Elizabeth Westrope

Lizzy Westrope

Associate
About

Lizzy Westrope focuses her practice on domestic and international franchising, licensing, and distribution matters.

Lizzy has extensive experience helping franchisors comply with franchise laws in the US and abroad. She also has experience representing private equity firms in the purchase and sale of franchise companies. She regularly drafts and negotiates documents such as franchise agreements, disclosure documents, supply agreements, area development agreements, and related documents for franchisors in a wide range of industries, including the hospitality, fitness, entertainment, restaurant, retail, childcare, real estate, veterinarian care, health care, home services, and automotive service industries.

In addition to her domestic practice, Lizzy has helped clients expand their brands to more than 50 international markets, including Canada, Europe, Africa, Central America, South America, the Caribbean, Asia, Australia, and the Middle East.

Areas of FocusFranchise
Bar admissionsIllinois
Education
  • J.D., Northwestern University
    cum laude
  • B.A., University of Notre Dame
    cum laude

Pro Bono

Lizzy maintains an active pro bono practice. Some of her recent pro bono work includes:

  • Representing asylum seekers and children seeking Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS)
  • Representing a young adult seeking clemency 
  • Researching the availability of legal resources for individuals impacted by COVID-19
  • Representing a statewide class of prisoners challenging the constitutionality of their conditions of confinement
  • Representing a client wrongfully accused of armed robbery in criminal proceedings 

Through her pro bono work, Lizzy has second-chaired the defense of a medical expert in a class action prisoners’ rights lawsuit, managed discovery, interviewed and counseled numerous clients, drafted pleadings and legal memoranda, won asylum for a client appearing before United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, and appeared on behalf of clients in administrative, civil, and criminal proceedings.

 

Bylines

  • Contributor, "Basic Procedural Manual for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) Predicate Orders in Illinois," National Immigrant Justice Center, March, 2022
  • "Inspiring Law Students to Advocate for Survivors of Violence," DLA Piper, October 9, 2019
  • Employment Discrimination on the Basis of Criminal History: Why an Anti-Discrimination Statute is a Necessary Remedy, 108 J. Crim. L. & Criminology 367 (2018)

Seminars

  • Co-presenter, "Basics: Franchise Related Mergers & Acquisitions," International Franchise Association Annual Legal Symposium in Washington, D.C., May 17, 2022

Media Mentions

Memberships And Affiliations

  • Pro Bono Committee - North America
  • Co-Chair of National Immigrant Justice Center Associate Leadership Board

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