Harold L. Kestenbaum Of Counsel University of Richmond (J.D., 1975); Queens College of the City of New York (B.A., 1971)    Ph: (516) 745-0099  Fx: (516) 745-0293  Email: hkestenbaum@rmfpc.com  Add to Outlook Contacts

Harold L. Kestenbaum Seriously Outstanding only 5% selected each year visit superlawyers.com

Harold L. Kestenbaum, Of Counsel to Ruskin Moscou Faltischek, is engaged exclusively in the practice of franchise distribution and licensing law, representing franchisors, both start-up and established.  He is chair of the Distribution & Licensing Practice Group and a member of the Corporate & Securities Department.

Mr. Kestenbaum has concentrated his practice in franchise law and other matters relating to franchising since 1977. From May 1982 until September 1986, Mr. Kestenbaum served as franchise and general counsel to Sbarro, Inc., the national franchisor of over 1,000 family-style Italian restaurants and was a director from March 1985 to December 2005.  In addition, he currently sits on the Boards of Directors of YTB International, Inc., Ultimate Franchise Systems, Desert Moon Café Franchise Corp., and GarageTek, Inc.  From September 1983 to October 1989, he co-founded and served as President and Chairman of the Board of Franchise-It Corporation, the first publicly traded company specializing in providing franchise marketing and consulting services and equity financing to emerging franchise companies.

Mr. Kestenbaum is or has been franchise counsel to many regional, national and international franchise companies in many diverse industries. Mr. Kestenbaum’s expertise in franchise law is enhanced by his practical experience in serving as the Chief Executive Officer of a national franchisor and in serving as a Director of six nationally and internationally known franchisors, experiences that are rare and unique in the area of franchise law.

Mr. Kestenbaum is a member of the American Bar Association’s Antitrust Section, has been a member of the Antitrust Section’s Forum Committee on Franchising since 1978, is a member of the Subcommittee on Franchising of the American Bar Association’s Corporation Banking and Business Law Section, and is a founding member and the current Chairman of the New York State Bar Association’s Franchise, Distribution and Licensing Law Section. He currently serves as Chairman for its Education and Seminar Subcommittee and chaired a statewide seminar program for New York State attorneys in 1997, 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2005, and has chaired seminars on Franchise Law for the Nassau and Suffolk County Bar Associations. He also sits on the advisory board of the International Franchise Association’s Supplier Forum. 

Mr. Kestenbaum has published many articles related to franchising and frequently lectures and appears before organizations and law schools speaking on franchising.  He has been chosen one of the top 100 franchise attorneys in North America by Franchise Times in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 and was named one of the three best franchise attorneys in the New York metro area by New York Magazine for 2005 and 2006. He has appeared on two International Franchise Association Legal Symposium panels, in 2001 and in 2004. He also participates in the IFA Speakers Bureau and has spoken on its behalf, and has been a facilitator at five IFA Convention Roundtables. He has attended over 25 ABA Forum Committee annual programs since 1978 and over 30 IFA Legal Symposia and is currently writing a book on how to franchise your business for the entrepreneur.

He is listed in “Who’s Who in American Law”, “The Best Lawyers in America” (Franchising), and is on the Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers.