Maral Kilejian focuses her practice in the areas of franchise and distribution law, corporate law, trademark law, and advertising, sweepstakes and promotions.
Maral provides practical initial and ongoing counsel and legal support to franchisors in the structuring and operation of domestic franchise programs and international expansion, including in the drafting of franchise-related agreements, franchise compliance issues, franchise and business opportunity registrations and exemptions, non-traditional venues, alternative distribution channels, managing franchisee relationships, crisis management, operations manuals, marketing materials, gift card programs, development and implementation of social media policies and guidelines, and nation-wide and international sweepstakes and contests.
Maral’s intellectual property practice focuses on federal and state trademark filings as well as dispute resolution, online brand management, and licensing issues.
Maral also advises clients in the structure and implementation of promotions, marketing campaigns, contests, giveaways and sweepstakes across various media, including text message promotions and social media campaigns.
Maral represents companies in various industries, including the restaurant, retail, hospitality, convenience store, healthcare, and beauty, health, and fitness industries.
Maral is an active member of the American Bar Association’s Forum on Franchising, a Topics and Articles Editor for the Franchise Law Journal, and from 2013 to 2015 served on the Forum’s Diversity Caucus’s Steering Committee. She received the Substantial Written Work Award, 2013 ABA Forum on Franchising Annual Meeting for her article, “Enforceability of Contractual Forum Selection and Choice of Law Provisions,” which was published in the fall 2012 edition of Franchise Law Journal. She is a former Chair (2011), Vice-Chair (2010), and Secretary (2009) of the Dallas Bar Association’s Franchise and Distribution Law Section.
Maral serves as a big sister with Big Brothers Big Sisters of North Texas.
