Franchise Legal Players: Jason M. Murray of Gunster, Yoakley & Stewart, P.A.
1851 Interviews the Highest Profile Attorneys in Franchising for the 2018 Franchise Legal Player Awards
Name: Jason M. Murray
Firm: Gunster, Yoakley & Stewart, P.A.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/murraylaw/
About Your Firm: Gunster, Florida’s law firm for business, provides full-service legal counsel to leading organizations and individuals from its 13 offices statewide. Established in 1925, the firm has expanded, diversified and evolved, but always with a singular focus: Florida and its clients’ stake in it. A magnet for business-savvy attorneys who embrace collaboration for the greatest advantage of clients, Gunster’s growth has not been at the expense of personalized service but because of it. The firm serves clients from its offices in Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, Palm Beach, Stuart, Tallahassee, Tampa, The Florida Keys, Vero Beach, Winter Park, and its headquarters in West Palm Beach. With more than 180 attorneys and 200 committed support staff, Gunster is ranked among the National Law Journal’s list of the 500 largest law firms and has been recognized as one of the Top 100 Diverse Law Firms by Law360.
Website: www.gunster.com
What makes your firm stand out as a resource for the franchise industry?
Gunster advises on all areas of franchise and distribution law. From contract negotiation to dispute resolution and regulatory counsel, our firm represents the full array of significant players within the franchise and distribution system. Our attorneys are committed to understanding many different points of view, as well as to knowing what drives decision-making in this highly specialized area of practice. Our firm is dedicated to negotiating creative, out-of-the-box solutions that have the potential to result in a win-win approach to problem solving, deal-making and dispute resolution. Our goal is to provide multi-dimensional perspective and practical legal advice that reflects our integrated practice in creating, managing, licensing, developing, protecting and enforcing franchised business relationships, product distribution systems and dealership networks.
What is the No. 1 thing a franchisor/franchisee should look for when identifying the right franchise attorney?
The No. 1 thing prospective franchisor/franchisee clients should look for in an attorney is commitment to understanding many different points of view within franchise and distribution systems. Commitment to understanding different viewpoints fosters creative solutions that have the potential to result in a win-win approach to problem solving, deal-making and dispute resolution.
When it comes to your work, what makes you happiest?
Serving as a key business advisor and problem solver that assist clients in achieving their business goals.
What are your top concerns for the franchise industry in the next year?
My top concerns for the franchise industry involve immigration, labor and employment. The current political climate is calling for a more restrictive immigration policy. These policies may adversely affect several sectors in the franchise industry such as lodging & hospitality, quick service restaurants, table/full service restaurants, and personal services to name a few. Many of these sectors have relied on new arrivals for their labor force and the labor force for their supply chains. Additionally, several of these sectors have served as pathways to business ownership for new arrivals using immigration visa programs such as E-2 and EB-5. In addition to immigration policy impacting the sale of franchises and the labor force for many sectors, the franchise industry also is still facing uncertainty concerning possible findings from the National Labor Relations Board that franchisors can be held liable for labor mistakes from franchisees if the NLRB embrace a “joint employer” view and interpretation of certain employment laws.
What are you most optimistic about in the franchise industry in the next year?
Because the economy is growing and creating jobs, I expect that consumer spending will increase and fuel the growth of the franchise industry. The recently passed Tax Cut and Jobs Act should further enhance consumer spending over the next couple of years. I am optimistic that franchise industry will experience growth in the next year.