Franchising

Franchising represents a driving force behind the U.S. and world economies. With a team of nearly a dozen lawyers across multiple practice areas, AGG’s franchise practice assists our clients, both franchisor and franchisee alike, to understand the legal and regulatory environment associated with this business format and to confront the challenges they face, whether franchise-related or industry-specific. Our full-service platform and expertise allows us to counsel our franchisor clients from franchise system launch to international expansion to successful exit and everywhere in between.

Specifically, our franchise regulatory team has meaningful depth and experience in serving as both franchise and corporate counsel to franchisors of all sizes and structures, which services include: (i) assembling, preparing, filing, and disseminating franchise disclosure documents as well as state registrations, where applicable; (ii) drafting, negotiating and maintaining franchise agreements, market development agreements, and other related legal documentation; (iii) analyzing, advising and structuring the business organization of franchisor clients so as to achieve optimal results from operational and tax perspectives; and (iv) assisting in our clients’ international expansion through franchising. Additionally, as outside general counsel to many franchisors, AGG’s attorneys are easily accessible when desired by our clients so as to provide timely strategic and legal guidance on all contractual and other legal matters as the same arise from time to time.

The depth of our team goes well beyond our corporate and regulatory expertise. Specifically, our Real Estate practice has one of the largest teams in the Southeastern United States dedicated to negotiating leases, purchase agreements, franchisor riders, subordination and non-disturbance agreements, and other contracts relevant to franchisers and franchisees. Our Intellectual Property practice routinely assists our franchisor clients in identifying, registering, maintaining, and defending trademarks, copyrights, patents, and other matters of intellectual property that are vital to the existence and continued value of all franchise systems. Finally, AGG’s Litigation practice has decades of combined experience in assisting franchisors with resolving a variety of legal disputes, from simple contract claims and franchise law compliance issues to complex patent litigation.