J Michael Dady

Michael Dady is widely regarded as one of the most prominent franchisee and dealer attorneys in America. He and his colleagues at Dady & Gardner, a boutique ten-lawyer firm, limit their nationwide practice to helping franchisees and dealers protect and grow the value of their businesses. They have made new law for franchisees, trying and winning many significant cases across the country. The firm has successfully represented franchisees and dealers in over 350 franchise and supplier systems and currently represents more than 50 franchisee and dealer associations.

In 2023, Chambers USA ranked Dady & Gardner as the top franchisee law firm in America. It named Michael Dady and his partner, Ron Gardner, among the top four franchisee lawyers in the country. Of the 21 franchisee lawyers recognized nationwide by Chambers, six are from Dady & Gardner.

Michael is a frequent speaker and writer on franchise law and has served as an adjunct professor at the University of St. Thomas Institute for Franchise Management. He is listed in Best Lawyers in America, is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, and has obtained multiple results exceeding one million dollars for unfairly treated franchisees and dealers. He was named one of Minnesota Lawyer’s “Attorneys of the Year” in 2000 and received the AAFD’s Total Quality Franchising Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003. He has been named one of Minnesota’s Top 100 Super Lawyers for over ten years and, along with seven of his partners, is recognized by Franchise Times as a “Legal Eagle.”

Outside of law, Michael has chaired the boards of Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis, St. John’s University, and Ecumen. He serves on the board of the C.M. Russell Museum of Western Art. A native of Sisseton, South Dakota, and a proud rancher in his free time, he was named Alumnus of the Year by both Sisseton High School and Saint John’s University.