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Welcome
Business and Franchise Lawyers Serving Clients Throughout Pennsylvania and the Nation
At Spadea, Lanard & Lignana, we are in the business of helping businesses organize, grow, and thrive. For more than two decades, our attorneys have helped clients throughout Pennsylvania and the nation make their business dreams a reality, including those seeking franchise opportunities.
Contact one of the attorneys at our firm today. We can help your business dreams become reality.
Positioning Your Business for Success
We custom-tailor effective legal solutions for small and medium-sized businesses of all types. We provide the legal underpinnings essential to business success. Contact our business attorneys if you are:
- An entrepreneur with an exciting new business idea
- Anyone with a business agreement, commercial lease, or non-compete agreement that needs to be prepared, reviewed or renegotiated
- A business owner who is dissatisfied with his or her current legal advisor
- An individual purchasing a franchise business or a business owner who wants to franchise a successful business concept
- An individual wishing to purchase or a business owner who wants to sell a business
- A business owner with employees or looking to obtain employees
Deal Makers, Not Deal Breakers
The description of a successful corporate counsel could be paraphrased: "Don't tell me why it won't work. Find a way to make it happen." We take that approach when we are helping our clients. We provide all the services of an in-house corporate counsel without the overhead.
Business Spoken Here
If you have dealt with attorneys before, you may be surprised to find that we speak your language, not legalese, and we understand business. We not only translate legal concepts into plain English, we will explain exactly what they mean to your business and your bottom line. Then we take action on your behalf, deftly navigating the murky waters of the law until we reach the best possible outcome to your legal situation. You will find our team of uniquely qualified, skilled attorneys listen, understand, and are responsive to all your legal needs.
Do you have questions about franchising law, contracts, or a specific business transaction? Let's talk business. Contact us today to speak with one of our experienced business and franchise lawyers.
What Is The History of Franchising In The United States?
What is the history of franchising in the United States? What role did fast food and sewing machines play in creating the demand for franchises in the United States?
Franchising actually began in the United States in the mid-1800's with Albert Singer and the Singer sewing machine. Albert Singer used franchising as a means of distributing his sewing machines throughout the United States. He is credited as the first franchisor in the United States and the first to develop a franchise contract.
Franchising grew more fashionable in the mid-1900's when a new type of franchise popped up in the form of the retail and fast food chains. Both the move to the suburbs at the time and the advent of the baby boom created the need for fast food and retail chains to develop in more remote areas outside of cities, thus creating the need for franchising these types of businesses. Read more »
Existing Franchisees Can Be A Valuable Resource To A Prospective Franchisee
Existing and former franchisees of a system can be a valuable resource and an important part of the due diligence or validation for anyone looking to buy a franchise. Before you sign a franchise agreement or pay any monies for a franchise, make sure you have spoken to as many of the existing and former franchisees as you can and ask them what they like and dislike about the support and training they receive. Both existing and former franchisees are listed as Exhibits to Item 20 of the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD). If there are 500 franchisees in a system you are considering, I would speak to at least 50 of them around the country and all of the former franchisees you can reach. Read more »
Should I use a business broker to sell my franchise?
Unless you already have a buyer, such as a fellow franchisee, a key manager, or a family member, then you should use a business broker. And even if you have a buyer, it may be helpful to still hire a business broker to expand the universe of those interested in your business and to confirm that you are getting a fair deal. The law of supply and demand applies to businesses as well. If you have more buyers (higher demand) you should be able to command a higher asking price. Brokers have specialized knowledge and experience dealing with multiple transactions a year, where you may only sell a business once in your life or only a handful of times.
In addition, don’t underestimate the value that a broker provides by acting as a third party intermediary. They will screen unqualified buyers and help the serious buyers understand your business better. Read more »
Commercial Lease Clauses That Should Be Negotiated
The following is a list of the top ten commercial lease clauses about which a tenant should be most concerned. Here is my top 10 list for the most negotiated clauses:
1) Rent - When does it commence; what is the base rent; will there be percentage rent.
2) CAM - Stands for "Common Area Maintenance Charges" - this is the additional rent that includes all of the costs that the Landlord expends for maintaining the shopping center or office building. The costs are apportioned to each tenant on a pro rata basis based on square footage (see my prior blog post on Common Area Maintenance charges). Consider a cap on charges and exclusions from items included in CAM charges.
3) Personal Guaranty - is a personal guaranty required, if so, can it be limited in time or amount.
4) Term - When does the lease commence - does it commence when the lease is signed, when the keys are turned over to the tenant, when the tenant opens for business or some time after that. Read more »
Tips Before You Invest In A Franchise
What do you need to know before you invest in a franchise? I always tell my prospective franchisee clients that they should find out as much as possible about the franchise and the business. The following are some suggestions on questions to ask the franchisor and things to learn about the franchise before you invest in a franchise opportunity: Read more »
