Member Profile

Terrence M. Dunn is a founding Partner of Einbinder Dunn & Goniea and has been practicing law since 1983. He is the senior partner in charge of the firm’s business, real estate, trusts and estates and fashion law practices. He works on significant commercial real estate matters in New York City and nationwide. He is well-regarded in the franchising field for his work in franchise development, registration and transactions, including the launch of new franchise systems. He has represented clients in large scale franchise acquisitions and sales, including multi-unit and area developments, and he has managed the introduction into the U.S. of international franchise systems. He has over thirty years of experience in business law, representing businesses of all sizes and in every industry imaginable in structuring, financing, transactions and intellectual property. He has practiced for over 25 years in fashion law, trademarks and trusts and estates. Through his work in real estate and franchising, he has become highly knowledgeable about the area’s restaurant industry. His knowledge of real estate law has proven invaluable to the Firm’s franchisor, franchisee and other business clients.

Terrence has been interviewed by and written articles for major publications such as Entrepreneur, New Jersey Lawyer Magazine and the Franchise Law Journal. He also speaks at franchising-related events such as the International Franchising Association Symposium and the ABA Forum on Franchising.

Terrence is the author of the firm blog, franchiselawyerblog.com.

The unique scope of practice areas in which Einbinder Dunn & Goniea’s attorneys are experienced is critical to the superior versatility offered by our firm. Specifically, our attorneys practice in the areas of franchise law, commercial litigation, business law, real estate law, fashion law, estate planning and restaurant law for clients in New York and nationwide. Our firm's multidisciplinary range of experience is unique in that the practice areas in which it is based often share very blurred borders with one another, therefore requiring singular approaches that draw upon elements of a variety of practice areas. The textbook, "cookie-cutter" approaches that larger firms favor are usually reductive and not suitably comprehensive. Our firm, on the other hand, employs a highly cooperative approach (which only a small firm with direct lines of communication like ours is capable of) that fully utilizes the diverse experience of our attorneys to conceive multidisciplinary, individually-tailored solutions that are as dynamic as the boundaries between these ever-changing practice areas.

Generally speaking, Michael Einbinder and Jim Goniea head the litigation and alternative dispute resolution areas of practice, while Terry Dunn spearheads the transactional and advisory side. Julie Lusthaus offers invaluable experience in both areas. It is not unusual for the partners to become involved in each other's areas and our associates have been trained to move effortlessly across these borders. The result is highly knowledgeable guidance at the partner level coupled with extremely capable support in all of the practice areas of the firm.

We are easy to find in our midtown New York office on Madison Avenue and once here, our clients enjoy a personal approach not found in other law firms. Clients can also contact and visit us at our offices in Philadelphia, Milburn, New Jersey and White Plains in Westchester County.

• Restaurant

• Retail

• Hospitality

• Real Estate

• Manufacturing

• Optical

• Recreation • Business Services

• Household and home improvement services

• Health Care

• Education

• Childcare

• Pet Care Services

• University of Denver College of Law, Denver, Colorado, J.D. – 1983

• Brown University B.A. – 1979

• Institute for European Studies, Austria (1977 -1978)

• “Material Changes and the FDD: Amending and Going Dark,” Franchise Law Journal, (Vol. 34, No. 4) Spring 2015.

• “Look Before You Leap Into a Lease,” Franchising USA, October 2013.

• “A Franchisee’s Guide to Franchisor Bankruptcy,” Co-Authored with Michael Einbinder – Franchise Law Journal, Fall 2011.

• “Impact of Social Media on Franchising and the Franchise Practitioner,” ABA Forum on Franchising, 2010.

• “Strengthen your Franchise Agreement,” Co-Author with Michael Einbinder - Franchise Law News, 2010.

• “The Franchisor’s Control Over the Transfer of a Franchise,” Franchise Law Journal, April 2008.

• “New FTC Franchise Disclosure Docs’ Effect on Franchisors/ees,” New Jersey Lawyer, March 24, 2008.

He is a Member of the New York State, New Jersey and American Bar Associations (ABA) and the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. He is a referred Member of the City Bar’s Legal Referral Service for business and franchise matters. He is a Member of the ABA’s Business Law Section and is an active participant in the ABA Forum on Franchising.