If you are involved in a franchise or looking to involve yourself in a franchise, it's always good to have a franchise lawyer on hand. Franchise lawyers or franchise agreement lawyers work with franchised companies or offer legal counsel for buyers. A franchise lawyer can help you make confident business decisions.
Franchise attorneys are lawyers who help clients with franchise-related matters. This can include providing legal advice, offering insight on federal or state law, ensuring that everyone complies with franchise regulations, preparing a franchise agreement, representing you in court or in a hearing, negotiating franchise deals, or mediating disputes.
Franchise lawyers protect legal rights and answer questions. They can help you facilitate a good agreement or make sure that you are starting the right type of business. The process of starting, buying, or selling a franchise is complicated, and legal inside can give you a much better understanding of your contracts and help you stay compliant with legal changes.
Franchise lawyers advise and represent businesses and individuals for legal issues relating to a franchise. This can include:
Franchise lawyers are professionals who can help you stay ahead of compliance issues. You don't need to hire a franchise attorney only when something goes wrong. Instead, you can hire them before you get involved in a franchise if you simply want legal guidance or you want to understand how new federal rules might impact your business. You can also hire a franchise lawyer as a current business owner to better negotiate franchise deals or prepare new agreements.
You should consider hiring a franchise lawyer if you are a franchisor with an established business if you are a franchisor looking to start a new franchise model, a franchisee purchasing your first franchise business or a franchisee looking to expand your current business.
Hire a lawyer for franchise near you for any legal issue involving a franchise:
When looking for the best franchise lawyer near you, consider their qualifications and cost.
When you pick a franchise law firm, make sure you pick franchise attorneys who are familiar with the type of franchise agreements or legal services you need. Franchise law is vast. There are many franchise systems within it. So your legal needs might have to do with representing your business or instigating litigation as franchisees. Maybe you need law firms with experience on the distribution side of things. Search for a franchise attorney or firm who specializes in cases such as yours.
Cost is another factor to consider when choosing a franchise attorney. You can find law firms that give clients payment options rather than demanding payment upfront.
Franchise lawyers usually charge by the hour, but how much they charge per hour will vary depending on a few factors:
Tip: Be sure to ask about payment options. Some law firms will charge you an hourly fee and send you a bill every month, and until that bill is paid in full, they will cease all work on your case. Even if you do not anticipate financial problems, it is good to know what payment plan options are available to you so that if a monthly bill costs more than anticipated, you can make payments on it while they are still pursuing your case.
They usually do not charge for consultations. Franchise lawyers often use the consultation as a chance to see if their team can serve you. A consultation is typically thirty minutes, during which time they confirm whether you need their help, whether they can provide it and if you’re wanting to move forward with their firm.
Yes. Franchise lawyers can provide legal services for any type of franchise, whether it is a business format, product distribution, job franchise, conversion franchise, or investment franchise.
Franchises are subject to dozens of different laws, which is why having a franchise attorney is so important. Compliance and oversight are necessary to know and avoid in areas such as tax laws, reporting requirements, federal trade commission rulings, marketing, and advertising laws, dispute resolution, business law, employment law, and more.
It is advised that you work with a franchise attorney near you if you plan to start a franchise because every situation is unique. While the processes to start a franchise are relatively similar no matter the industry, it is still important to have someone on hand to provide legal guidance for establishing your corporation, researching economic opportunities, developing business plans, applying for investments and creating franchise agreements.