French Practice

Set up and expand franchises

We help franchisors vet through contracts and customize it to their needs and preference. The document is written with utmost regards to help them make sound business choices. While the contracts are drafted to be user-friendly to both the franchisors and franchisee, rest assured that safeguarding our clients’ interest is still our priority.

Manage relationships and expectations

With our vast experience in franchise, we can help you manage the expectation and relationship between you and the franchisee and provide legal advice for the growth of your business.

Among others, we help our clients record any ownership changes at the franchise level, matter with regards to the renewal of franchise rights, and also construct franchisee advisory councils and advertising cooperatives.

In the event of bankruptcy and receivership situations, we can provide solutions and propose arrangements to protect our client’s interests.

Compliance with franchise law

We prepare Franchise Disclosure Documents to comply with the legal requirements but at the same time, it is concise, efficient and user-friendly. Our expertise includes rules and risk of marketing the franchise opportunity, online and off, directly and through brokers.

Implement brand standards

We put great emphasis on making sure that the client’s brand is not compromised by sub-standard practices. Therefore we help create compliance programs and processes to ensure conformity of the image and consistency of operation among franchises.

Selective distribution and alternate channels 

We counsel our clients on other business initiatives in the area of co-branding, licensing arrangements and alternative distribution channels (licensing, selective distribution).

In the event of disputes, we advise and represent our clients, be it in courts or in alternative dispute resolution such as mediation and arbitration. 

Execution of transactions

We act as special counsel for due diligence for franchisors and private equity investors to acquire brands. (We help brand owners implement their exit strategies.)

Our team is also experienced in a wide range of business and finance transactions, including franchise buybacks, securitization, lending arrangements, management agreements and joint ventures.

We advise our clients with regards to all legal aspects of their commercial properties. Our team prepares contracts for the transfer, sales and purchases of assets.

Trademark is an integral part of an enterprise, especially in a franchise system. Our team is experienced to handle a multitude of issues related to trademark, from clearance searches, registrations, enforcement of trademark rights to litigation of trademark disputes. 

We assist manufacturers and suppliers on their relationships with distributors and retailers to organize their supply chains for critical goods and services.

Our services include drafting purchase and sale agreement, payment mechanisms, letters of credit, warranties, commissioned agency and sales representatives’ arrangements and anti-trust issues and cross border sales agreements involving INCOTERMS and the United Nations Convention on the International Sale of Goods.

As part of our Franchising practice, we help franchisors structure approved supplier and distributor programs.

We assist in making searches, registering and protecting our clients’ domain names. Our team is also adept in advising clients with regards to protection of privacy and data on the internet, software and hardware licenses and other technological related areas.

Our firm can assist with (general advertising standards and special promotional programs such as sweepstakes and gift cards)