framework run by the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM). If you’re exploring how to start a cannabis business in Minnesota, you’ll need to understand the license structure, the application process, and the Read more…

October 20, 2023 Last Update: September 1, 2026 If you’re interested in learning how to start a cannabis delivery service business in Minnesota, a good place to start is with the cannabis delivery service license. Minnesota’s cannabis market is now actively licensing businesses following the adoption of Minnesota Rules, Chapter 9810, which took effect on Read more…

June 26, 2014 In the first of a series of posts exploring brewing partnership relationships, Hop Law introduces contract brewing, partner brewing, and alternating brewing arrangements.

July 16, 2014 In Part 2 of our series exploring brewing partnership relationships, Hop Law talks contract brewing. A contract brewing arrangement, as defined by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), is a business relationship in which one person (wholesale or retail dealer or brewer) pays a brewing company (contract brewer) to Read more…

August 1, 2014 In Part 3 of our series exploring brewing partnership relationships, we delve into alternating proprietorships. For new brewers looking to break into the craft beer market without the full up-front cost of establishing a new brewing facility, or for existing breweries looking to begin expanding operations without expanding their physical space, alternating Read more…

May 18, 2017 If you’ve read Thomas Pynchon’s Inherent Vice or seen the Paul Thomas Anderson film based on the novel, you know a little bit about vertical integration.  In the novel, the Golden Fang – a shady conglomerate – imports and sells heroin to users, operates a massive dental operation to help heroin and Read more…

December 14, 2016 We Minnesotans like our beer. Specifically, we like our craft beer. Our local craft beer. The Beer Dabbler at the annual Winter Carnival is now the largest craft beer festival in the Midwest, and Surly Darkness Day has become a sort of dark holiday for self-proclaimed craft beer nerds looking to score Read more…

October 26, 2020 If you are a franchisee or potential franchisee in California, you may have rights not available to individuals in other states. This is because California has two comprehensive laws regulating franchising: the California Franchise Investment Law and the California Franchise Relations Act.  Together, these California franchise requirements serve to protect franchisees during Read more…

On behalf of Garner, Ginsburg & Johnsen, P.A. on Friday, August 22, 2014. In a decision that could expose franchisors and franchisees to increased liability, the National Labor Relations Board decided that a slew of complaints from workers’ organizations can name McDonald’s Corp. as a joint employer. In the past, restaurant franchisees have been identified Read more…