Doris Adkins Carter

Practice Areas

  • Franchise Law

Contact

Biography

Doris Adkins Carter heads the firm's Franchise Law Practice Group along with Christine Tani.

Doris joined the firm after 32 years as partner of the franchise law firm, Carter & Tani. Doris and her partner Christine Tani established the firm in 1991 and successfully developed the firm into a well-respected boutique franchise law firm with a nationwide presence.

Doris has worked with franchisors, subfranchisors and franchisees in a wide variety of industries. She takes the time to learn about her clients, their businesses and their legal needs in order to provide effective legal services on a more personal level. She has worked alongside numerous franchisors in launching new franchise programs and in developing and growing established franchise programs.

She uses her wealth of experience in franchising to provide advice and counsel to her franchise clients and to assist franchisors and subfranchisors in complying with the federal and state franchise disclosure and registration laws and navigating relationships with franchisees. She has a vast experience in preparing Franchise Disclosure Documents, Franchise Agreements, and a wide variety of other related contracts for franchise offerings as well as agreements between franchisors and franchisees. She routinely conducts franchise law compliance training for her clients.

Before establishing Carter & Tani, she worked as in-house counsel for a franchise company which provided her great insight into the business side of franchise companies.

Doris also enjoys providing counsel to prospective franchisees considering the purchase of a franchise, sharing her insight on being part of a franchise system in addition to reviewing legal terms of the franchise offering.

Doris is a member of the American Bar Association and the ABA's Forum on Franchising, and each year attends its annual franchise law conference to keep current on the ever-evolving franchise law.

Outside of work, Doris enjoys spending time with her family and friends, including her husband, daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter and the family dogs. She and her husband enjoy traveling, biking, hiking and reading, but most of all, spending time with their granddaughter.

Doris has served various community and philanthropic organizations and is active in her church and has served as a volunteer at her church's local food pantry. For 15 years, she coordinated group mission work trips which took her all over the country to help the impoverished and victims of natural disasters. She and her husband have also traveled to Costa Rica with mission teams to build homes for families living in substandard housing. Doris has also served the last 7 years as coordinator of an annual service day in her community where volunteers help neighbors in need.

Education

  • Loyola University Chicago School of Law, Chicago, Illinois
    • J.D. - 1980
    • Honors: With Honors
  • University of Illinois, Champaign, Illinois
    • B.S.
    • Honors: With Honors
    • Major: Business Administration

Bar Admissions

  • Illinois

Professional Associations

  • American Bar Association, ABA Forum on Franchising
  • DuPage County Bar Association, Business Law Committee

Languages

  • English