5 Tips for finding the right franchise attorney

1851 spent some time on the phone with Adam J. Siegelheim, shareholder and member of the Business & Corporate and Franchise groups at Stark & Stark Attorneys at Law to get some tips for finding the right franchise attorney. We tried to make it as quick as possible in hopes he wouldn’t bill our firm for his time.

First things first, why do I need an attorney?
Well, you are more than welcome to try and go it on your own, but did you ever hear the quote from Abraham Lincoln, “A man who represents himself has a fool for a client?”

Okay, touché, you’re hired!
Not so fast there, cowboy. Don’t pull that trigger until you’ve done your homework first (Tip No. 1). There are attorneys for every kind of industry, so look for a franchise attorney that specializes in the industry and who is well versed in franchise law. Your brother-in-law that specializes in criminal law or the attorney that handled your divorce is probably not the right choice. The International Franchise Association website is a good place to start (Tip No. 2).

Any tips on what to look for?
It’s good to find law firms that have inter-disciplinary services (Tip No. 3) that complement each other. For instance, the firm has a lawyer that specializes in the franchise industry and another lawyer at the same firm that specializes in real estate or corporate law. That way you can utilize the same firm for all of your needs.

That sounds expensive.
It will save you time in the long run and the attorney working on your real estate knows the attorney working on your FDD, so there is strength in that synergy. If you want to keep costs down, try to negotiate for a fixed rate or blended rates, a flat hourly fee no matter what level of attorney at the firm is working on your account (Tip No. 4).

What is the number one mistake people make when hiring a franchise attorney?
Don’t hire someone that doesn’t know how to explain things to you. If you don’t understand what they are saying, you most likely never will. Also, if they are unresponsive and hard to reach, you are going to have lots of headaches working with them. (Tip No. 5)

Happy hunting!