- OVERVIEW
- INSIGHTS
- NEWS & EVENTS
PRACTICES
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Education
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University of Southern California,
J.D., 1969
Staff Writer, University of Southern California LA
Chief Justice, Moot Court
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Princeton University,
A.B., 1966
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Admissions
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California
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California USDC, Southern District
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US Ct Appeals, 9th Circuit (AZ, CA, HI, ID, MT, NV, OR, WA, Guam, M. Isles)
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Affiliations
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California Fashion Association
Founding Board Member, 1995-Present
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California State Bar
Business Law Section
Co-chair, Legal Services Trust Fund Commission
Trustee, State Bar Foundation
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Compliance Alliance
The nation's largest volunteer organization dedicated to FLSA
Founder
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Fellow, Culinary Institute of America
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Recognitions
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Listed in Southern California Super Lawyers, 2012-2013 (by Thomson Reuters)
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Community
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Maxwell H. Gluck Foundation
Independent Trustee and Secretary, 1984-Present
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California State Bar Trust Fund Commission
Appointed by Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye
Co-Vice Chair, 2013-2015
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University of California Riverside Foundation
Board of Trustees, 1998-2012
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California State Bar Foundation
Board of Trustees, 1993-1998
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Children's Museum of Los Angeles
Board Member and President, 1992-1997
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Trustee, Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, 1992-1997
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Rich is a corporate strategist and litigator with a unique in-house business perspective across a wide variety of industries.
Prior to joining Thompson Coburn as a partner, Rich founded and developed a firm that was a leader in its field of business practice for 20 years. He left his firm to bring Krispy Kreme Doughnuts to Southern California, serving that newly formed company as CEO and General Counsel for six years. During that time, the company became the largest Krispy Kreme franchisee, the subject of articles in the national press.
Rich returned to private practice in 2007, applying his business experience to a varied business litigation practice. Since that time, he has served clients in the restaurant, apparel, furniture, music, real estate, retail, construction, wholesale, energy, and franchising business, as well as other industries. His litigation experience includes disputes involving trade secrets, intellectual property, trust and other probate matters, insolvency and restructuring work, wage and hour class action defense, employment disputes, real estate boundary and title disputes, FDA and other regulatory matters, and much more. His personal knowledge of the world of franchises has supported an active franchise practice. He has served as lead counsel in six jury trials.
In addition to a distinguished record as a lawyer, Rich has hands-on experience as a real estate developer, wine exporter, apparel manufacturer, and surf label licensor, as well as successful franchising work. This background has enabled him to resolve potential litigation through productive transactions. For example, to resolve an over-leveraged business problem, he assisted in the restructuring and sale of a music publishing business. He was lead counsel in the sale of an LED business, an apparel business, a wind energy business, an automobile parts company, and a very large California ranch. In 2016, he assisted a food company in a sale, resolved a dispute between secured lenders, managed the sale of a high-profile general contractor, and negotiated a settlement of a franchisor/franchisee dispute in a heavily regulated furniture business.
Rich's combined business and legal experience informs a presentation he has made all over America, Canada and Australia on management under pressure. He has delivered more than 100 such speeches to CEO groups, national conventions, professional organizations, boards of directors, and management teams. He has presented webinars on family businesses and spoken on industry panels and as a keynote speaker on franchising issues and turnaround management. This speech is an extension of Rich's public presentations on behalf of the U.S. Department of Labor on compliance issues in the apparel industry, and at various business schools on a variety of topics, including a series of lectures on entrepreneurship.
Besides these pursuits, Rich has served as a Judge Pro Tem in unlawful detainers, a court appointed Special Master in business valuation disputes, and as an expert witness.
Thompson Coburn Publications
U.K. now requires supply chain transparency on human trafficking risks
Doing business in California or the UK? You may be required to be a watchdog for human trafficking
Fashion industry awash in copyright lawsuits: What you can do
Publications
"Fashion industry awash in copyright lawsuits: What you can do";
June 2016
"An Exploration into the Practice of Fashion Law";
Navigating Fashion Law, 2012
"Regulation: Forced-Labor Law Binds Business?";
Los Angeles Business Journal, January 2012
"Suppliers Are Not Banks: What to Do When Companies Will Not Pay Their Bills";
Los Angeles Daily Journal, October 2011
"Recovering Attorney's Fees in Probate Actions";
Los Angeles Lawyer Magazine, February 2011
"Secure Transactions";
Los Angeles Lawyer, September 2010
"How to Fix the Judge Salary Problem";
The Huffington Post, May 2010
"CFIUS and Foreign Investment in the US Wind Energy Industry: A Question of National Security";
Power and Energy Solutions, October 2009
Presentations
"Leadership Lessons Learned Deep in a Doughnut Hole";
Garage to Goliath podcast, November 2, 2017
"Permission Granted: Richard Reinis ’66";
Princeton Alumni Weekly, March 16, 2017
"Your Back is Against the Wall, What Then?";
Vistage Family Business Network Webinar, Norwalk, August, 2016
"Turnaround of Franchise";
Business Forum International, Los Angeles, CA July, 2016
"Your Back is Against the Wall, What Then?";
Vistage Family Business Network Webinar, Tustin, CA July, 2016
"Turnaround of Franchise";
T&R Lumber, Newport Beach, CA June, 2016
"Your Back is Against the Wall, What Then?";
Vistage Family Business Webinar, Phoenix, AZ, May, 2016
"Turnaround of Franchise";
Turnaround Managers Association, Atlanta, GA, February, 2016
"The Krispy Kreme Follies: A True Story";
CLE presentation, Provisors Affinity, Los Angeles, CA January 2016
"Your Back is Against the Wall, What Then?";
Vistage Family Business Network Webinar, San Diego, CA January, 2016
"Your Back is against the Wall! What then?";
Vistage Family Business Network Webinar, November 4, 2015
"Your Back is Against the Wall, What Then?";
Vistage Family Business Network Webinar, San Bernardino, CA, October, 2015
"Your Back is Against the Wall, What Then?";
Vistage Family Business Network Webinar, Phoenix, AZ, July, 2015
"Your Back is Against the Wall, What Then?";
Chicago, IL and St. Louis, MO, June, 2015
"Your Back is Against the Wall, What Then?";
Anderson School of Business, Los Angeles April, 2015
"Managing the Battle: The Reality Show";
National Systems Contractors Association Business & Leadership Conference, San Diego, February 19, 2011
"The Krispy Kreme Follies: A True Story";
National Systems Contractors Association Business & Leadership Conference, Palm Beach Gardens, FL, February 25, 2010