Address

Goldstein Law Firm, PLLC
1629 K St. NW, Suite 300,
Washington, DC 20006

By Appointment Only
Admitted in New York, Pennsylvania, District of Columbia and Massachusetts

Website: www.goldlawgroup.com
Email: jgoldstein@goldlawgroup.com

Phone: 202-293-3947
Fax: 202-315-2514

Downtown Chicago Office
30 South Wacker Drive 22nd Floor #3341
Chicago, IL 60606
Phone: 312-382-8327

 

Franchisees frequently wait too long before reaching out for a franchise law firm or franchisee lawyer; whether they do this to avoid costs or because they believe that the law will ultimately protect them down the line, waiting in the face of danger is almost always a mistake. One does not need to be a Harvard Law School graduate to know that a franchise lawyer will best be able to protect his or her franchise client if retained, for instance, with two weeks remaining on a termination threat rather than with 45 minutes remaining before the effective time of a noticed termination.

Similarly, potential franchisees who are shopping for new or additional franchises should not try to save costs by skipping over a franchise review in order to ‘get into’ the franchise. If the numbers are that tight already then the franchise purchase is probably a very poor choice financially. This has been proven to be “penny wise and pound foolish.” The myth that franchisors will always not negotiate with franchisees during a franchise agreement review is false; however, each franchise and distribution system has its own policies that it follows during negotiations. Some are more restrictive than others.

However, the view of some prospective franchisees that a franchise review would be useless unless the review could guarantee that some modifications to the franchise agreement would be achieved is also terribly misguided. One of the primary purposes of a franchise agreement review and an FDD review, at least as carried out by the Goldstein Law Firm, is to fully enlighten the client regarding the detailed meaning of all important clauses in the franchise agreement; the meanings are those that would be given to these provisions by courts or arbitrators, not by the prospective franchisee’s relative who has a friend who practiced personal injury law before moving into mortgage banking.

Indeed, many franchisee clients have come to the firm long after signing their franchise agreements professing that they didn’t understand, for instance, that ‘two defaults could result in an automatic franchise termination’ before they signed their franchise agreements, or that they ‘released’ all of their potential claims when they signed the franchise agreement. Since courts don’t accept these arguments from franchise immigrants, it’s not likely that native speakers will have any better chance.

Further, many dealer and franchise agreements have contractual limitations periods that could begin to run as early as when the negotiations to purchase the franchise occurred. Accordingly, franchisees or dealers that suspect that something might not be right, or that something unfair or wrong might be happening, they should promptly seek out a franchisee lawyer – one of the handful that remain nationally. As noted elsewhere, there is a very important difference between a franchise lawyer that represents both franchisors and franchisees, and one that represents exclusively franchisees and dealers.

Email or call Jeff Goldstein today for your complimentary consultation.

The Goldstein Law Group specializes in representing only franchisees and dealers, and in the following areas:

General Antitrust violations

Price-Fixing claims

Wrongful franchise terminations

Franchise Encroachment claims

Franchise Territorial violations

Franchise Dual Distribution competition

Franchise Menu Pricing disputes

Unfair Franchisor competition

Trademark violations

Post-term covenant not to compete restrictions

Wrongful franchise default cases

Franchise Supplier overcharging claims

Franchisor tying arrangements

Franchisor Fraud and Misrepresentation Claims

Franchise Disclosure Document Defects

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Antitrust & Franchise Law Firm of the Year – Washington DC

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Complex Commercial Litigation Law (Franchisees and Dealers) 2021 – USA

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Antitrust and Franchise Law Firm of the Year in DC

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Franchise Law
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Legal 100
2018

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Legal 100
2019

ACQ5 LAW AWARDS 2019

US (New York)
Franchise Lawyer
of the Year
ACQ5 GLOBAL AWARDS 2019, JEFF GOLDSTEIN, GOLDSTEIN LAW FIRM, PLLC

ACQ5 LAW AWARDS 2019

US (New York)
Franchise Law Firm
of the Year
ACQ5 GLOBAL AWARDS 2019, GOLDSTEIN LAW FIRM, PLLC

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Franchise Law Firm of the Year

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Best Law Firm for Franchise Disputes in 2017

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Franchise Law Firm of the Year - 2017

Top Franchise Litigator for Franchisees and Dealers

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2017 Finance Monthly Award

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ACQ5 LAW AWARDS 2018

Franchise Law Firm
of the Year
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Franchise Law Firm
of the Year
ACQ5 LAW AWARDS 2019

Franchise Law Firm of the Year

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Franchise Law Firm of the Year

Franchise Law Firm of the Year
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Global Law Experts

Franchise Law Firm
of the Year
in New York – 2019

Finance Monthly Law Awards - 2018

Finance Monthly Law Awards - 2018

Franchise Law Firm of the Year

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of the Year
Global Awards 2018