Housing a team with a strong regional and international reputation for ‘considerable knowledge and expertise’, Bird & Bird LLP’s franchising team stands out for its work in the food and beverage, hotels, retail, hospitality and leisure industries, while also handling agreements for clients active in the healthcare, green energy, leisure, and gaming sectors. The group is a leading contact for UK independent schools in international expansion matters. The team is headed by Graeme Payne, an expert in domestic and international expansion strategies, who regularly handles the structuring and managing of franchise, distribution, and supply chain arrangements as part of clients’ multichannel growth strategies across global markets. Adept in resolving franchising disputes, Victoria Hobbs boasts deep expertise at all stages of the franchising resolution process, including managing franchisee and licensee relationships, enforcing post-termination restrictions, and navigating complex cross-border disputes. Nick Green is a key name for the structuring and negotiation of domestic and international franchise agreements. James Fowler is another key figure within the group.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Accolades
Client satisfaction
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘The individuals we work with provide us not only with sound legal advice, but also demonstrate commercial awareness and give us practical commercial solutions to the issues we raise with them.’
- 'Nick Green has exceptional ownership of matters from inception through to billing, great knowledge of our business and acts quickly in response to requests.'
- 'We have worked with Victoria Hobbs. She has been great in helping us navigate a complex issue, including mediation. She is exceptionally knowledgeable, smart and a great person to work with.'
'Strong knowledge and experience of franchising in the F&B retail. Very responsive, straight forward and easy to deal with.'
'The team has a global reach which we are fully making use of; I use their lawyers across London, Dubai and Shanghai. They are a highly responsive team dealing with our significant and re-active deal volume. It has been great to see them scale up in response to our demands and to also increase capacity further at busy periods.'
'Nick Green is a highly engaging partner who has built a motivated and diverse team who are thoroughly across our business unit and have been aiding us in scaling our business.'
Key clients
- Chick-fil-A
- Costa Coffee
- PizzaExpress
- Franchise Brands plc
- Brompton Bicycle
- Home Instead
- Pret a Manger
- IWG plc
- Mothercare Global Brand Limited
- Wellington College
Work highlights
Acting for half of the group of 62 franchisees who issued a claim against Vodafone UK in the High Court in London in early December 2024 alleging breach of contract and a claim for an indemnity under the Commercial Agents Regulations.
Supporting Chick-fil-A with their UK roll-out, including advice on UK franchising legal and commercial market norms, and on key supplier arrangements for the UK franchise business.
Acting for Franchise Brands and its stable of brands (ChipsAway, Barking Mad, Ovenclean, Filta Fry Metro Rod, and Metro Plumb) in relation to all franchising matters.
Lawyers
Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Victoria Hobbs
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Nick Green
Leading associates
Leading associates with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
James Fowler
Practice head
Graeme Payne
Other key lawyers
Victoria Hobbs; Nick Green; James Fowler