PITTSBURGH — Attorneys representing dealers are forming a group to facilitate discussion and address questions about the common issues they face. Called the National Association of Dealer Counsel (NADC), it will officially start in fall 2004.

Among many issues common to dealer attorneys are manufacturer franchise issues and regulatory issues, said Jonathan Harvey of Harvey and Mum-ford, LLP. Also, there are a slew of laws they must understand, such as lemon laws, insurance laws, tax laws, privacy laws and regulations, and employment laws.

A 14-member steering committee is in charge of the association’s structure, goals, membership criteria, initial-dues structure and budget.

"This Association will fill a void," said attorney Tom Hudson of Hudson Cook, LLP and a member of the steering com-mittee. "Until now, there has been no common meeting ground for lawyers who represent dealers and who handle dealer issues on a daily basis - the NADC should be a very useful tool in-deed."

"We’re trying to talk to as many lawyers who represent dealers as possible," said Jack Tracey, CAE, who will manage the Association. "We want to hear from them about their ideas, needs and inter-est in the NADC."

Those interested in membership and who want to share ideas for the association can e-mail dealercounsel@comcast.net or call Jack Tracey at (412) 781-9366, Jonathan Harvey at (518) 463-4491, or Tom Hudson at (410) 865-5400.