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  • Business & Commercial Litigation
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  • Franchise Attorney
  • M&A Attorney
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Buy/Sell a Franchise

For the past 35 years, attorney Joel Rosen has served businesses and individuals throughout eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.
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Finance

Our clients include companies ranging from family businesses involved in ownership transitions to restructuring of corporations with locations in multiple states.
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FDD Reviews

High Swartz LLP reviews Franchise Disclosure Documents (FDDs) for prospective franchisees regionally and those seeking to do business nationwide.
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Franchise Litigation

Our business and franchise law attorneys are fully prepared to protect your interests in a franchise dispute, whether it involves contract law, intellectual property or tort law.
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Trademarks

We advise clients on selecting, registering, and maintaining their U.S. trademarks.

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Why Choose Us?

It is our goal to help each client achieve business goals in the most efficient and cost-effective manner while minimizing the client’s exposure to risk.

Franchise Law Services

Franchise Disclosure Documents

High Swartz LLP prepares and registers Franchise Disclosure Documents (FDDs) for franchisors seeking to do business nationwide. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires all franchisors to prepare a complex disclosure document, the Franchise Disclosure Document (previously known as the Uniform Franchise Offering Circular, or UFOC), and to give a copy of it to any prospective franchisee. Within the FDD are 23 different categories of material information about the franchise, including:

  • Number and location of existing outlets/stores/restaurants
  • Required franchisee fees and other costs
  • The obligations of the franchisee and franchisor under the terms of the franchise agreement
  • Franchisor bankruptcy and litigation history
  • Franchisor audited financial statements
  • Franchisor earnings claims, if any

If you are a potential franchisee, an experienced franchise attorney can help you understand the significance of the details in the FDD. If you are a franchisor in need of FDD drafting, review and registration state filings, High Swartz LLP can make sure that your FDD complies with all of the FTC and state specific requirements in the states in which you wish to operate.

Franchise Agreement

“Never fall in love with a deal.” That is what we tell our clients. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is. A franchise agreement rarely says what you think it does, so it is better to get to the heart of the details before it is too late. What most people entering into a franchise agreement don’t know is that most of the time the terms are negotiable.

Franchise agreements, which are drafted by the franchisor, set the terms and conditions that will govern the franchisee’s ownership and operation of the franchise. We assist prospective franchisees by drafting, negotiating and reviewing franchise agreements and agreement terms, including:

  • Advertising requirements
  • Rights of first refusal
  • Fees and “mandatory” costs
  • Assignment provisions
  • Termination and renewal

Franchise Marketing and Sales

During attorney Joel Rosen’s 30+ years as a practicing franchise attorney, he has seen franchises succeed and fail, and he understands the reasons for both. Federal and state advertising laws present both franchisees and franchisors alike with another quagmire of legislation that they must understand and comply with to ensure long-term success. Attorney Rosen has successfully negotiated settlements for clients with the Federal Trade Commission and various state attorneys general when compliance issues have arisen.

Franchise Litigation

We have represented franchisors and franchisees in a wide variety of franchise disputes, including encroachment, breach of licensing agreements, performance and operational disputes, financial issues and other issues that arise under the terms of a franchise agreement.

Well-Versed In the Highly Regulated Franchise Environment

For over thirteen years, High Swartz LLP’s Joel Rosen served as in-house counsel to franchisors with a variety of approaches and philosophies to franchising. His experience includes:

  • Senior Corporate Counsel – AAMCO Transmissions (900 franchisees)
  • Vice-President, Corporate Counsel, Secretary – NutriSystem (1800 locations in six countries)

These positions required broad knowledge of both franchise and business law matters, including marketing, sales, financing, litigation, employment, trademark, copyright, leases, licensing agreements, and compliance with state and federal regulations.

What an Experienced Franchise Lawyer Offers

For the past 30+ years, attorney Joel Rosen has served businesses and individuals throughout eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. As an experienced franchise lawyer, he has a firm understanding of the four basic components to franchising:

  • Franchise agreements
  • Franchise Disclosure Documents (FDDs)
  • Operating Manuals
  • Marketing and sales

He is also experienced in franchise litigation, representing both franchisees and franchisors.

Hire an Experienced Pennsylvania Franchise Lawyer

Whatever kind of business you have or plan on acquiring, we can put our years of franchise law experience to work in your favor. Contact us at 610-275-0700 for more information.a

Franchise Law Attorneys

Joel D. Rosen

Joel D. Rosen
High Swartz Managing Partner Joel D. Rosen’s areas of practice include franchise law, business and commercial law, employment law, trademark/copyright law and commercial leasing.
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James B. Shrimp

James B. Shrimp
James B. Shrimp concentrates his practice in the representation of employers in discrimination cases brought in federal court and state court, and at the administrative level .
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Richard C. Sokorai

Richard C. Sokorai
Richard Sokorai is an equity partner at High Swartz and concentrates his practice in civil litigation, employment, real estate and environmental law.
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Franchise Law Blog

What is a “Joint Employer?” The U.S. Department of Labor Clarifies

January 26, 2020

Being designated as a joint employer can have far-reaching ramifications per the FLSA. If you are the owner of a business or franchise that: has

Read More »

Understanding the Franchise Disclosure Document

December 20, 2019

Getting to know the types of franchise disclosures and some of the red flags can be very helpful to any prospective franchisee. If you have

Read More »

Franchisee’s Struggle: Creating a Viable Business When Someone Else Calls the Shots on Your Social Media Presence

June 20, 2018

Social media has changed the way we see the world. From its modest beginnings as a way to connect people, social media has grown into

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Franchisees – Things to Watch Out for in 2018

January 16, 2018

Increased ICE Enforcement As many of you have probably read about already, on January 10, 2018, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) performed raids at over

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Reading between the lines: What is in a Franchise Agreement?

July 2, 2015

July 2, 2015 By Joel D. Rosen, Esquire Deciding what kind of business opportunity you want to embark on can be challenging. There are countless

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Franchise Law News

Guardianship: It’s an Emergency and I Care a Lot…About Your Assets

April 6, 2021 No Comments

I recently watched the 2020 Netflix film “I Care a Lot”, the story of a professional court-appointed guardian (played by actress Rosamund Pike) who bilks

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Offensive Social Media Posts by Pennsylvania Employees Justify Termination

March 31, 2021 No Comments

“If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all,” our parents told us. Two recent Pennsylvania employment termination cases give this same advice

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Going Pro-Se? Why Hiring a Lawyer is Crucial to Your Case

March 23, 2021 No Comments

An unfortunate fact of life is that at some point, almost everyone will become involved with the court system. Here are some reasons why hiring

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How can a business obtain trademark protection when its own name generically describes its goods or services?

March 15, 2021 No Comments

In the past, a business may be out of luck if it was seeking a trademark protection for a generic name. However, in the recent

Read More »

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Norristown, PA 19401
610.275.0700

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Doylestown, PA 18901
215.345.8888

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Our Legal Services

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