Canada’s Leading Franchise Law Firm
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.
Franchise Industry Sectors
International Expansion
Franchise Growth Stages
Building a franchised business is an exciting journey with many milestones and stages. Let the experts at Sotos guide you through every step of your franchise journey, from launch to exit.
Services for Franchisors
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Services for Master Franchisees
Franchise Law
Services Include
- Master franchise disclosure document review
- Master franchise agreement negotiation
- Tailored unit franchise agreement drafting
- Master franchisee disclosure document drafting
- Master franchisee advisory
- Entity structuring
- Agreement enforcement and dispute resolution
- Intellectual property protection
- Finance strategies
- Shareholder agreements
- Real estate transactions including leases, purchases and sales
- Employment law
- Marketing law
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
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
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
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
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
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
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