Melissa DeBarbieris is a senior counsel attorney in the Saxton & Stump Franchising, Licensing and Distribution group with over 15 years of experience.
She works closely with franchise owners and distributors regarding intellectual property, licensing, regulations, and compliance matters. She assists U.S. and international franchisors with all aspects of owning and operating franchise businesses, including the drafting and negotiation of franchise agreements, preparation and registration of franchise disclosure documents, regulatory compliance, and dispute resolution. Leveraging her in-depth knowledge of the unique challenges and opportunities within the franchising and distribution sectors, she provides legal assistance to help clients lay a solid foundation for brand expansion. Her duties involve drafting, negotiating, and finalizing a broad range of business documents for franchise operators, including memoranda of understanding and letters of intent, in addition to agreements for joint ventures and partnerships, franchise and licensing agreements, contracts for vendors and services, distribution and sales representative deals, and confidentiality agreements.
Before she worked exclusively as a franchising attorney, she also represented commercial real estate developers on purchase and sale agreements, lease agreements, entity formation, corporate governance and compliance, labor and employment law matters, and trademark maintenance and management.