How Spadea Lignana Franchise Attorneys Provides Unmatched Client Support

At Spadea Lignana Franchise Attorneys, the award-winning franchise law firm, the focus is always on creating raving fans, not just clients. Every franchisor the firm works with has an experienced and dedicated Client Relations team member, who is there to provide client support, make introductions to friends of the firm and be a sounding board when the clients are looking for guidance and industry best practices.

“Each of our franchisor clients has three team members assigned to them — an experienced franchise attorney, a paralegal and a client relations manager,” said Tom Spadea, the co-founder of Spadea Lignana. “That client relations manager is the glue, the problem-solver, the person who is going to really build the relationship and be proactive in helping our clients achieve success. The role of our Client Relations team is all about constant improvement and learning.”

Meet the Client Relations Team

The Spadea Lignana Client Relations Team is led by Sandee Devine. Sandee has worked in franchising for decades, from operations to franchise development. She is not a lawyer, but a franchise executive who was on the leadership team of a few national brands with hundreds of locations before she joined Spadea Lignana in 2018 to build out this unique department. Her vision was to build a team to act as a liaison between attorneys and clients. 

“Each client is assigned a client relations manager, who is there to understand everything about the franchisor,” said Devine. “Whether it is finding financing partners, working with an auditor, lead generation support, managing the sales process — our team is there to share best practices from our decades of observations of what franchisors do to win.”

The Client Relations team plays a crucial role in connecting clients with the right resources and vendors providing guidance on how to make the most out of the firm and serving as an internal advocate for clients, streamlining processes and ensuring clients' legal needs are met efficiently. 

“Part of our role as lawyers is to be their tour guide to the franchise industry,” said Spadea. “We guide people on a path all the way from the early days to an eventual exit. Our goal is to give founders of franchise systems a solid base of legal documentation and compliance to help them build generational wealth.”

The team's practical and client-focused approach sets them apart from other franchise law firms. “We definitely look at everything from the franchisor’s point of view,” Devine says. “Because of our direct experience, we understand what you are trying to accomplish. If doing something one way may create an issue, we will come up with an idea that will accomplish the same goal within the regulatory guidelines.”

Basically, the Client Relations team is there to break it all down in plain English, says Spadea. “We open the doors to the franchise world and help them through what can be an intimidating environment,” he said. “The role of client relations is to be an advocate and coach: to make sure franchisors are asking the right questions, getting the right answers and heading in the right direction.”

A Robust Suite of Resources 

Spadea Lignana includes a “Client Access Portal”, called the CAP System, which offers clients a live and transparent view of their regulatory status as a franchisor. The portal also includes a “Field Guide” that covers everything from FDD regulations to state registration and best practices on record keeping, franchisee dispute resolution, resales and a myriad of other topics franchisors deal with day in and day out.

“We have video webinars, forms and internal articles available at all times,” said Spadea. “Usually lawyers only get involved when things go south, but our approach is to be proactive in helping our clients understand the issues before they trip them up.”

When it comes to the franchisee dispute process, for example, Devine says the Client Relations team is there to act as the first line of defense to ensure the clients are following the best industry practices to de-escalate and seek out the root causes of the issue. “Amazingly enough, most issues are resolved without ever having to go through a formal dispute resolution process,” said Devine. “The reality is that the big winners in litigation are always the lawyers, and clients laugh when we say that. Sometimes you can’t avoid a formal legal fight, but that should always be a last resort, especially for an emerging franchisor.”

Building Long-Term Relationships

Unlike most other law firms, Spadea Lignana charges clients through a flat monthly fee subscription model. This not only ensures that clients don’t have to worry about being billed for small talk and rush through calls, but it encourages clients to communicate openly and frequently with their legal team. All of this fosters a long-term relationship which enables the firm to be an integral part of their clients' success. 

Spadea likes to tell clients that, “a lawyer that you are afraid to call because you are afraid of being billed in six minute increments is really like not having a lawyer at all. With our subscription model, there is no reason franchisors shouldn’t reach out to us when they have a question related to regulatory compliance or a deal they are putting together. Let us decide if it’s a small issue, because if it’s not it is better to get legal advice before you take action.”

Through this approach, Spadea Lignana Franchise Attorneys is revolutionizing the way legal services are provided to franchisors. 

“When a franchisor only hears from their law firm during an FDD update or when there is a problem, that firm is just another vendor,” said Devine. “When a client is in close communication with their franchise law firm and is not afraid to ask questions because they don’t get billed hourly, then they are building a relationship for the long-term. We want to be an integral part of our client’s management team and ultimately an integral part of their success.”

By combining expert legal advice with the personalized, proactive support of the Client Relations team, the firm is paving the way for a new generation of successful franchisors.

“Franchising is hard — only one out of five franchisors will make it past royalty break even,” said Spadea. “Our internal goal is to bring that number up to two out of five franchisors for clients we launch. If we can help clients avoid early and sometimes fatal mistakes we can help them grow their franchise the right way and give the founder a much better shot at building generational wealth.”

For more information on Spadea Lignana, visit: https://1851franchise.com/spadealignanafranchiseattorneys/info