OUR TEAM

Peter R. Silverman

ATTORNEYPeter R. Silverman

With more than 35 years of experience, Peter focuses his practice in the area of commercial litigation and general business counsel, including a number of specialty areas, such as:

  • Franchising/distribution
  • Alternative dispute resolution
  • Intellectual property
  • Securities
  • Sports
  • Antitrust

As a neutral, Peter has been an active arbitrator since 1986 and a mediator since 1990. He is a member of the American Arbitration Association Large, Complex Case Arbitration Panel, the Conflict Prevention & Resolution Panel of Distinguished Neutrals, and the Ohio Chapter of the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals. He is also the sole United States arbitrator on the Chair/Sole Arbitrator Panel of the European Union-based International Distribution Institute, which offers expedited arbitration for international distribution and franchising disputes. Peter currently chairs the Early Dispute Resolution Committee of the American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution, the Early Dispute Resolution Task Force for the International Franchise Association, and the Dispute Resolution Committee of the Ohio Bar Association Corporations Committee. He teaches seminars nationwide and writes widely on alternative dispute resolution.

Clients look to Peter for his business experience. From 2013-2016, Peter was an active partner in the Oasis restaurant chain, which was elected to the Northwest Ohio Entrepreneurial & Business Excellence Hall of Fame in 2014. Between 2004 and 2010, Peter owned and was President of Hi-Genomics, a biotechnology company that genetically transformed plants. Committed to helping entrepreneurial businesses, he received the 1989 Ernst and Young/Inc. Magazine Entrepreneur of the Year Award for his work in helping business owners start and grow their businesses. In addition, Peter is an individual member of the University of Toledo and Bowling Green State University Entrepreneurial & Business Excellence Hall Of Fame.

Peter currently serves on the board of the Toledo Chabad House and teaches Sunday School. As a public official, he formerly served on the Toledo City Council, the Toledo School Board, and the Ohio Casino Commission.

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Education

  • J.D., cum laude, University of Michigan, 1981
  • B.A., with honors, George Washington University, 1977
  • Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 1975-1976

Admitted:

  • Michigan, 1988
  • Ohio, 1984
  • New York, 1982
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, 1982
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, 1982
  • Court of Appeals, New York, 1982
  • United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit 1983
  • Supreme Court, Michigan, 1984
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio, 1985
  • United States Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit 1985
  • United States Supreme Court, 1986
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan, 1987
  • United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit 1988
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio, 2000
  • Supreme Court, Ohio, 1984
  • United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit 2005

Industry Groups

  • Hospitality and Leisure
  • Sports and Entertainment

Honors and Awards

Career

  • Best Lawyers in America, 2007 – 2020 (Arbitration, Commercial Litigation, Franchise Law, Litigation – Intellectual Property, Litigation – Securities, and Mediation)
  • Best Lawyers,”Toledo Franchise Law Lawyer of the Year,” 2020
  • Chambers USA, 2015 – 2018 Franchising (Nationwide)
  • Franchise Times®, recognized as one of the Nation’s top 100 franchise lawyers, 2005 – 2020; Legal Eagles Hall of Fame
  • Ohio Super Lawyer by Super Lawyers magazine, 2009 – 2011, 2014 – 2020
  • Who’s Who Legal:  Franchise, 2014 – 2018
  • Entrepreneurial & Business Excellence Hall Of Fame, 2014, 1989
  • Toledo Business Journal, “Who’s Who in Toledo Area Law”
  • Ernst and Young Inc. Magazine, “Entrepreneur of the Year” Award
  • AV® Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell

Practices

  • Administrative, Regulatory & Government (Local & State Agencies)
  • Broker-Dealer Litigation and Arbitration
  • Construction
  • Corporate Law / Business Organizations
  • Antitrust and Trade
  • Data Breach
  • Franchise and Distribution
  • Intellectual Property
  • Litigation
  • Alternative Dispute Resolution
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Sports and Entertainment
  • White Collar Defense and Investigations

Professional and Community Affiliations

  • Toledo Bar Association
  • Ohio State Bar Association
  • American Bar Association
  • ABA Forum on Franchising
  • CPR Panel of Distinguished Neutrals
  • International Franchise Association, Dispute Resolution Task Force, Chair
  • National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals, Ohio Chapter