Worth asking before you commit

As soon as you hold the franchise disclosure document. The federal franchise rule says the seller hands it over at least 14 days before you sign or pay anything, and a full review fits inside that window with room to ask the franchisor questions.

No. The disclosure document is the franchisor’s required summary of its business, its costs and its other franchisees. The agreement is the contract you sign. I read them side by side because the two should agree.

Sometimes. Large systems change little. Smaller ones often move on territory, transfer terms and personal guarantees. I tell you which points are worth asking about and which will only cost you time.

My clients are owners: people buying or running a franchise, and people buying or selling a small business. I will help a small brand write its first agreement, but I do not act for a franchisor against its own franchisees.

The closest one to your shop. Each lawyer has a focus, but any of us will take your call and send you to the right desk without charge for the first conversation.

Whatever you were handed: the disclosure document, the draft agreement, the lease or the offer. A list of what worries you is just as useful as the paper.

Yes. Many first calls happen by phone or video, and we can meet in person at any office when you are ready to sign.

A franchise agreement review is a flat fee, quoted in writing before I start. It covers the disclosure document, the agreement and one call to go through what I found. Talking to the franchisor on your behalf is billed by the hour, and I quote that before I start. Court and filing costs are separate.

Reviews of a franchise agreement and a lease are flat fees. Negotiating, disputes and a lawyer on call are quoted in writing before work starts, so there is a number on the page.