Tom Spadea

Tom Spadea

[email protected]
Phone: 215.525.1165 x115

Education:

J.D. Temple University Beasley School of Law, Philadelphia Pennsylvania

B.A. Marquette University, Milwaukee Wisconsin, Business Administration – Finance, Cum Laude

Areas of Practice:

Experience:

Tom Spadea spent more than 15 years in corporate and entrepreneurial positions before completing law school at Temple University’s Beasley School of Law in 2010. His undergraduate degree is in finance from Marquette University, where he graduated Cum Laude. Tom is a Certified Franchise Executive (CFE), a non-legal designation earned from the International Franchise Association. He has also been named a “Legal Eagle” by Franchise Times and “Top Franchise Influencer” by 1851 Franchise multiple years in a row, both distinguished awards recognize Tom as a leader among his peers in franchising.

Focus:

Tom has been lead counsel for hundreds of new franchise launches and has assisted dozens of franchisors in private equity transactions where the founder of the business successfully exited. This is Tom’s passion, helping founders navigate a generational wealth event through franchising. It’s not easy or fast, but done correctly franchising is a way many founders have turned a profitable small business into serious wealth.

Background:

Tom’s entrepreneurial background goes back to the late 1990’s when he was the co-owner and President of a communications equipment manufacturer where he co-founded a factory in Latin America, successfully created an international sales network in Asia and invented a product for which he was granted a US Patent. Tom internalized what went well and where he struggled as a business owner in his first entrepreneurial endeavor. That scar tissue helps guide his advice for founders seeking exponential growth.

Tom’s next move was into the franchising world working as a Franchise and Business Broker. He acted as an adviser to clients looking to transition into the ownership of a franchise or the purchase or sale of an existing small business. As a business intermediary, Tom handled dozens of transactions every year, ranging from listing businesses for sale to recruiting buyers. His specialty was negotiating transactions that satisfied all stakeholders.

It was while Tom was a broker that he decided to pursue his legal education. Balancing law school, work and a young family Tom persevered to become an attorney at the age of 38. During those years he managed to hold senior executive positions for multiple national franchise concepts throughout law school including a 100-unit fast casual restaurant chain; a franchised chain of over 400 supplemental education centers; and a 500-unit retail chain of franchised frozen dessert restaurants.

Passion:

Thanks to his background as an entrepreneur and a corporate franchise executive, Tom has a unique perspective as a franchise lawyer. Tom is perhaps the only franchise lawyer that can say he paid for law school at night by selling franchises during the day. Tom understands franchising from the inside, giving his clients valuable counsel to help them map out and meet their business objectives.

More important and valuable, however, to any of Tom’s professional accomplishments is the time he gets to spend with his wife and their two children.



What Clients Have Said about Tom Spadea

Google
May 2020

Tom and his team provided the legal services I needed for my small business. I benefited from their experience with franchising. Their fees were fair, they were professional, treated me with respect and did it all in a timely manner.


Jack Wilson


Calvin
March 2019

Tom and the entire team at Spadea Lignana have been an absolute pleasure to work with. They have shown commitment and loyalty throughout our entire franchising process. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking to franchise their business. We look forward to the many franchise agreements we will do together throughout the years ahead!


Calvin McNeely President of Runningboards Marketing


April 2018

Ready for War! A shotgun shot out to Tom and his team! He came, he saw, he won! We talked on a Friday and after a weekends work (Easter weekend) he’d gotten done exactly what I asked him to do, with a little extra for the team! Franchise issue, please make the call! Thanks again Tom!


Ashman Saar


April 2018

I hired Spadea Lignana by way of a referral. Tom spoke with me the first day i was thinking about franchising my business. He was able to conceptualize a lot of the actions that would need to be taken to move forward. He charged me a fair price for representing me and available during the process at no charge. He and Andrew did not charge me anything for questions that i had. They provide a great support system if your thinking of franchising. I would definitely refer them to anyone i know and i will continue to engage with them throughout this amazing process. This is a solid Franchise Attorney!!


Luc Richard


January 2017

Where to begin? I was introduced to Tom Spadea at a Franchise Expo in Philadelphia in 2015. We were just in the VERY early stages of franchising our moving company, Suburban Solutions.

I have had some rough experiences in general with some lawyers, who often were looking for a quick pay day for poor service. However after just minutes of meeting Tom, I knew we would be in great hands. From the start, Tom Spadea was helpful, informative and I knew he was not out to just earn a quick buck.

[They] helped finalize our FDD, set up our Franchise Agreement, comb through our website to make sure we were compliant and set up a dashboard for disclosure. But above all, Tom, Stephanie and Josh answer every single one of my countless questions timely and succinctly. They make a confusing journey of legal pitfalls so enjoyable and allow people with no legal background to feel empowered to speak confidently about an otherwise daunting aspect of franchising.

They are certainly the BEST LAWYER TEAM around!


Patrick McNichol Franchisee, Suburban Solutions


October 2016

Tom Spadea is the complete package. Smart legal mind that has a terrific grasp on business nuances. His tactical advice is right on and is extremely helpful when negotiating through the legal and emotional waters of negotiations. He is fair, responsive and if this is possible, a lawyer I actually admire.


Robert Fein


October, 2016

It has been a great experience working with Tom and his staff. I have been working with Tom since 2013. I could not be more satisfied with his work on my commercial leases and franchise issues. Calls, emails, concerns, etc…were beyond my expectations. Helped me solve a major issue with my landlord. Saved me a lot of money and was calming force in negotiations. If you are looking for a great business lawyer with fair pricing Tom is your guy.


Brad Beaverson Franchisee, Philly Pretzel Factory


jerry
September 2016

I have worked with Tom Spadea and his team for several years. Honest, professional and truly caring- this is the best way to describe this firm.Fair pricing and smart attorneys that understand franchising better than any other lawyer you know-this firm is solid from top to bottom. They have helped my company JDog put 100’s of Veterans to work through our franchise system that Tom helped me create. Please feel free to call me directly about Spadea.


Jerry Flanagan President & CEO, JDog Junk Removal and Hauling


Tom is a fantastic attorney, wonderful negotiator, wins the cases, and does not go crazy with his bill. I will use him always!


Liliane Tietjen