Matthew J. Soroky

Matthew J. Soroky is a Certified Specialist in Franchise & Distribution Law as designated by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. He represents both franchisors and franchisees in a wide variety of transactional, litigation and regulatory compliance matters. Working closely with clients in the areas of franchise, distribution, licensing, and intellectual property, Mr. Soroky represents entrepreneurs and business owners in matters involving:

• Franchise Disclosure Documents (FDDs)
• Franchise registration, renewals, and related compliance
• Franchise termination and non-renewal issues
• Negotiation of single-unit franchise and multi-unit development agreements
• Copyright and trademark registration and enforcement

In addition, Mr. Soroky has over a decade of litigation experience and has litigated an array of franchise, complex business, and intellectual property disputes – including franchise disclosure violations; inadvertent/accidental franchise claims; trademark and copyright infringement; disputes involving distributor, dealer and commercial supply contracts; and the defense of various consumer class actions at both pre- and post-certification phases. He has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in claims regarding:

• Copyright and trademark infringement
• Fraud and false advertising
• Franchise law violations
• Lanham Act claims and unfair competition
• Direct and derivative shareholder disputes
• Trade secret misappropriation
• Defamation and privacy torts
• Products liability

Mr. Soroky has appeared before California courts throughout the state, and the United States District Courts, Central and Eastern Districts of California.

A graduate in the top 20 percent of his class at Southwestern Law School, Mr. Soroky earned his Juris Doctor in 2008, and graduated magna cum laude with Phi Beta Kappa honors from the University of California at Berkeley. Prior to joining Lewitt Hackman, he worked at a national law firm and completed externships with several in-house legal departments at NBC Universal. He has been named a Southern California Rising Star, by Super Lawyers Magazine each year since 2018.

Mr. Soroky is a member of the State Bar of California, American Bar Association Forum on Franchising, and the Los Angeles County and San Fernando Valley Bar Associations. As an appointed member of the Franchise Law Committee within the Business Law Section (BLS) of the California Lawyers Association, Mr. Soroky serves as Vice Chair of Legislation and leads a subcommittee on proposals to exempt franchises from California’s Assembly Bill 5 (2019).