STATE OF CONNECTICUT, Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) Hartford, CTState Program Director – Legal Division 10/2021 – PresentTook over newly created group upon Legal Division Director’s return. - Oversee legal teams dedicated to Gaming, Unfair Trade Practice, Lemon Law and Liquor Control. - Created new legal team for Connecticut’s new Gaming initiatives.- Coordinate the legal teams with DCP Division heads to interpret, draft and ensure compliance with statutes and regulations, prosecute violations of non-compliance through investigations, arbitration, administrative and court proceedings.- Negotiate settlements with non-compliant licensees.- Supervise Legal Division response to Freedom of Information Act requests.- Act as Hearing Officer or Presiding Officer in Administrative Hearings.Acting Legal Director – Legal Division 2021 – 2021Directed legal division for the Department of Consumer Protection during current director’s FMLA and increased departmental responsibilities resulting from the passage of new legislation including the on-line gaming bill.- Oversaw lawyers, investigators, and paraprofessionals for the department, including the new legal gaming staff.- Coordinated with gaming division director and staff to advise and assist in resolution of all issues.- Assisted with development of online gaming regulations for the implementation of new gaming laws.- Interpreted statutes and regulations, affecting the department. Ensured compliance for the department, consulted and advised on cases and set up prosecution priorities for the attorneys in the Legal Division.

Chief Litigation Officer, senior counselor, and advisor to Subway®, the world’s largest franchise system at 44,000+ restaurants. Managed lease resolution, monetary and operational compliance, dispute resolution and complex litigation, underreporting and bankruptcy functions. Continued hands-on management of the Dispute Resolution Group and added management and supervision responsibilities of the new functions after reorganization. Coordinated multi-functional matters with required stakeholders. Advised on new programs, advertising, SMS text and electronic marketing, distribution, risk assessments, franchise law interpretation and developments, crisis management, litigation, compliance and all system-wide issues and threats.- Managed Global teams of 55+ persons including 13 attorneys.- Managed Global Compliance team’s collection of more than $50 million annually, and prosecution of thousands of compliance and collection arbitrations against franchisees.- Managed the resolution of more than 500 lease terminations below lease liability annually.- Settled or concluded more than 200 complex disputes and lawsuits annually through negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and/or litigation.- Achieved cost savings and greater efficiencies by instituting standards for outside counsel retention and annual review: regional pricing, free CLE, free consultation time, staffing, and other criteria.- Reduced outside counsel fees (by $200,000+ annually) by tasking in-house counsel to directly confirm arbitration awards in court; prosecute local evictions; filing petitions to compel arbitration in federal and state courts. - Successfully defended Subway® and its affiliates against numerous class actions and threatened class action cases at little or no cost, including the “Subway Footlong Case”.- Settled the largest FACTA class action in U. S. history, under the amount of delegated authority.- Designed and implemented COVID-19 lease negotiation strategies for U. S. and Canada.

Led the Dispute Resolution Group of three staff attorneys and support. Managed complex high-profile litigation and arbitration cases. Coordinated multi-functional matters with required stakeholders – franchisees, franchisee advertising trust, purchasing co-op, vendors, company business units and management. Advised all levels of management and ownership on new programs, advertising, distribution, risk assessments, franchise law interpretation and developments, development agent contracts, litigation, compliance and all system-wide issues and threats.- Settled or concluded hundreds of matters through negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and litigation.- Consistently below budget on outside legal fees, and settlements.- Spearheaded the acquisition and sale of several franchise concepts.- Created compliance programs to meet Canadian Provincial human rights and disabilities laws.- Advised and counseled on chain-wide changes and modernizations – remodels, ADA compliance (store and digital), loyalty programs, pricing, digital/SMS/text marketing, delivery, supply chain outsourcing, advertising, and operational improvements.

Handled all elements of franchise law and litigation to enable Subway®’s rapid growth. Coordinated multi-functional matters with required stakeholders – franchisees, franchisee advertising trust, purchasing co-op, vendors, company business units and management. Managed complex high-profile litigation and arbitration. Advised all levels of management and ownership on new programs, advertising, distribution, risk assessments, franchise law interpretation and developments, litigation, compliance and all system wide issues and threats.- Resolved more than 200 cases annually. - Successfully enforced arbitration agreements to prevent franchisee class actions.- Instituted legal fee and litigation status tracking software (Serengeti Tracker).- Negotiated a favorable Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice regarding leasing, subleasing and build-out of Subway® restaurants.- Collaborated with development teams on creation of world-wide new store placement review process to aid store growth and avoid disputes.- Created ADA compliance programs with store design and Information Systems to prevent lawsuits.