Resume of Ryan Douglas Smith

Legal Practice Areas
 
Ryan Douglas Smith, attorney at law, focuses his legal practice on franchise and business law. His franchise clients include franchisors, franchisees and new franchise purchasers. Mr. Smith represents business clients in various types of business transactions. He also represents clients in dispute resolution before litigation.
 
Mr. Smith helps franchisors start franchises by creating Franchise Disclosure Documents and Franchise Agreements to comply with relevant state and federal franchise laws. He prepares and submits nationwide franchise registrations, exemptions, renewals and amendments to state franchise administrators. Mr. Smith analyzes and responds to state administrator comments to nationwide franchise registrations. He assists franchisors with franchisee relations.
 
Mr. Smith also reviews and analyzes franchise disclosure documents and franchise contracts for existing franchisees, individuals interested in buying franchises and franchisees selling their franchises. He represents prospective franchise purchasers in franchise purchase negotiations with franchisors. Mr. Smith also represents franchise clients in franchise disputes.
 
For business clients, Mr. Smith creates business entities, such as limited liability companies (LLCs) and corporations, prepares contracts for business sales and purchases, and reviews and drafts other business contracts.
 
Education
 
Mr. Smith graduated from Brigham Young University in 1999. He received his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Oregon School of Law in 2003. He has been a member of the Oregon State Bar Association since 2003.
 
Mr. Smith served as note and comment editor of the Oregon Review of International Law during law school from 2001 to 2003. He and a partner were finalists in the Mediation Advocacy Competition at the University of Oregon in 2001.
 
Research and Publications
 
Mr. Smith is co-author of chapters entitled "Business Aspects of Franchising" and "Government Regulation of Franchises" in Advising Oregon Businesses, year 2008 revision, published by the Oregon State Bar Committee on Continuing Legal Education.
 
Mr. Smith performed legal research for the World Family Policy Center at the J. Reuben Clark Law School, Brigham Young University, during the summer of 2001. That same summer, he attended the United Nations Conference in New York as an accredited delegation from the World Family Policy Center (a non-governmental organization approved by the United Nations). He prepared a position paper for the non-governmental organization and presented it to individual conference participants, including United Nations delegates.
 
Interests
 
Ryan enjoys spending time with his wife and children. He also enjoys working with local youth, with whom he has rafted the Deschutes River in Oregon; cycled the San Juan Islands in Washington; backpacked the Wallowa Mountains in Oregon; and canoed the Dworshak Reservoir in Idaho.
 
Ryan served as a full-time missionary for The Church of Jesus-Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1995 to 1997 in Besancon and Lyon, France and Neuchatel and Geneva, Switzerland. Ryan speaks French.
 
Ryan began competing in triathlons in 2008 (Blue Lake in Oregon and Spudman in Idaho). He also participated in his first "Hood to Coast" relay in 2008. Ryan is a huge BYU football fan.