Robert Johnson

Robert Johnson is of counsel in the Corporate & Business and Cannabis practice groups at Greenspoon Marder LLP.  Robert is a “lawpreneur”, meaning he is an accomplished attorney and a serial entrepreneur. With over 28 years of global legal, corporate, franchise, and crisis management experience, he advises small and mid-sized companies, specifically social enterprises, start-ups, and minority and women-owned businesses, to help them scale and gain access to capital. As a seasoned corporate attorney, Mr. Johnson has substantial experience advising social impact investors, venture philanthropists, and private equity firms. Additionally, he is a licensed business broker and a certified franchise consultant.  Robert also has vast knowledge in minority franchise development and franchise development of emerging brands.

Before joining Greenspoon Marder, Mr. Johnson served as a Partner in the Chicago office of Taylor English Duma, advising clients with his extensive knowledge in corporate law, M&A, and litigation. He is one of the country’s leading advisors on minority franchising and served as the Franchise Relations Officer and Ombudsman for McDonald’s Corporation’s Central Division. Mr. Johnson was responsible for being an advocate for the McDonald’s System and providing leadership to strengthen the relationship between McDonald’s and its Owner/Operators. He was also responsible for resolving conflicts between the Company and its Owner/Operators and represented all of the Black McDonald’s Owner Operators.

Prior to assuming the role as Franchise Relations Officer, Mr. Johnson was an intrapreneur responsible for the management of McDonald’s $55 Million a year Worker’s Compensation program for all of the domestic corporately owned restaurants. He created the department in 2006 and implemented programs that saved the corporation over $60 million dollars.

As part of his social impact practice, Mr. Johnson also has a special emphasis on addressing social equity and social justice issues. He regularly consults and provides training and thought leadership to fortune 500 clients on matters of diversity, equity and inclusion. Mr. Johnson has particular expertise and travels the country to address diversity issues related to the advancement of African American employees and executives and to teach Black Career Development and Intercultural Learning. He is passionate about closing the racial wealth gap, social equity issues and community economic development, and has used his years of experience as a serial entrepreneur, community advocate, lawyer and corporate executive to positively transform organizations, communities and individuals.

Mr. Johnson is the Chief Economic Inclusion Officer and General Counsel for the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago. The YWCA is a 140-year-old social enterprise. In this capacity, he is responsible for the management of the organization’s Economic Empowerment Institute. The Economic Empowerment Institute includes the Financial Inclusion Institute, the Innovation and Technology Institute, the Small Business Development Center (SBDC), StreetWise and the Workforce Development Institute.

Mr. Johnson further fuels his passion for entrepreneurship as the founder and Managing Partner of the Solomon Group LLC. The Solomon Group is a global social enterprise management consulting firm that provides expertise in the areas of community economic development, business management, franchise consulting and venture capital for minority and women entrepreneurs.

Mr. Johnson also serves on the Co-Chair of Gromentum Labs, a social equity cannabis accelerator that provides opportunities to assist minorities in entering the cannabis industry, and is a member do the Cook County Cannabis Commission. He has been an active advocate for social equity applicants and works tirelessly to promote wealth creation in underserved communities. He has also developed a social enterprise economic model called the Social Determinants of Wealth to address the lack of investment in underserved communities and to promote community economic development.

Mr. Johnson received his Juris Doctorate for the University of Illinois College of law and dual Bachelor of Science degrees in Economics and Business Administration, and Sociology and Anthropology from Knox College.

Bar Admissions

• Illinois

Education

• J.D., University of Illinois College, 1993
• B.A., Economics, Business Administration, Sociology, Anthropology, Knox College, 1990