SUMMARY

Experienced general counsel, franchise lawyer, C-Suite executive, and board member who understands a franchisor's and franchised businesses' big picture. Ten years overseeing corporate governance, negotiating contracts and franchised company leases, managing intellectual property portfolios, and completing the purchase and sale of franchised companies. Deep experience drafting franchise disclosure documents (FDDs) and franchise agreements and successfully resolving franchise disputes. Well-versed in franchise restaurant restructuring and company change management. In addition to a decade serving as the general counsel for a restaurant franchisor, Bud co-chaired the franchise and distribution team of a respected business law firm for three years, and he negotiated, tried, and won franchise and commercial litigations and arbitrations for more than fifteen. Bud's broad experience and education allows him to work both cross departmentally and across the table to help his clients overcome their legal challenges, grow, and succeed.

CULP LEGAL, FRANCHISE & BUSINESS CONSULTING LLC d/b/a CULP LEGAL FBC – TAMPA, FL 

President - 2025

• Serve as interim in house counsel for a large franchisee of Taco Bell restaurants, along with Five Guys and other branded restaurant airport concessions.

THE MELTING POT RESTAURANTS, INC. – TAMPA, FL 

Chief Legal & Business Officer and Board Member 2020 - 2024

General Counsel & Chief Business Officer and Board Member 2019 - 2020

General Counsel 2014 - 2019 

• Achieved long sought objective of merging Front Burner Brands, a multi-concept franchisor, into The Melting Pot Restaurants, the franchisor of the iconic Melting Pot® fondue restaurant, so that ownership, the team, and franchisees were united in their efforts to achieve success for the brand.

FRONT BURNER BRANDS, INC. – TAMPA, FL 

Chief Legal & Business Officer and Board Member  2020 – 2024

General Counsel & Chief Business Officer and Board Member 2019 - 2020

General Counsel 2014 - 2019 

• Helped manage the Melting Pot through the Covid pandemic leaving it intact and more profitable by negotiating and teaching franchisees to negotiate their leases to reduce or eliminate rent during restaurant shutdowns and restrictions. 
• Reacquired Melting Pot distribution rights for Mexico.
• Formed and led a cross-departmental System Health team to identify and help struggling Melting Pot restaurants for which Bud was promoted to chief business officer in addition to the company’s chief legal officer.
• Designed original version of systemwide balanced scorecard allowing the company and each franchisee to track key restaurant metrics including prime costs, social reviews, and financial results. 
• Drafted and completed multiple restaurant bulk asset purchase and share/membership transactions.
• Resolved nationwide wage and hour class action litigation for zero monetary consideration.
• Settled multi-million-dollar Canadian litigation for less than 2 percent of amount at issue.
• Hired as company's first general counsel and reduced companywide legal spend by 53% in Bud's first full year of employment by bringing federal and state FDD compliance, restaurant purchases, and litigation management and dispute resolution in house.

President 2013 – 2014

• Brokered settlement of long running litigation between client and the nation’s largest craft supply store.

Partner, Co-Chairman Franchise & Distribution Section 2009 –2012

• Drafted UFOC (n/k/a FDD) franchise prospectus and led nationwide roll-out of dental franchise opportunity.
• Litigated and settled two multi-million-dollar lawsuits involving: (a) a United States real property management franchise, and (b) a well known Canadian yoga apparel franchisor and retailer.

QUIZNOS SUBS – DENVER, CO

Vice President & Assistant General Counsel 2007 –2008

• Promoted to chief counsel supporting and advising Quiznos Canada, the company's top international division by sales volume and led effort to resolve two pending Canadian class actions.
• Managed worldwide litigation reducing class actions from eleven to six and cut overall litigation by half.
• Created and led cross-departmental team to mitigate competitive threat to U.S. business model resulting in modification of franchise agreement and supplier/distribution agreements.

Partner 1996 –2006

• Franchise Litigation includes:
• Multiple litigations and arbitrations for Quiznos, including Seven-Eleven Hampden v. Quiznos Sub, 97-CV-6769, in which Bud won summary judgment. 
• Masri v. Big O Tires, in which Bud won a bench trial involving allegedly fraudulent sale of eleven franchises in Detroit, Michigan.
• Factual Data - Southern California v. Kroll Factual Data, AAA No. 77 114 Y 00140 05 JISI, in which Bud won a multi-million-dollar award enjoining internet encroachment in an area developer’s Southern California territory.
• Commercial & Regulatory Litigation includes:
• In Re SBC Communications, Inc. and AT&T Corp., Docket No. 05A-084T, in which Bud obtained a ruling that no Colorado regulatory approval was required for SBC/AT&T merger.
• WorldCom, Inc. (s/k/a MCI WorldCom) v. US West Communications, Inc., Case No. 96-B-404, in which Bud won a $2,617,331.90 summary judgment and received a congratulatory phone call from Bernie Ebbers. 

Associate (law firm was then known as Moye, Giles, O’Keefe, Vermeire & Gorrell, LLP 1990 –1995

• Dreith and EEOC v. National Football League, Case No. 91-C-1289, led government and private effort to negotiate a favorable settlement in a landmark age discrimination litigation against the NFL.
• Martin Marietta v. Don Ward Trucking, Case No. 91-C-0159, Bud's first solo trial, a bet the company litigation, in which he won a jury verdict rejecting all claims and was awarded attorney’s fees on I-80 reconstruction project.
• People v. Reilly, Case No. 1990CV01324, on which Bud served as 2nd chair in a trial broadcast on Court TV and won a jury verdict acquitting a VA nurse charged with attempted first-degree murder of her dying patient.    

SWIDLER & BERLIN – WASHINGTON, D.C.

Associate 1988 –1990

EDUCATION & CREDENTIALS 

• Harvard Law School, J.D. cum laude 
• University of Colorado Boulder, B.A. with distinction
• Boston University Questrom School of Business, Executive Education, Mini MBA
• Harvard Business School, Executive Education, Strategies for Profitable Growth 
• Colorado Bar – Registration No. 18139

- Culp, “Top In-House Counsel,” Tampa Bay Business Journal, March 2017.

- Culp, "Top Chief Legal Officer or General Counsel," Tampa Bay Business Journal, February 2017.

- Beyer & Culp, "Franchise Sales Compliance," International Franchise Association, May 5, 2016.

- Culp, “Management of Outside Counsel,” International Alliance of Law Firms, December 4, 2015.

- Culp, “Starting a Franchise System in a Weak Credit Market,” Denver Business Journal, February 2011.

- Culp and Katalinas, “Supply Chain Risk Management,” Marsh Denver Restaurant Roundtable, April 13, 2010.

- Culp and Spandorf, “Sourcing Products and Services for the System,” American Bar Association, 32nd Annual Forum on Franchising, Oct 14-16, 2009 (Toronto, CN).