Steven M. Goldman

Member

Steve joined Friedlander Misler in 2017.  He is an experienced commercial lawyer who specializes in hospitality and franchise law for owners, operators, and brand companies.

Steve’s client’s often use him as a trusted business counselor to find negotiated solutions that help foster the long-term business relationships necessary for success in hospitality.  He represents owners, operators, and brand companies in negotiating franchise agreements, management agreements, and lender-related documents, and advises brand companies and operators on solutions to operational challenges, including terminations, receiverships, and workouts of agreements.  He has extensive experience in all aspects of the life cycle of hotel contracts and brand systems, including extensive hotel workout, receivership, and bankruptcy matters.   Steve is able to obtain best-in-class results for clients because of his hospitality industry relationships together with his experience in navigating the interdependence of hotel owners, management companies, and brands.

Prior to rejoining private practice, he was a senior in-house lawyer for Marriott International, ITT Sheraton, and Holiday Inn Worldwide.  At Marriott, where he spent 15 years, he rose to Associate General Counsel and Executive Vice President heading the Brand Transactions & Franchise Group and the IP Group.  He had worldwide responsibility and was the first-chair lawyer for many of Marriott’s development and acquisition activities, including: numerous brand launches, acquisitions, and divestitures; international development agreements; the company’s impact process; and franchise development and operations.  In that capacity, Steve acted as a legal and business advisor for the creation of the “Autograph” soft brand. His hotel operations experience involved both property-level and system-wide issues, such as development and implementation of quality assurance systems, implementation of brand initiatives, programs for antitrust and regulatory compliance, and other operational, sales, marketing, and revenue management initiatives.  One of his more interesting responsibilities was as the secretary for the Marriott franchisee association for over a dozen years.

Steve speaks and publishes regularly on hospitality and franchise topics.  He was Chairman of the American Bar Association Forum on Franchising; a member of the North American Securities Administrators Association, Franchise and Business Opportunities Project Group Advisory Committee (“NASAA”), which is the advisory and training group for state franchise regulators; and the co-editor of the first editions of the Franchise Law Compliance Manual and Fundamentals of International Franchising.  He has also been an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center and a guest lecturer at the University of Virginia Law School and at the business schools of Georgetown and the University of Wisconsin.