Our experienced franchising lawyers have a 360-degree view of the global franchising industry. We have decades of experience advising franchisors and master franchisees across a variety of industries. By leveraging our global platform, our legal team delivers a full range of services to companies doing business around the world.
Our representation of franchisors ranges from emerging systems to some of the largest franchisors in the world. We understand the issues and challenges that each of these franchise systems face. Clients recognize that we understand their business, have in-depth knowledge, and maintain an ability to provide counsel in major markets around the world where our clients conduct business.
Our legal service platform caters to every aspect of franchised businesses. We possess significant experience in all legal disciplines in which our franchise clients operate, including litigation and arbitration, compliance, corporate governance, and information security and data privacy. Our lawyers also provide counsel on commercial contracts, restructuring and insolvency, employment law, government relations, mergers and acquisitions, and public company operations. We have substantial experience with franchise disclosure documents, franchise agreements, franchise registration laws, franchise relationship laws, and global distribution platforms, including a franchising team that has been established in Australia for the past three decades.
Members of our franchise team are frequent authors and speakers at top hospitality and franchise industry events hosted by the International Franchise Association, American Bar Association Forum on Franchising, and the American Hotel and Lodging Association, as well as numerous bar association, corporate counsel, and trade organization groups.
We have substantial experience handling a broad spectrum of matters related to franchising, including:
Commercial, cross-border, and international transactions
Cybersecurity, data protection, and data privacy
Intellectual property
Corporate matters
Mergers and acquisition
Commercial litigation
Real estate
Insurance recovery and counseling
Restructuring and insolvency
Employment law
Financial services
Government relations
Advertising, marketing, sweepstakes, and promotions
On 30 January 2024, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a final rule (Final Rule) increasing the premium processing fee from US$2,500 to US$2,805, increasing filing fees for I-129 and I-140 employment-based petitions, and imposing a new Asylum Program Fee for each Form I-129 and I-140 filed by employers.
On 3 April 2024, the US Securities and Exchange Commission announced the first settlement with a stand-alone registered investment adviser for, among other things, failures to maintain and preserve certain electronic communications.
On 22 December 2020, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted amendments (the final rule) to Rule 206(4)-1 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (the Advisers Act) to modernize the regulation of investment adviser advertising and solicitation practices.
On 7 March 2024, the Illinois Pollution Control Board proposed amendments to its Ground Water Quality regulations, which would set standards for selected per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances compounds at or near their levels of detection and would result in some of the most stringent standards in the country.
We welcome your email, but please understand that if you are not already a client of K&L Gates LLP, we cannot represent you until we confirm that doing so would not create a conflict of interest and is otherwise consistent with the policies of our firm. Accordingly, please do not include any confidential information until we verify that the firm is in a position to represent you and our engagement is confirmed in a letter. Prior to that time, there is no assurance that information you send us will be maintained as confidential. Thank you for your consideration.
Franchising Commercial Litigation and Dispute Resolution
Franchising Commercial Transactions and Corporate Counsel
Franchising Restructuring and Insolvency
