Richard Greenstein

I was practicing intellectual property law at a small firm in Atlanta, my first law firm position after being an IBM attorney for many years. Out of nowhere, the senior-named partner of the firm who practiced corporate and franchise law, decided to leave the law firm to join his largest franchise client. Before leaving, the partner asked me if I wanted to take over the firm’s franchise practice, and without hesitation, I gladly accepted. It was one of the best career decisions I ever made. It has been a great 30+ years.

No two days are ever alike. Being a transactional franchise lawyer allows me to be involved in legal matters which touch many areas of the law in addition to franchising. In addition to the standard types of legal work undertaken for franchise companies, I am fortunate enough that our franchise clients ask us to participate heavily in matters related to acquiring and selling franchise companies, acquiring or leasing real estate, trademarks and other intellectual property rights, commercial contracts, litigation and personnel matters to name just a few.

Additionally, franchising allows me to represent a variety of types of clients ranging from private equity firms, single and multi-brand franchisors, minority investors in franchise companies and even lenders and other financial institutions.

A great client is always transparent with its attorneys and takes the time and effort to fully disclose information so we are in the best position to play a critical role in their business endeavors and to provide the very best representation. Great clients view the client-attorney relationship as a partnership. I am very fortunate in that almost without exception, the clients I represent exemplify these characteristics.

To be a great franchise lawyer, you have to start by being a great lawyer, which means a combination of a number of characteristics: the ability to listen, always remembering that we as lawyers are not the most important part of the equation, the ability to solve difficult legal problems and excellent judgment and perspective. On top of these characteristics, you have to have knowledge, expertise and experience in most areas of franchising and the ability to adapt (and quickly) to the changes that occur in franchise law and within the franchise industry.