Orange County, Riverside County, and Los Angeles County – Franchise Lawyer

Our philosophy has always been to establish strong and lasting relationships with our clients. We do this by providing superior legal and personal service at affordable rates. We get to know our clients through direct one-on-one contact. You will discuss your long-term business goals with an experienced franchise lawyer who will then guide you through the process of establishing and running a franchise operation.

Our California franchise law firm maintains a network of legal and business experts with whom we regularly consult to assure that all licensing and regulatory formalities are addressed as they arise.

Franchising is the practice of using another businesses successful business model. For the franchisor, the franchise is an alternative to building ‘chain stores’ to distribute goods or services and avoid investment and liability over a chain. The franchisor’s success is the success of the franchisees. The franchisee is said to have a greater incentive than a direct employee because he or she has a direct stake in the bus We can help you to select the proper names or words and phrases that can be protected and are available to you for branding and marketing purposes for your business.

Businesses for which franchising works best have the following characteristics: (1) Businesses with a good track record of profitability; and (2) Businesses which are easily duplicated.

As practiced in retailing, franchising offers franchisees the advantage of starting up quickly based on a proven trademark, and the tooling and infrastructure as opposed to developing themselves.

Two important payments are made to a franchisor: (a) a royalty for the trade-mark and (b) reimbursement for the training and advisory services given to the franchisee. These two fees may be combined in a single ‘management’ fee. A fee for “Disclosure” is separate and is always a “front-end fee”.

Each party to a franchise has several interests to protect. The franchisor is most involved in securing protection for his domain name and trademark, controlling the business concept and securing his know-how. This requires the franchisee to carry out the services for which the trademark has been made prominent or famous. There is a great deal of standardization proposed. The place of service has to carry the franchisor’s signs, logos and trademark in a prominent place. The uniforms worn by the staff of the franchisee have to be of a particular shade and color. The service has to be in accordance to the pattern followed by the franchisor in his successful operations.

Certain states, such as California, require that franchises be registered with the state agency that regulates commerce. We guide franchisors through the registration process. We organize, prepare and file all necessary documents to ensure that your franchise is not in violation of state regulations.

Every franchisor is required to provide a franchise disclosure document and a franchise agreement to prospective franchisees. These documents clearly outline your business model and define the relationship between franchisor and franchisee. Our firm assists in drafting customized circulars and agreements for franchisors.

Franchisees: Buying a franchise is a significant investment, one that must be protected. Our franchisee representation consists of reviewing and negotiating components of the Uniform Franchise Offering Circular and the franchise agreement. Because we draft these documents for franchisors, we know what to look for.

Once you have purchased your franchise, we will assist you with regulatory compliance and advise you on effectively setting up and running your newly acquired business.

Contact a franchise attorney at Grant’s Law Firm in Glendale, Riverside, Indian Wells or Irvine.