David G. Ross, esq.

Dave Ross, who practiced law for nearly ten years before founding the Ross Law Firm in early 2007, has devoted his career to protecting the interests of businesses and individuals in litigation, litigation prevention, and transactions. Formerly an associate at a franchise law boutique firm in downtown Washington, DC, an “of counsel” to a franchise and business law boutique firm in downtown Baltimore, and a senior associate (and later “of counsel”) at an employment law boutique firm, he is equally comfortable practicing franchise law, general business law, and employment law.

A tireless champion of franchisees, Mr. Ross has successfully squared off against large, powerful franchisors represented by large national and multinational law firms. In doing so, he has obtained invaluable experience with issues related to franchise terminations, protected / exclusive territories, area development agreements, encroachment, non-competes, quality assurance, franchisor fraud, antitrust, franchise offering circulars, and state disclosure statutes such as the Maryland Franchise Registration & Disclosure Law.

In the “non-franchise” business litigation arena, Mr. Ross has similarly taken on larger firms that represent large, powerful clients. He has, for example, masterfully handled complex, multi-party litigation involving millions of dollars and claims of misappropriation of trade secrets, tortious interference with contract, breach of fiduciary duties, civil conspiracy, commercial fraud, and other commercial torts.

Mr. Ross’s employment litigation experience is similarly extensive. He has, for instance, represented both employers and employees with regard to claims of wrongful discharge, unlawful discrimination, sexual harassment, and non-payment of overtime wages. Further, he has represented employees from both the private and public sectors.

	ANOTHER SATISFIED CLIENT: Dave produced excellent results with respect to negotiating my severance package. After taking the time to truly understand the situation, he skillfully opened up the dialog and built acceptance for a creative solution, which significantly enhanced the financial outcome for me. I could not have asked for a more effective advocate. Given his personal and professional integrity, his highly developed interpersonal skills, and his ability to think creatively, I recommend David Ross without hesitation. - M.G., Sales executive for credit card company owned by one of the world's largest financial services organizations

Despite his zeal for litigation, however, Mr. Ross also takes particular pride in the “other” components of his practice: litigation prevention and transactional work. Indeed, it is because of his litigation experience that he’s able to foresee and help clients avoid some of the potential pitfalls that could lead to costly litigation or otherwise cause problems in the future. A substantial part of his practice is devoted to advising businesses on various commercial and employee-related issues, preparing employee handbooks, and reviewing and negotiating contracts such as franchise agreements, buy-sell agreements, restrictive covenants, personal service contracts, employment contracts, and employee severance agreements.

Mr. Ross is a 1997 graduate of American University’s Washington College of Law, where he graduated cum laude. He is a 1994 graduate of Lafayette College, where he graduated cum laude, lived in an honors house, was awarded honors in Government & Law, and won the Minerva and Emil Novak Prize for Excellence in Government & Law.

Mr. Ross is licensed in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and New Jersey, and is admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey and the United States District Court for the District of Maryland.

He’s a member of the International Association of Franchisees and Dealers (IAFD), Maryland State Bar Association Committee on Franchising, American Bar Association Forum on Franchising, Metropolitan Washington Employment Lawyers Association (MWELA), and Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce.

Jeffrey S. Fabian

Jeff Fabian began working with the Ross Law Firm in early 2010, and became the firm’s Of Counsel in February 2011. Mr. Fabian also maintains his own independent solo practice with a focus on transactional and intellectual property law issues. You can visit the Fabian, LLC website at www.fabianlegal.com.

Prior to joining the Ross Law Firm, Mr. Fabian worked for a boutique franchise and business law firm in Baltimore, Maryland that served both franchisors and franchisees in a wide variety of transactional and litigation-related matters. During his time there, Mr. Fabian drafted Franchise Disclosure Documents and franchise agreements, maintained substantial franchise registration portfolios, assisted prospective franchisees in evaluating and negotiating franchise opportunities, and assisted in the representation of both franchisors and franchisees in various formal and informal dispute resolution proceedings. Issues Mr. Fabian has confronted on behalf of clients include, among others, franchisor fraud, territory disputes, and issues relating to termination of defaulting franchisees.

Since beginning his affiliation with the Ross Law Firm, Mr. Fabian has expanded his litigation practice into the areas of business and employment law as well. Mr. Fabian has served as counsel to the Ross Law Firm in multi-million dollar civil litigation involving claims of misappropriation of trade secrets, tortious interference with contract, breach of fiduciary duties, civil conspiracy, and other commercial torts. He has also provided his services to the firm in connection with commercial collections and unemployment benefits matters.

Mr. Fabian is a cum laude graduate of the University of Maryland School of Law. He is licensed in Maryland and admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the District of Maryland.

Mr. Fabian is a member of the Franchise and Distribution Law Committee of the Maryland State Bar Association (MSBA) Business Law Section, the MSBA Intellectual Property Law Section, and the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce. He is also a member of the American Bar Association’s Intellectual Property Section and Forum on Franchising.