Clarke Willmott LLP has become one of fewer than 50 legal practices around the country to be admitted as an affiliate member of the British Franchise Association (bfa).
It follows a rigorous examination procedure and recognises the firm’s experience and expertise in the sector.
The British Franchise Association (bfa) is the only voluntary self-regulatory body for the UK franchise industry, with a standards based approach to membership. Its aim is to promote ethical franchising practice in the UK and help the industry develop credibility, influence and favourable circumstance for growth.
Clarke Willmott has a strong retail client base, some already involved in franchising and others diversifying into the business model.
Peter Swinburn, who heads up Clarke Willmott’s Retail and Leisure division, said: “This really is a quality benchmark for our clients. It was important for us as a business to invest in achieving this status because the bfa’s endorsement is seen as the ‘gold standard’ in the industry. It means clients can now have even greater confidence in the advice we offer, knowing our services have been so closely scrutinised by the industry body.”
Simon Bartholomew, bfa chair said: “Affiliate members of the bfa have demonstrated considerable expertise and experience within their profession and the proven, successful application of these skills to the franchising industry. Accredited on this basis, Clarke Willmott have committed to providing advice to clients consistent with the European Code of Ethics on franchising, on which the bfa’s own guidelines on best practice are modelled.”
Clarke Willmott has seven offices nationally and more than 85 partners. It employs over 500 staff across its offices in Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Manchester, London, Southampton and Taunton.
It delivers a wide range of legal services for businesses and private clients, including corporate and commercial, intellectual property, employment and HR consultancy, property, planning, construction, dispute resolution, personal injury, clinical negligence, insolvency and debt recovery.
