Pete Singler founded our firm almost 20 years ago. In 1998, Bruce Napell joined the firm, followed by Bryan Dillon in 2000. From its inception, the firm's focus has been on franchising. We exclusively represent franchisees and franchisee associations in franchise matters. In other words, we do not represent franchisors. This exclusivity illustrates our strong loyalty to the franchisee community and allows us to avoid the conflicts that arise from representing both sides of the industry. Indeed, our firm has become nationally recognized as one of the preeminent franchisee law firms. Pete has nearly 20 years experience in franchising, and both Bruce and Bryan are Certified Specialists in Franchise and Distribution Law.
Due to the struggling economy and increasing number of insolvent franchisors, we expanded our practice to include Bankruptcy. In 2011, Alan Stomel joined the firm bringing with him more than 25 years of Bankruptcy practice.
While most of our clients are franchisees and franchisee association, we also represent individuals and businesses. After all, franchisees are businesses, so the firm is necessarily well grounded in all aspects of business law. Please visit our Practice Areas page for an overview of the various services we provide.
Because our client base is so diverse and wide-spread, we have the luxury of locating our offices wherever we want. We have chosen West Sonoma County, just North of San Francisco, because of its low-key atmosphere and aesthetic qualities.
"Continuing a tradition of excellence." This is not a motto, but a commitment to each of our clients. Living up to this commitment requires that each lawyer and member of our support staff must maintain the highest level of personal and professional integrity, credibility and reliability.
Many law firms, and lawyers in general, are perceived as being unresponsive, forgetting that they work for the client. We understand that we are in the service business. To effectively serve our clients requires that we generate incomparable work in a timely and courteous manner. We continually strive to do just that. We want to provide a level of service that is a model for any business, not just the legal profession.
Above all else, we value long-term relationships with our clients. We appreciate the value of close and attentive client contact. We strive to work together with our clients, capitalizing on our collective strengths and experiences to maximize our clients' opportunities and gains. We also strive to learn the fundamentals of clients' business operations. This allows us to complement operations by providing realistic solutions to everyday business issues and help our clients take advantage of each business and financial opportunity available to them. We are also committed to providing sound, cost-effective advice to help our clients navigate through the myriad of regulations and potential civil liabilities which detract from the real business of doing business.
Integrity, credibility and responsiveness are essential qualities which every lawyer and support staff at Singler, Napell & Dillon must possess. The firm has gained national recognition and immense client loyalty because of these traits. We provide our clients with incomparable legal services and the quality of our work matches or exceeds that of large "blue chip" firms. However, we have done away with big firm politics and the stuffy atmosphere. This enhances our ability to really know our clients and better deal with their legal and business needs and aspirations.
We are business people, and our business is the law. To properly serve our clients and retain their loyalty, we continually provide value relative to the amount of fees we charge. Above all else, we generate an incomparable product in a timely manner. We make sure that clients are always kept informed and we respond promptly to all client inquiries.
Culligan Franchise Agreement: Singler & Dillon negotiated the Culligan Franchise Agreement that has been heralded as a model for the franchise industry. Click the links below for article and press release.
C.D.A.N.A. v. Culligan International Co.: Singler & Dillon represented the Culligan Dealers Association of North America in an arbitration against the franchisor obtaining favorable rulings on several declaratory relief causes of action.
Millennium Asset Recovery, Inc. v. 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, LLC: Singler & Dillon represented a 1-800-GOT-JUNK? franchisee who was terminated by its franchisor. 1-800-GOT-JUNK? tried to avoid the Washington Choice of Law provision in its franchise agreement, due to the more restrictive provisions of the Washington Franchise Investment Act. After several years of litigation, the California Court of Appeal ruled in favor of the franchisee. The case settled soon after the franchisor unsuccessfully sought review before the California Supreme Court. 1-800-Got Junk? LLC v. Superior Court (2010) 189 Cal.App.4th 500
