On Thursday the California legislature approved a bill amending the state’s franchise laws. Pending signature by Governor Jerry Brown (almost certainly a foregone conclusion), the changes will be official.

As discussed in more detail below, the changes were made to…

Franchisors, like many businesses, don’t think about insurance until they need it, and by then, it may be too late. We recently ran across one variant of this problem after a nasty auto accident, followed by the filing of a…

With the recent enactment of a $15 per hour minimum wage ordinance, the City of Seattle has positioned itself as ground zero for the ongoing struggle over income inequality and wages. In adopting the ordinance, the City explicitly recognized that…

In a potentially far reaching decision rendered today, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has permitted 43 claimants to proceed with claims against the McDonald’s USA, LLC, franchisor of the McDonald’s restaurant chain, for unfair labor practices allegedly committed by…

The question posed by the title of this post is a loaded one, which unfortunately has no clear answer. You may be thinking by now that lawyers are great at providing fuzzy answers to seemingly simple questions (something I can…

In late June, the California Assembly Business, Professions and Consumer Protection Committee passed Senate Bill 610, the Small Business Investment & Protection Act. An earlier version of this Bill died in the California legislature last year, but this year’s version…

From a franchisor’s perspective, it is important that all customers receive the same quality product and service offering regardless of what outlet they may visit. The menu of product offerings must be consistent, and the procedures for customer service correctly…