Franchise set-up
You are ready to franchise your business
We turn your operating model into a franchise agreement, operations manual framework and supporting documents that protect the brand and give franchisees clear rules to follow.
Franchise legal support & services
Our dedicated franchise solicitors provide personalised, strategic advice and support, enabling you to confidently manage your franchise relationships, ensure operational compliance, and achieve sustainable business growth.
No obligation call
Book a complimentary consultation
A short call with one of our founders about your business and your legal priorities. We reply within one business day.
Included in our subscription plans
what we handle
The franchise issues we handle most often
Most franchise problems don’t start in a dispute. They start with an agreement that was never quite right for the model, a manual that says one thing while the network does another, or a franchisee who has stopped following the system. These are the ones we see most often at Lawyerly.
Franchise agreement review
You are about to sign a franchise agreement
We review the agreement, fees, territory and exit terms before you commit, flag what is unusual for a UK franchise and negotiate the changes worth having.
Franchise disputes
A franchisee or franchisor is in breach
We read what was signed, tell you where you stand and put your position to the other side, so a breach or a termination is handled on your terms and the network keeps trading.
franchise law solutions
How we help your franchise grow safely
A franchise runs on its documents. The agreement, the manual, the trade marks and the renewals all have to say the same thing as the way the network actually operates, and every new territory, product or change to the model tests that. We build the legal framework for your franchise, then keep it current as the network grows.
When something does go wrong, whether that is a franchisee falling short of the standards, a dispute over territory or a renewal that has turned difficult, you already have a solicitor who knows your model and can act quickly.
No obligation call
Book a complimentary consultation
A short call with one of our founders about your business and your legal priorities. We reply within one business day.
1
Franchise agreements and documentation
Franchise agreements, deposit and confidentiality agreements, operations manual frameworks and renewal documents, drafted for your model rather than adapted from someone else’s.
2
Brand protection and compliance
Registering and protecting the trade marks the franchise is built on, keeping the network within competition law, and making sure your standards are enforceable rather than just written down.
3
Disputes, terminations and renewals
We handle breaches, terminations and renewals for franchisors and franchisees, aiming to resolve matters by negotiation so the relationship and the brand’s reputation come through intact.
Why work with us
Finally, legal support that keeps up
With Lawyerly, it stops being a worry, and becomes an advantage.
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Senior expertise
We pair you with one of our qualified solicitors whose expertise and experience fits your business.
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On-demand legal support
Work with your legal professional through our online Client Hub. Wherever you are, whenever you need us.
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Predictable fees
Pay a monthly subscription or a fixed fee for one-off work. The price is always agreed before we start.
Meet our commercial solicitors
Big-firm expertise in your corner
Our commercial solicitors have worked at top-tier law firms and global legal departments, the kind of senior legal team most SMEs can't justify building in-house.
Patricia Tinn
Legal Service Director
Read profile
Patricia Tinn
Legal Service Director
SRA No. 634623
Patricia is a corporate and commercial solicitor whose practice centres on mergers and acquisitions, early-stage investment rounds (particularly angel and pre-seed), and the commercial agreements that underpin high-growth businesses. Trained at DLA Piper and seasoned through a range of in-house counsel roles, she has advised FTSE100 corporations, public bodies, and high-profile individuals.
As Senior Solicitor and Legal Services Director at Lawyerly, Patricia leads service delivery for a client base weighted toward tech and AI. She guides founders and investors through funding rounds, structures strategic acquisitions, and negotiates the subscription agreements, technology licences, and partnership arrangements that scale-ups depend on. Her fluency in data privacy, IP, and regulatory matters means she can drive the full range of workstreams that tech deals demand, keeping transactions moving and valuations protected.
Qualifications
LLB (Hons); LPC MSc in Law, Business and Management
James Conning
Commercial Solicitor
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James Conning
Commercial Solicitor
SRA No. 576972
James is a commercial and corporate solicitor whose practice centres on commercial contracts, technology and intellectual property, and disputes, sharpened by a keen commercial sense for how the law plays out in business reality. He has practised at Pinsent Masons, EY Law, and across a range of in-house roles, leading on SaaS and software licensing negotiations, M&A due diligence, and commercial litigation alongside international stakeholders on high-value, complex matters.
As Commercial Solicitor at Lawyerly, James brings that range to SMEs that need serious commercial advice without the complexity of a traditional firm relationship. He negotiates and manages contracts, advises on technology and IP, and helps clients pre-empt the disputes that derail growth. His particular fluency in contract management and technology law means he can tighten commercial frameworks and reduce legal risk as businesses scale.
Qualifications
LLB (Hons); LPC (Commendation)
Ashrelle Parker-Belgrave
Commercial Solicitor
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Ashrelle Parker-Belgrave
Commercial Solicitor
SRA No. 839517
Ashrelle is a commercial solicitor who built her practice at Browne Jacobson LLP, a leading UK national law firm, advising private and public sector clients on contracts, IP, and procurement. Her experience extends into real estate, clinical negligence, employment, and government infrastructure, giving her a breadth few solicitors at her level can offer.
As Commercial Solicitor at Lawyerly, Ashrelle focuses on practical commercial advice for growing businesses, building the long-term client relationships that turn legal counsel into trusted partnership. She is as comfortable reviewing a software agreement as steering a complex procurement, and her employment expertise lets her advise on the people-side issues that sit alongside the commercial ones, keeping clients covered across the full picture of their business as it scales.
Qualifications
LLB (Hons); LPC LLM
Dr Jackie Nagtegaal
Co-Founder & Director
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Dr Jackie Nagtegaal
Co-Founder & Director
Jackie has spent twenty years working on how legal services reach the people and businesses that need them. Before co-founding Lawyerly she built and led one of Africa's largest alternative legal organisations, growing it to more than 500 people serving 100,000 clients, and her work there was recognised in legal services, technology, innovation and dispute resolution. She holds a PhD, awarded with distinction, and has been named among the top five women in legal technology.
At Lawyerly she is responsible for the firm's strategic direction. Her starting point has not changed in two decades: the law should work for the people who use it, rather than the other way round. That view shapes how Lawyerly is run, from how services are priced to how matters are staffed.
Qualifications
LLB; MPhil (Cum Laude); PhD (Top Achiever Award); Key Regulatory Compliance Certifications
Willem van der Merwe
Co-Founder
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Willem van der Merwe
Co-Founder
Willem co-founded Lawyerly after twenty years of running and advising businesses, most of which were spent as a client of law firms rather than a member of one. He had seen how legal advice tends to arrive: late, priced by the hour, and detached from the commercial decision that prompted it. Lawyerly grew out of a conviction that it could be done differently.
He read law and marketing at university and later completed MIT Sloan's executive programme in artificial intelligence and business strategy. His career before Lawyerly took in two advertising agencies, which he led through the industry's move to digital, several years in digital publishing, and a period in international development, working on programmes across South East Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
At Lawyerly he is responsible for growth and for the client experience, ensuring our clients receive the legal support they need.
Qualifications
BA Law; AI Business Strategy (MIT); Nomadic Marketing (UCT)
Jan Nagtegaal
Director
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Jan Nagtegaal
Director
Jan began his career in law before broadening into corporate strategy and technology. He holds a Master's in Corporate Law and an MBA, and later completed a Master's in Applied Data Science, driven by a conviction that the legal profession could do far more with the data it generates. That combination of legal, commercial, and analytical training has shaped a career spent rethinking how legal services are designed and delivered, with a particular focus on projects that use data and digital tools to improve legal processes.
As Director at Lawyerly, Jan brings data analytics, financial management, and strategy to the firm. His blend of legal grounding, commercial instinct, and technical fluency means Lawyerly's growth is guided by someone who understands the practice as deeply as the business behind it.
Qualifications
LLB; LLM; MBA; MSc
Knowledge hub
Frequently asked questions
Answers to the questions we hear most often, on how the subscription works, what it covers and how we charge.
Support for franchisors and franchisees at every stage: structuring a business to franchise, drafting the franchise agreement and supporting documents, reviewing an agreement before you sign, protecting the brand’s trade marks, keeping the network within competition law, and handling breaches, terminations, renewals and disputes. Subscribers get ongoing advice as the network grows, which is when the documents most often fall behind the business.
Franchise support is included in our subscription plans, or you can instruct us on a fixed fee for a one-off piece of work, such as a franchise agreement or a pre-signing review. The fee is always agreed before we start, so there is no hourly-rate surprise from us.
No. Unlike some countries, the UK has no franchise-specific statute, so a franchise is governed by the agreement itself and by general law: contract, competition, intellectual property, employment and data protection. That makes the agreement do most of the work, which is why a properly drafted one matters more here than almost anywhere else. Many franchisors also choose to follow the British Franchise Association’s code of ethics.
A template is a useful starting point, and we publish a free one ourselves, but it does not know your model. Fees, territory, term, renewal, what happens if the franchisee sells up or dies, and how the brand is protected all need to reflect how your network actually operates. We usually start from a solid precedent and tailor it, which keeps the cost down without leaving gaps.
The fees and what they buy, the territory and whether it is exclusive, the length of the term and the renewal conditions, your obligations to buy from approved suppliers, the restrictions that apply when you leave, and what the franchisor is actually committing to provide. Most agreements are drafted in the franchisor’s favour, and some of it is negotiable. We tell you which parts are worth pushing on.
We start with the agreement and the facts, tell you where you stand, and put your position to the other side in a way that leaves room for the relationship to continue if that is what you want. Most franchise disputes settle by negotiation once both sides can see the cost of digging in. If it does not, we tell you the likely cost of each step before you take it.
Related services
Other ways we can help
A franchise rarely needs franchise advice alone. These are the services our franchise clients use most.
UK GDPR and data privacy
UK GDPR compliance built around how you actually operate, from your first privacy notice through to breach response.
ExploreCommercial contract drafting and review
Drafting and reviewing the contracts you sign or send, so every deal stands on terms that protect you.
ExploreEmployment and HR support
The decisions behind hiring, managing and parting with people, handled by employment solicitors who know how SMEs run.
Explorecontact us
Talk to us about your business legal needs
Learn how our services can benefit you by scheduling a call with one of our team members.
No obligation call
Book a complimentary consultation
A short call with one of our founders about your business and your legal priorities. We reply within one business day.
Willem van der Merwe
Co-Founder
Read profile
Willem van der Merwe
Co-Founder
Willem co-founded Lawyerly after twenty years of running and advising businesses, most of which were spent as a client of law firms rather than a member of one. He had seen how legal advice tends to arrive: late, priced by the hour, and detached from the commercial decision that prompted it. Lawyerly grew out of a conviction that it could be done differently.
He read law and marketing at university and later completed MIT Sloan's executive programme in artificial intelligence and business strategy. His career before Lawyerly took in two advertising agencies, which he led through the industry's move to digital, several years in digital publishing, and a period in international development, working on programmes across South East Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
At Lawyerly he is responsible for growth and for the client experience, ensuring our clients receive the legal support they need.
Qualifications
BA Law; AI Business Strategy (MIT); Nomadic Marketing (UCT)