Timothy K. Kroninger

Intellectual Property, Franchise and Business Law Attorney

Tim serves as Co-Chair of the firm’s Intellectual Property Practice Team, leads the firm’s franchising and licensing practice, and is also a member of the Business and Corporate Services Practice Team. He has extensive experience in many legal business areas including intellectual property and contract law; corporate and general business law; franchise and licensing law; commercial transactions; warranty, marketing, and disclosure law; and trademark, copyright, and technology licensing as well as litigation.

Tim has served as both in-house and outside legal counsel, as well as having personally owned and operated many different types of small businesses, which provides him with a unique understanding and perspective in helping clients with their legal and business needs, issues, challenges and opportunities.

Tim’s experience includes working with Fortune 500 companies around the world. He uses his significant experience in law and business to apply a unique perspective, philosophy, and attitude to assist all types and sizes of companies in analyzing, protecting, and enforcing their intellectual property from an overall strategic perspective, which is unique to the legal industry. Tim manages clients’ comprehensive trademark and copyright portfolios globally, having prosecuted and handled thousands of trademark registrations both domestically and internationally over his legal career.

Tim has extensive experience in negotiating, drafting, and analyzing complex license and franchise agreements, as well as handling and managing business transactions of all types and sizes, that involve the diverse areas of intellectual property, trade secrets, manufacturing, distribution, sales, marketing, insurance and indemnification, financials, and warranty and quality control.

Tim conducts intellectual property due diligence in M&A deals and commercial transactions, providing analysis, advice, and execution on the strategies and tasks necessary to secure and protect the valuable intellectual property rights. Through his work in franchising and licensing, Tim helps clients strategically grow their businesses, providing counsel, advice, and guidance to both franchisors and franchisees in protecting, enforcing and commercializing their rights and interests.

Additionally, Tim represents several companies as outside general counsel, regularly providing guidance and counsel on matters affecting their businesses and assisting in their day-to-day needs

Honors and Recognitions

Auburn Hills Optimist Club: Distinguished Volunteer Service Award, 2017; Optimist of the Year, 2007 – 2008

C.O.T.H.A. (Troy Homeowners Associations), Volunteer of the Year, 2000

Oxford High School (Michigan), Distinguished Alumnus, 1990

Troy Soccer Club, Distinguished Volunteer Service Award, 2012

Professional Affiliations

American Bar Association

American Intellectual Property Law Association

International Collegiate Licensing Association (ICLA)

International Licensing Industry Merchandisers Association (LIMA)

International Trademark Association (INTA)

Michigan Intellectual Property Law Association

MSU Alumni Association

Oakland County Bar Association

State Bar of Michigan: Business Law Section; Antitrust, Franchising & Trade Regulation Section – Council; Intellectual Property Law Section

University of Detroit Mercy School of Law: Trademark and Entrepreneur Clinic, Director and Adjunct Professor

State Bar of Michigan

Community Involvement

Crescent Ridge/Park Subdivision Association: Board of Directors; past president and treasurer

Kickstart Toddler Soccer: trainer/coach

Optimist Club of Auburn Hills, member; past Vice President and Board of Directors member

Sacred Heart Catholic Church (Auburn Hill, Michigan), guest choir member/soloist/cantor

Presentations

Michigan State University, Executive MBA Program, panelist, “Intellectual Property/Brand Protection,” February 24, 2025

State Bar of Michigan – Antitrust, Franchising, & Trade Regulation Section, speaker, “Intellectual Property and Franchising: Who Should Care and Why?” May 16, 2024

Michigan State University, Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, speaker, “Introduction to Intellectual Property,” November 15, 2023

University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, speaker, “Introduction to Trademark Law,” November 17, 2022

MICPA Forensic Accounting and Valuation Services Conference, speaker, “Franchise It! Valuations and Contract/Marketing Agreements,” May 20, 2021

20 Fathoms Executive Forum, speaker, “Assessing Risk – Legal, IT Security, and Business Liabilities,” March 9, 2020

Michigan State University, Eli Broad College of Business, speaker, Business Entrepreneurship classes on Business Entity Creation, and Intellectual Property Protection and Enforcement, 2014 – 2019

Michigan State University, judge, Eli Broad Business Model Competition, March/April 2018

Entrepreneurial Detroit Open City Event, panelist, Build Institute, January 15, 2018

GreenLight Michigan Business Model Competition, judge, March 28, 2018; March 29, 2017

University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, guest speaker, Lunch with a Lawyer Program: “Intellectual Property and Licensing in the ‘Real World’,” 2013

The C12 Group, Fall Conference, guest speaker, “Trade Secrets, Confidentiality, and Non-Compete Agreements,” 2010