Franchising

The UK franchising industry is expanding more than ever before as a popular and profitable business model. It is exciting to grow a business concept into a franchise, and that growth can happen quickly. However, there are a wide range of legal issues to take into consideration at every stage and ensuring you have the right legal support from lawyers who understand the challenges and benefits for both franchisors and franchisees is invaluable.

How can we help with Franchising?

We have a highly skilled team of specialist franchising lawyers with experience and expertise in providing professional advice and guidance to both franchisors and franchisees on a wide range of legal matters. We will take a pragmatic and robust approach to protecting your interests and helping you to build lasting relationships. Our solicitors have years of experience in offering franchise clients a high-level and cost-effective service that achieves the best possible outcome, in line with your commercial objectives.

We offer a complete package of services in this area:

• Business Services – to include work relating to franchise agreements, deposit agreements and confidentiality agreements, intellectual property, franchise sale and purchasing, restructuring, data protection work;
• Commercial Property – to include all property related matters regarding franchising, including the sale and purchase of freeholds, the preparation of leases and subleases and ancillary licences as well as associated due diligence;
• Commercial Litigation – to include disputes with franchisees and franchisors, or third parties such as suppliers and sub-contractors regarding debt recovery or general contract matters;
• Banking Litigation – to include disputes regarding loans and overdrafts, financial mis-selling and bank or advisor misconduct.
• Employment – to include HR enquiries, preparing employment contracts and handbooks, or any other employment related issues.

Training Service for Franchisees

We can also provide training services for franchisees who may be new start-ups with little knowledge of how businesses work. We can offer training on areas such as HR, data protection, corporate governance and the mechanics of how a business works generally.

Recent Franchising Cases

1. Acting for a franchisor providing a bespoke employment law/HR advise retainer where we are retained to provide advice on all aspects of employment law and HR, provide employee related documents and make sure contracts and policies are up to date;
2. Acting for a franchisor to prepare employment contracts for different types of employees for example senior leadership with detailed business protection provisions; advising and preparing documentation to investigate and resolve an employee grievance; and successfully defending threatened Employment Tribunal litigation;
3. Successfully resolving disputes for a franchisor against several franchisees who had unlawfully terminated their franchise agreements and were acting in breach of post termination clauses within those agreements;
4. Successfully resolving claims and complaints for franchisees against a franchisor;
5. Successfully resolving claims and complaints on behalf of franchisors and franchisees against lenders in relation to fraudulent misrepresentation;
6. Acting for a franchisor with ownership of a freehold or headlease, to then grant either a lease or sublease to a franchisee, allowing that franchisor to control the premises and more easily manage its brand in the event that the franchisee fails to operate the business in the manner expected.

Get in touch with the team

Our specialist team has years of experience in dealing with legal matters relating to franchises. To speak to a member of the team to discuss your business and legal needs, get in touch on 01202 525333 or visit the contact page for more information.