Duke Johnston, JD, MBA
Duke Johnston is an experienced business attorney headquartered in Central
Texas. He is a leading authority on franchise and distribution law, and
one of the country’s top lawyers in this dynamic and constantly
evolving field. Duke is managing partner with the Law Offices of James
M. Johnston, Jr. PLLC where his practice focuses on franchise, distribution,
business, trademark, trade secret, commercial and real estate transactions,
operations, and disputes.
Prior to founding his firm Duke drafted opinions for a United States Bankruptcy
Court and worked as a trial lawyer for a law firm in Austin, Texas. Thereafter,
for over 20 years he managed the legal affairs of one of the country’s
largest franchise organizations. In his capacity as General Counsel of
The Dwyer Group, its eleven franchise brands, corporate-owned locations,
and software, marketing, buying and system account companies, Duke successfully
resolved hundreds of franchise and business disputes. He also handled
a wide variety of transactional matters for these franchise systems including
the preparation and registration of franchise disclosure documents, the
negotiation and drafting of numerous business and commercial agreements,
due diligence investigations, acquisitions, mergers, divestures, private
equity deals, and international expansion.
In addition to his law degree and legal experience Duke has a Bachelor
of Arts, in Sociology and Political Science, from Trinity University,
a Master of Business Administration from the University of Dallas, and
he graduated from Harvard Law School’s Program of Negotiation. This
education in organizational thinking, advanced business concepts and strategies,
and negotiation, combined with his legal and business experience, allows
Duke to better understand his clients’ businesses and thereafter
use that knowledge to help his clients identify business opportunities,
implement and streamline systems, protect their businesses, and otherwise
survive and thrive in today’s highly competitive and litigious climate.
In a nutshell, Duke uses this combination of education and experience
to find cost-effective solutions for his clients.
Duke has been a speaker at many franchise conferences, he has published
articles and co-authored books on franchise law topics, and he has been
profiled and quoted in magazines. Since 1994 he has been a member of the
American Bar Association’s Forum Committee on Franchising and he
is also a member of the International Franchise Association. In addition
to chairing the Corporate Counsel Committee and being a member of the
Legal Symposium Steering Committee, Duke was one of the first lawyers
in the country to be designated a Certified Franchise Executive by the
International Franchise Association. He has received numerous awards,
recognitions and honors over the course of his career but being recognized
as one of the Top 50 in-house attorneys in the State of Texas is at the
top of the list.