In nearly 30 years with the Bloomington-based Larkin Hoffman law firm, James Susag has become a go-to trial lawyer in bet-the-company franchise litigation as well as other commercial litigation matters. In the past year, Susag has represented a national mental health franchise system at state and federal court, the court of appeals, and in arbitration proceedings in more than 20 cases. He also successfully defended a national restaurant franchise in a lawsuit and had six buyer-seller arbitrations in 2025, winning all six. He’s known for his mentorship: “It’s been a pleasure to be able to observe and learn from him early in my career,” Larkin Hoffman associate Silas Petersen says.