Sotos Services
We provide a comprehensive range of corporate, commercial, litigation, intellectual property, and real estate services to entrepreneurial businesses and their owners. Working primarily with businesses in the franchising, licensing and distribution industries. We help a wide-range of businesses and entrepreneurs to expand, grow and protect their brands and wealth.
Our Services
Corporate / Commercial
Our business lawyers represent a primarily entrepreneurial client base across every aspect of business law. From delivering strategic business advice to facilitating start-up business organization, ownership structures, sophisticated purchases and sales, reorganizations, financings and legal disputes.
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Franchise Law
Representing franchisors and franchisees, Sotos LLP is dedicated to helping entrepreneurs develop, grow, and protect their business in franchising, licensing, distribution, and almost every other commercial activity. We are Canada’s most experienced franchise law firm; widely recognized for having the country’s leading practitioners and litigators in the field of franchise law.
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Intellectual Property
From trade-marks, to straightforward technology licensing agreements to collaborative arrangements with research and teaching institutions, your intellectual property is fundamental to the success of your business goals which is why it should be managed and protected appropriately.
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Wills and Estates
How your assets are managed and distributed, and by whom, is as important as having a legal will in securing your family’s financial stability; be it during your lifetime, or after your death. Our wills and estates lawyers will assist you with all of your planning requirements.
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Our Services Include the Following
Corporate and Commercial Law
Services Include
- Advisory on business structures
- Incorporations, shareholder agreements, partnership and similar agreements
- Secured and unsecured financings
- Tailored drafting of disclosure documents, franchise agreements, license and distribution agreements
- Employment agreements
- Regulatory compliance
- M & A transactions
- International expansion
- Supplier agreements
- Franchisee associations
- Marketing law and CASL compliance
- Corporate governance
- Corporate reorganizations
Employment Law
Services Include
- Executive compensation and agreements
- Employment agreements
- Termination advisory
- Wrongful dismissal litigation
- Collective bargaining negotiations
- Employee benefit plans
- Labour grievances
- Employment standards
- Human rights complaints
- Occupational health and safety
Team Leader
LOUIS SOKOLOV
P: 416-572-7316
E: lsokolov@sotos.ca
- 25+ years of experience
- First-rate counsel in employment law
Franchise Law
Services Include
- Conversion of a successful business to a successful franchise model
- Area development and master franchising
- Tailored drafting of disclosure documents and franchise agreements
- Franchise system mergers, sales and acquisitions
- Expansion and finance strategies, including international expansion
- “Canadianizing” of foreign disclosure documents
- IP and Trademarks
- Real estate transactions, including leases, purchases and sales
- Effective commercial litigation, dispute mediation and resolution, and arbitration
- Related employment law
- Personal wealth planning
- Succession planning
Litigation
Services Include
- Franchising licensing and distribution
- Commercial contracts
- Commercial leasing
- Corporate and partnership disputes
- Trade-marks
- Insurance
- Copyrights
- Employment
- Regulatory charges
- Competition law including price-fixing
- Privacy
- Professional negligence
- Defamation and anti-SLAPP
- Franchise terminations
- Franchise law expert witnesses
- Opinions
- Class and group actions
- Local and international arbitrations
- Mediations
- Appeals
- Appearances before all Canadian courts
- Consumer complaints
Mergers and Acquisitions
Services Include
- Private equity advisory and transactions
- Asset and share sales
- Unit franchise transfers
- Franchise system purchases and sales
- Franchise system due diligence
- Cross-border mergers and acquisitions
- Competition law
Real Estate
Services Include
- Hotel/motel development and financing
- Retail and industrial plaza financing and leasing
- Commercial leasing
- Joint ventures advisory and drafting
- Landlord consents
- Mortgage financing and enforcement
- Construction financing and agreements
- Construction lien registration and enforcement
- Residential purchase and sales
- Condominiums
Team Leader
LOUIS ALEXOPOULOS
P: 416-977-5024
E: lalexo@sotosllp.com
- 35+ years of experience
- Expert in all aspects of acquisitions and financings
- Hotels and restaurants
- Commercial leasing expertise
Secured Transactions
Services Include
- Secured loan structuring and agreements
- Registrations and enforcement
- Debt consolidation
- Government-sponsored small business loans
- Refinancings
- Trustee-in-bankruptcy opinions
- Insolvencies
Intellectual Property
Services Include
- Audit of existing registered and unregistered marks
- Availability opinions
- Applications to register marks in Canada and abroad
- Interaction with trade-marks office
- Opposition proceedings
- Copyright advice
- Intellectual property litigation
- Drafting and litigation of non-compete and non-solicit agreements
- Patent litigation
- Counterfeit proceedings
- Data sharing agreements
- Technology transfers
- Trade secret protection
Team Leader
JOHN YIOKARIS
P: 416-977-3998
E: jyiokaris@sotos.ca
- 20+ years of experience
- Expert in all aspects of trademarks
- Registered trademark agent for Canada
- Advisor to brands looking to establish and protect their trademarks
Trademarks
Services Include
Trademark
- Applications and registration of trademarks
- Due diligence
- Licensing of trademarks
- Transactions involving IP
Litigation
- Trade secret litigation
- Trademark litigation
- Defending trademark rights
- Trademark opposition matters
Team Leader
JOHN YIOKARIS
P: 416-977-3998
E: jyiokaris@sotos.ca
- 20+ years of experience
- Expert in all aspects of trademarks
- Registered trademark agent for Canada
- Advisor to brands looking to establish and protect their trademarks
Private Client Services
Services Include
- Estate planning
- Will drafting (including living wills)
- Powers of attorney
- Wealth management and protection
- Business succession planning
- Trusts
- Wills and trust administration
- Off-shore holdings
- Estate litigation
- Charitable giving
Team Leader
LOUIS ALEXOPOULOS
P: 416-977-5024
E: lalexo@sotosllp.com
- Strategic advisor on estates and trusts
- Estate and trust administration
Unit Franchisee Services
Services Include
- Disclosure document review
- Franchise agreement negotiation
- Incorporations, shareholders agreements
- Franchisee associations
- Transfers
- Commercial leases
- Real estate purchases and sales
- Government-sponsored small business loans
- Secured loans
- Wills, estates and succession planning
- Litigation and arbitration of disputes
- Employment law