Jon P. Christiansen

Jon P. Christiansen

Jon P. Christiansen is a partner and chair of the firm's Litigation Specialties Group, which includes the following litigation practice areas: Antitrust, Appellate, Consumer Finance, Construction, Distribution and Franchise, Energy Litigation and Insurance Dispute Resolution. He is the former chair of the firm's national General Commercial Litigation Practice. He also formerly chaired the firm's Distribution & Franchise Practice and practices primarily in the areas of commercial litigation, distribution & franchise and construction. He serves on the firm's Training Committee and heads the firm's Electronic Evidence training. His experience includes preliminary injunctions, trials, arbitrations and appeals throughout the United States in commercial, distribution, construction and trade secret cases.

Mr. Christiansen has lectured frequently to trade associations and business groups on the subject of distribution and antitrust law, including, most recently, Web-based seminars on distributor consolidations and distribution challenges presented by e-commerce. He has drafted numerous national distribution agreements in diverse industries, has managed distribution channel consolidations, and has counseled with both distributors and manufacturers in resolving distribution disputes. He is one of the principal authors of the "Product Distribution Guide," published by CCH. He is one of the co-authors of Annual Franchise and Distribution Law Developments - 2009, published by the ABA Forum on Franchising. He recently co-authored a chapter on distribution agreements in the "Illinois Business Law Series" (IICLE 2005).

Mr. Christiansen is a member of the State Bar of Wisconsin and the American Bar Association. He graduated, magna cum laude, from St. Olaf College with a B.A. degree and was awarded his J.D. degree in 1975 by Vanderbilt University, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif and served as editor-in-chief of the Vanderbilt Law Review.

Mr. Christiansen served a judicial clerkship in 1975-76 with Judge Griffin B. Bell, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit. He has been a partner with Foley & Lardner since 1982.

Mr. Christiansen has been selected by his peers for inclusion for at least 10 years in The Best Lawyers in America® in the fields of "Bet the Company" litigation, one of only 416 in the entire United States, commercial litigation and franchise law. He is also listed in Chambers USA: America's Leading Business Lawyers (2008-2009), which referred to him as "a highly analytical trial lawyer who writes an impressive brief." Franchise Times selected Mr. Christiansen as one of its "Legal Eagles." He was also selected for inclusion in the 2005-2009 Wisconsin Super Lawyers® lists. Mr. Christiansen is a member of the American Bar Association "Forum on Franchising."

Mr. Christiansen is a regular contributor to trade associations and seminars. Mr. Christiansen's publications and presentations include:

· 18th Annual Law of Product Distribution & Franchise - Strategies & Solutions in a Troubled Economy

· Wisconsin's Economic Forecast - Guiding Principles for Weathering the Storm

· Evidentiary and Trial Issues in Franchise Cases

· The Changing Landscape of Distribution & Franchise Law

· Practical Approaches to Managing Electronic Evidence

· Distribution & Franchise Law Update: Drive Your Business Forward

· The Ten Commandments of Termination - You Can Keep Terminations (and Litigation) to a Minimum

· Not in My Backyard: The Legal Boundaries of Territorial Restrictions

· Distribution After Corporate Acquisitions: A Manufacturer's Primer

· How to Deal with Your Insurance Company in Product Liability Litigation

· Ten Things Manufacturers Should Never Say

· The Tale of the Ostrich: Living in Ignorance with the Battle of Contract Forms

· The Tale of the Ostrich II: The Dark Side of Technology

· The Basics of Territorial Restrictions

· A Practical Primer on the Law of Price Discrimination

· EDI and Fax Machine Orders are Creating New Warranty Problems

· Drafting Distribution Contracts to Avoid Litigation

· Drafting Distribution Contracts to Avoid Litigation

· The Termination from Hell - A Case Study

· Future Distribution Issues

· Distributor Terminations: Sometimes When You Win, You Lose

· In Pursuit of Share of Mind

· Getting to the Starting Line: Using Appointment Letters to Supplement Distribution Agreements

· E-Commerce - Exclusivity in the Existing Dealer Body: Recognizing and Dealing with Channel Conflict

· Distributor Consolidation - Supplier's Friend or Foe

· Constructive Terminations

· How Do I Know If My Distribution House Is In Order?

· Alternate Fee Arrangements

· What Do You Do To Accomplish A Market Withdrawal

· The Dam Is Broken: Expedited Proceedings And Checklist

· Write Smart To Avoid Litigation\Key Issues In Private Label Agreements

· Creating An Enforceable Prospect Registration System

· The Ten Worst Distribution Mistakes A Manufacturer Can Make

· Budgeting Away Litigation Cost Surprises

· Litigation Alternative Fee Arrangements - Real World Alternatives and Provisions

· Market Withdrawal - The Landscape of "Termination by the Market" (ABA Forum on Franchising, with Scott E. Korzenowski)

· Competitive Discounts - The United States Supreme Court Clears the Way

· Advanced Performance Measurement and Management

· Managing Electronic Discovery to Avoid Litigation Risk

· Can a Manufacturer Control its Prices Downstream?

Mr. Christiansen has been active in numerous bar, charitable and conservation groups. He served on the board of directors of the Milwaukee Bar Association and its Bench and Bar Committee. He was a member of the board of directors of the Milwaukee Young Lawyers Association. He has also served on the board of directors of the Milwaukee Council on Alcoholism. He served for 20 years on the board of directors and was chairman of St. Aemilian-Lakeside, Inc., a treatment home for abused youth. He currently serves on the national board of trustees of Trout Unlimited, a cold-water conservation organization.