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Portrait of Gina N. Malandrino
Partner

Gina N. Malandrino

Gina is an experienced franchise and general corporate attorney that takes a holistic approach to supporting her clients.

Gina is a general corporate and commercial transactions attorney. She concentrates her practice on franchise and distribution law, commercial contracts and transactions, private equity financing, mergers and acquisitions, and general corporate and organizational matters. Gina represents a broad range of franchise companies, from emerging brands to mature brands, in various industries including hospitality, restaurants, pet care, fitness, motor fuel, and convenience stores. She assists franchisors of emerging brands navigate the complexities of developing a franchise program.

Gina also provides ongoing support and assistance to franchisors through all phases of development and operation with everyday business and operations matters they encounter. Representative matters include drafting disclosure documents, counseling clients on regulatory and compliance issues, negotiating commercial business transactions, rebranding existing franchise systems, establishing joint venture relationships, expanding domestically and internationally, and assisting non-U.S. based franchisors expanding into the U.S. market.

Prior to joining Cheng Cohen, Gina practiced in Chicago in the areas of general corporate, transactional, technology, finance, and real estate law, including mergers and acquisitions, privately-held company securities issuances and private placements, commercial transactions, corporate formation and governance, and general contract preparation, review and negotiation.

Did you know

Gina loves dark roast coffee and drinks it black.Gina never misses a Pearl Jam show within 100 miles of Chicago.Gina is allergic to peanuts but can’t resist eating them at baseball games.Gina loves being outdoors and goes camping with her family every summer (in a tent, not a camper).Some people know her as “Coach” thanks to coaching her sons’ youth soccer teams.Gina loves pumpkin pie and with a November birthday chooses that as her “birthday cake” every year.As a former dancer, one of Gina’s guilty pleasures is watching Dancing with the Stars.Gina would have been a lefty had she not broken her left arm as a child.Gina is a certified scuba diver and dreams of seeing a great white shark up close someday.Thanks to her three sons, Gina can name every type of truck found at a construction site.

Credentials & Contributions

Education

  • Juris Doctor, Chicago-Kent College of Law
  • Bachelor of Science in Accountancy, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Bar Admissions

  • State of Illinois

Associations

  • International Franchise Association
    • IFA Women’s Franchise Network – Chicago Chapter, Co-Chair (2022 - 2025)
  • American Bar Association Forum on Franchising
    • ABA Forum on Franchising Women’s Caucus Committee

Speaking & Publications

  • Co-Author and Speaker, “Private Equity and Beyond: Non-SBA Lending and Financing Alternatives and Impacts," ABA Forum on Franchising (November 2023)

  • Speaker, "The Push and Pull of System Change and Enforcement," Franchise Times Legal Eagle Virtual Summit (April 2022)

  • Co-Author and Speaker, "But I Already Bought the Franchise? Exploring Franchisor and Franchisee Rights in the Renewal/Successor Franchise Context," ABA Annual Forum on Franchising (October 2021)

  • Co-Author, “Exemptions and Exclusions under Federal and State Franchise Registration and Disclosure Laws,” American Bar Association Publication (2017)

Awards & Recognition

Franchise Times “Legal Eagle”