CHICAGOLAWBULLETIN.COM FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017 ® Volume 163, No. 14 Serving Chicago’s legal community for 162 years arches spanning the early restau- rants can be heard to crackle and Golden arches, hum with a soft, distinctive, light- saber buzz. It was the sound of summer in a Midwestern child- hood. golden archetypes in RE B E C CA Lawyers will love this movie if L. FORD they enjoy watching films that are not about lawyers, but about clients. Litigious ones at that. ‘The Founder’ Rebecca L. Ford is counsel at Scharf Kroc threatens to overwhelm Banks Marmor LLC, and concentrates her practice on complex litigation, compliance, the McDonald brothers with legal board governance and specialized costs rather than adhere to the Keaton puts on admirable performance as crafty employment issues. She is the former terms of their agreements. Having salesman set on turning fast-food into fortune executive vice president for litigation and taken a 1.4 percent royalty on 15- intellectual property at MGM. She can be cent hamburgers, Kroc is all cash reached at [email protected]. flow and no assets until a helpful ranchise, franchise, fran- diluted quality. lawyer gives Kroc a bit of billion- chise!”bellows Ray Kroc, After the war, drive-in restau- dollar advice. “Yo u ’re in the real played by Michael rants were extremely popular. the movie. He won an Academy estate business, not the burger Keaton, to the startled Service was slow, taking 20 min- Award for the 2014 film “B i r d - b u s i n e s s ,”his counsel advises. McDonald brothers, utes or more for food to reach the m a n ,”and his performance in Kroc should buy the land and FDick and Mac (Ron Offerman and c u s t o m e r. “The Founder”is no less com- lease it to the franchisees. He can John Carroll Lynch) who own a Overhead costs and turnover pelling. Even so, Keaton’s virtu- even revoke leases when fran- hamburger stand in San Bernardi- rates were high, due to reliance osity is underappreciated, and it is chisees don’t stick to quality stan- no, Calif. on car-hop waitresses who were wonderful to watch him soar. d a r d s . The restaurant is run on the harried and frequently harassed. Ron Offerman is perfectly cast K r o c ’s a taker, not a maker. So “Speedee Service System”—d e - Worst of all, the car-park culture as the gruff, sympathetic Dick when the brothers complain they vised by Dick, the dreamer of the attracted that most undesirable of McDonald. It’s time, though, for were the ones to come up with two —which applies assembly- undesirable elements: teenagers. Offerman to start showing off his the Speedee System concept, line efficiency to get burgers from Kroc counters that he was the one griddle to bag in 30 seconds. who came up with the concept of Dreams are admirable, but they w i n n i n g. c a n’t beat what milkshake-mixer Lawyers will love this movie if they enjoy “Do you know what the differ- salesman Ray Kroc has —vision. watching films that are not about lawyers, but ence is between me and you?” And the personalities of the Kroc asks the McDonalds. “If my three men follow well-established about clients. Litigious ones at that. competitor were drowning, I 1950s sitcom archetypes: Dick Mc- would walk over and put a hose Donald is Wally Cleaver, Mac Mc- down his throat. Can you say Donald is “B e a v e r ”Cleaver and Through planning and practice, range. Maybe an action movie y o u ’d do that?” Kroc, of course, is Eddie Haskell. the McDonald brothers eliminate would provide the opportunity for We know he speaks the truth. The McDonald brothers tried these obstacles. Iteration by iter- him to give us a little more Riggs And so it happens that “The franchising before, but they found ation, they perfected their system and a little less Murtaugh. Fo u n d e r,”an exhilarating adven- it impossible to control quality at the San Bernardino hamburger I was surprised and moved by a ture in salesmanship, which opens standards. Franchisees kept stand. detail in the movie’s ambient on the day of the presidential in- adding off-contract menu items They are ripe for the plucking. sound effects. The yellow neon auguration, is the first film of the that slowed down service and Michael Keaton carries away lights that illuminate the golden Trump era. Copyright © 2017 Law Bulletin Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission from Law Bulletin Publishing Company..