Buchalter now has a new Franchise Law Group, welcoming Thomas M. O’Connell (left), who joins as a shareholder and chair of the Franchise Law Group in San Diego, Jennifer Misetich (center) also joins as a shareholder in the firm’s Los Angeles office and Natalie Bryans (right) joins in Los Angeles too.
All are members of the firm’s Labor & Employment Practice Group and were formerly with Best Best & Krieger.
“Tom, Jennifer, and Natalie are all highly talented litigators with a depth of industry knowledge perfect for the launch of our new Franchise Law Group,” said Adam Bass, president and CEO of Buchalter. “Each of them brings an expertise that is particularly valuable to the firm and our clients.”
As chair of the Franchise Law Industry Group, Thomas focuses his practice on the registration, renewal, and organizational fundamentals of franchisors. Combining his experience as a former business owner and current litigator, he provides the end-to-end services franchisors and franchisees need to help them achieve their goals.
His Labor and Employment practice broadly encompasses all aspects and stages of litigation for both private and public clients.
“I am thrilled to be joining Buchalter and establish the Franchise Law Group,” said Thomas. “The full-service resources the firm offers provide a unique and ample opportunity to grow my practice alongside the launch of the industry group.”
A seasoned civil litigator, Jennifer provides strategic counsel on all stages of complex labor and employment matters, including class actions, wage and hour disputes, and discrimination, harassment, and wrongful termination lawsuits. She provides advice and counseling on lawsuit prevention and employment law compliance for her private and public employer clients. She accomplishes this by providing guidance on all facets of employment law including employee handbooks, policies and procedures, high-risk terminations, and severance/release agreements.
“Buchalter is the perfect fit to help facilitate providing high-quality counsel to my clients,” added Jennifer. “I am excited to introduce my clients to, and be working alongside such talented attorneys.”
Natalie represents both public and private employers in litigation matters involving discrimination, harassment, and wrongful termination claims. In addition, she advises employers on a wide range of workplace issues including personnel policies and employee handbooks, discipline, terminations, protected employment classes, and compliance with state and federal employment laws.
