Seamus Ryan

My focus

Franchising

I represent domestic and international clients in any number of franchised industries including restaurants, retailers, personal care, professional support services, and home-based healthcare with respect to a variety of franchise transactions, compliance and regulatory matters, expansion strategies, and risk management.

General Business and Corporate Matters

In addition to franchise-related matters, I regularly provide guidance regarding a variety of general corporate matters including contract negotiation and drafting, alternative dispute resolution, enterprise risk management, commercial real estate, regulatory compliance, privacy law, corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, and litigation management.

Looking ahead

While the worldwide economic landscape is rapidly shifting in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a disaffected labor force, and increasing social discomfort with income inequality, franchising itself generally weathers economic changes well because it always offers opportunities for entrepreneurial individuals to invest in themselves using proven systems while enjoying a degree of independence that standard employment cannot offer. Franchises have historically made up a sizeable portion of overall businesses (the 2020 US census indicated that 11% of all businesses are franchises), and I believe current social trends will only increase the ubiquity of franchises as they continue to offer intrepid investors the chance to succeed on their own merits while being supported by their franchisors.