Spadea Lignana Voted Top Franchise Law Firm by Entrepreneur 6 Years Running!
Spadea Lignana is proud to have been recognized as a top franchise law firm by Entrepreneur as part of their annual list of “Top Franchise Suppliers” for 6 years running.
“There is no higher honor professionally than being recognized by your clients,” said Tom Spadea. “Our team has worked tirelessly over the last few years helping our clients navigate franchising in these uncertain times. It’s really all about the team of attorneys, paralegals and supporting cast in our firm that made this happen through the caring, diligence and excellence they bring every single day. I am so proud of our team and thankful for our clients.”
Legal Services from Our Franchise Lawyers
We are an elite national franchise law firm with decades of experience. Our attorneys focus on real-world solutions and always consider the return on investment for every legal dollar spent.
Franchising Your Business
Flat Monthly Fee
Trademarks
Compliance Systems for Franchisors
International Franchising
State Registrations
Meet Our Franchise Law Attorneys
Jessica Dempsey
Experience: Jessica Dempsey comes to the Spadea Lignana team with a background in transactional law. After graduating...
Nate Greenberg
Experience: Nathan Greenberg practices law as Of Counsel with Spadea Lignana LLC. Nate is also the Chief...
Stephanie Grobler
Experience: Stephanie Grobler has been with the firm since 2003. For almost a decade and a half...
Evan Harra
Experience: Evan Harra joins the Spadea Lignana team after starting his career working in bank-related litigation. Evan...
Harold L. Kestenbaum
Experience: Harold L. Kestenbaum joined Spadea Lignana in 2019, bringing decades of unrivaled experience in the franchise...
Avery Korman
Experience: Before joining Spadea Lignana, Avery Korman spent time on Capitol Hill doing legal writing and legislative...
Melissa Lenhard
Experience: As a lawyer with over 15 years of experience, Melissa Lenhard has the knowledge and experience...
Josh Lignana
Experience: From Wall Street to Walnut Street—Josh Lignana started his career as a Wall Street trader, being...
Andrew Matson
Experience: Andrew brings a franchisee’s perspective to the Spadea Lignana team. Before graduating law school from Temple...
James McCauley
Experience: James McCauley previously worked in corporate litigation and honed his transactional skills when working for several...
Kathryn Ng
Experience: Kathryn Ng always wanted to be a lawyer: her love for writing and helping others lit...
Brenden Pumphrey
Experience: Brenden Pumphrey has always had a passion for justice, dreaming of becoming a lawyer since he...
Alexandra Schiavino
Experience: Juggling a JD and an MBA is no walk in the park, but Alexandra Schiavino did...
Tom Spadea
Experience: Tom Spadea spent more than 15 years in corporate and entrepreneurial positions before completing law school...
Victor Turcanu
Experience: Victor Turcanu is no stranger to the franchising world. He has worked closely with franchisors across...
Matthew Wizmur
Experience: Prior to law school, Matt Wizmur spent several years working for small businesses, which adds an...
About Spadea Lignana
Spadea Lignana is an elite franchise law firm with decades of experience serving hundreds of franchisor clients nationwide. The firm’s primary focus is providing real-world solutions with constant consideration for a return on investment for each legal dollar spent. The firm takes a long-term approach with its legal advice, trying to help clients build a franchise system that will create generational wealth for their owners.
Most of the attorneys have worked directly in franchising as executives of national brands and some as franchisees themselves. This omnichannel vision and unique perspective enables the firm to provide grounded, practical and relevant legal advice. Spadea Lignana has pioneered unlimited legal work via flat monthly pricing for franchisors instead of hourly billing. This “CORE” program takes care of most of the transactional legal needs of being a franchisor such as updating their FDD, state registrations, franchise & multi-unit agreements and much more. The firm also developed CAP, a unique proprietary software giving clients an accurate, timely, and transparent view of their FDD and State Registrations.
What Our Clients are Saying
March 2025
Spadea and specifically Evan Harra have been a key part of my success in franchising. From the very beginning of my journey, Evan has gone above and beyond to ensure I was protected, educated, and confident in every decision. He’s not only incredibly knowledgeable, but also truly invested in the long-term success of my brand. I couldn’t imagine navigating the complexities of franchising without him. Highly recommend Spadea Lignana to anyone looking for a franchise attorney who genuinely cares.
Courtney YeagerFounder & COO, The Tox
★★★★★
★★★★★
February 2025
Kathryn Ng and the whole Spadea team was amazing in helping me to get my franchise started, and in providing me ongoing support. Highly recommend!
Paul StaritaCo-owner, The Flying Pickle
★★★★★
★★★★★
February 2025
We always have an incredible experience with this The Spadea Lignana firm! From start to finish, the team is professional, attentive, and truly dedicated to our FDD and brand. Victor and David provided expert guidance, ensuring I understood every step of the process. Lina was always responsive and kept everything organized, while Sandee made sure no detail was overlooked. Their combined expertise and care made a lengthy process so much easier to handle. I couldn’t be more grateful for their hard work and highly recommend them to anyone in need of top-notch legal support!
Aaron DahanOwner, Caffè Aronne
★★★★★
★★★★★
February 2025
We have used several firms over the 21+ years we have been franchising. Spadea Lignana is far and away the best! The service is excellent, the pricing very fair and way below what we had paid in the past, and thanks to years of service, we are once again registered to franchise in all 50 states. This is the firm to use for any franchise system!
Daniel PrasalowiczPresident, CEO, Mr. Sandless
★★★★★
★★★★★
March 2025
I had the pleasure of working with Matthew Wizmur and I couldn’t be more pleased to have him represent me and my wife as we completed a very successful sale of our Franchise Business. Matthew’s direction, support and knowledge were second to none and I would very highly recommend him and his team to represent any franchise with any legal issues. Matthew’s response times to my calls, texts and emails was fabulous and I truly appreciated his sense of urgency and professionalism. Thanks again to Matthew for helping me and my wife sell our business in a very seamless, headache free and extremely efficient process.
Anthony OliverBusiness Owner
★★★★★
★★★★★
December 2024
If I could leave 10 stars I would. Matt absolutely crushed it for my business acquisition. It was a long process, but I would have been unable to get it done without his guidance!
Angelo MasinoBusiness Owner
★★★★★
★★★★★
November 2024
The team at Spadea Lignana has been instrumental in helping launch Arctic Resto. Tom, Lina, and especially Kathryn have been very professional, responsive, knowledgeable, and always willing to help throughout the entire process. Fantastic experience and we look forward to working with them for the long term. Highly recommend!
Joe PintoFounder and CEO, Arctic Resto
★★★★★
★★★★★
November 2024
In 2020, I contacted Spadea Lignana to become the law firm for my company; it was the best decision I made. They have worked with us efficiently, thoroughly, and always in a friendly manner, no matter what I bring them. Their expertise is unmatched on so many levels. Meisee is a Paralegal extraordinaire. Her patience, communication, insight, efficiency, and sense of humor have often made my job easier. Spadea Lignana has attorneys who work with you. Evan is one of those attorneys. His responses to my questions are always answered with explanations that help our company make informed decisions. I appreciate his knowledge and guidance on many issues. My company is in Pittsburgh, and Spadea Lignana is in Philadelphia; working together distantly has never been an issue. I highly recommend this firm and am thankful for the almost five years of association with them.
Beth Henriquez Executive Director of Franchise Relations, Fox's Pizza Den
★★★★★
★★★★★
October 2024
Absolutely wonderful law firm. I own a Canadian business and am expanding our franchise into the USA. They made the process very clear from the beginning and have been incredibly helpful the entire way through. I feel so confident that we have the best legal team possible and I’m now very excited for our growth in the US. Thank you Spadea for all of your help in making this happen, and all of your continued support!
Kristin FinleyCo-Founder & CEO, Eva's Original
★★★★★
★★★★★
Get in Touch
We are passionate about our clients and getting results. That is only possible by having a team of
highly-skilled, experienced and responsive attorneys. Speed, service and diligence are the
foundational traits you will find in each and every one of our attorneys.
