About Us

    

About Us
 
Rob Vinson
Vinson Franchise Law Firm

This page provides information about me, my background and experience, and some tips on hiring a franchise lawyer. If this is the first page you have seen on my web site, you should visit the Home page first.

Robert E. Vinson, Jr.
Vinson Franchise Law Firm
Incline Village, Nevada
Phone: 775-832-5577
Fax: 775-832-5579
rob@franchiselaw.net

1. Overview of Qualifications.

  • Practice is limited to franchise law
  • Experience representing start-up, existing and international franchisors and franchisees
  • All types of franchise legal matters and transactions (except litigation)
  • National practice dealing with the franchise and business opportunity laws of all 50 U.S. states
  • International experience with inbound and outbound franchises
  • AV-rated in Martindale-Hubbell Legal Directory (reflecting "very high to preeminent legal ability and very high ethical standards")
  • More than 15 years’ legal experience
  • Highly recommended by existing clients
  • Personal attention to every project by an experienced franchise lawyer -- not by secretaries, legal assistants or associates who may be learning on the job
2. Philosophy & Guarantee.

I take pride in my long-term relationships with my franchisor clients. To strengthen these relationships, I continually strive to:
  • provide practical, business-oriented solutions;
  • provide timely and complete legal advice in plain language;
  • use the latest technology to maximize efficiency and responsiveness;
  • devote the personal attention that each client deserves; and
  • minimize overall legal and administrative costs.
For start-up franchisors, your complete satisfaction is guaranteed. I will keep working on your initial set of franchise documents until you are completely satisfied. For some clients, this occurs on the first draft, and for others it may take a little longer. The documents I will create for your franchise system will be your documents, and I want you to be completely satisfied with them.

3. What Clients Say About Us.

"We are a company with a business model based on the excellence of our product and service, rather than on marketing, advertising and PR. Our total focus is on quality. We have had the good fortune of being clients of Rob Vinson since 2001. His professional services have always been excellent and his availability and timeliness have always been perfect -- even for our unusually high standards."
Ugo Ginatta
Chairman & CEO
Paciugo Gelato
Dallas, Texas
www.paciugo.com

"We have been completely satisfied, indeed abundantly pleased, with the franchise legal services provided by Rob Vinson. Rob is thoroughly professional, easy to work with and responds in a very timely manner. Rob is fully qualified to provide complete franchise legal services to his clients. His professionalism has been exhibited in full measure by providing these services to our company."
Jim Buckner
former Executive Vice President (retired)
Shake’s Frozen Custard, Inc.
Fayetteville, Arkansas
www.shakesfrozencustard.com

"Our experience with Rob has been terrific. He has gotten into the heart of our business, and into the minds of our franchise prospects. What has impressed us most about Rob’s work is his approach to language. The franchise documents he has prepared for Cert-A-Roof use simple language that is clear and concise. They do not have all the legalistic language that turns people off. So, our franchise prospects understand the documents better and have fewer reservations about entering into our franchise agreement. Before working with Rob, we had dealt with several other prominent franchise attorneys. We highly recommend Rob to anyone who is considering starting a franchise or other business venture."
Les Watrous
Founder & CEO
Cert-A-Roof International, LLC
Orange, California
www.certaroof.com

"We have used Rob as our franchise attorney since before our inception in 1999. We first consulted with him about the steps we needed to take in order to position our company to franchise. Later, when we were ready, Rob helped us set up our corporate structure, prepared all of our franchise documents, reviewed our operations manual, trained our staff on the legal requirements of franchise sales, and registered our franchise in the necessary states. Recently, he helped us quickly and favorably resolve a business dispute that could have been a real problem for our system. We are very pleased with the quality of the legal services Rob provides."
Matt Maynard
Founder and Partner
Discount Sport Nutrition Franchising, LP
Dallas, Texas
www.sportsupplements.com

"Rob's experience and knowledge are very evident in any discussion of a franchising or distribution related issue. Rob's real value, however, comes from his ability to translate that background into meaningful, practical courses of action."
Walter C. Holmes, III
Vice President, HR & General Counsel
Interstate Battery System of America, Inc.
Dallas, Texas
www.ibsa.com

"We are extremely happy with Rob Vinson's work product as well as his extensive knowledge of franchise law."
Steven Kay
Vice President & General Counsel
Bath Junkie Franchising, Inc.
Fayetteville, Arkansas
www.bathjunkie.com

"No words can express how much we appreciate the excellent services of Rob Vinson. For a start-up franchisor like us, he made it easier to go through the complex process of franchising. He is very conscientious and prompt in providing the best advice for our company. He is highly knowledgeable and extremely professional in his work. I would absolutely recommend him."
Eliza Macayan
Vice President
Precious Home Care, LLC
Walnut Creek, California
www.precioushome.com

"I cannot begin to describe how grateful we are to have found someone as knowledgeable and with as much integrity as Rob Vinson. If there were more people like him in the legal profession, it would change the entire reputation of the profession for the better. We were very apprehensive about franchising before talking to Rob. But he explained to us in plain English what our options were, and his patience with us was above and beyond what I have ever experienced with other lawyers."
Mike Montemurro
Principal
Atlantic Pinstriping, LLC
Charlotte, North Carolina
www.atlanticpinstriping.com

"Rob Vinson is awesome. We had been through 4 other attorneys before we found Rob, and he is now stuck with us for life. There is no way we could have completed the franchising process without his expert professional advice. He has been so helpful. Rob really knows his business."
Dottie Drake
President & CEO
Miracles Fitness
Rio Grande, New Jersey
www.miraclesfitness.com

Disclaimer Required By California Law: These client comments do not constitute a guarantee, warranty, or prediction regarding the outcome of your legal matter.

4. Representative Clients.

Service Franchises
Aeroseal (Austin TX) – HVAC services
*American Gladiators Fitness (Ocoee FL) - fitness centers
*Atlantic Pin Striping (Charlotte NC) – automotive pin striping services
*Auction Mills (Dallas TX) - online auction drop-off centers
Century 21 Home Improvements (Dallas TX) – home improvement services
*Cert-A-Roof International (Orange CA) – roofing services
Childtime Child Care (Bloomington Hills MI) – child care centers
DSI Franchising (Houston TX) – delivery services
*Fibrenew International (Canada) - mobile leather, vinyl and fabric repair services
*Fuselier Franchising (Dallas TX) – commercial debt management services
*Miracles Fitness (Rio Grande NJ) – senior fitness centers
*Precious Home Companion (Walnut Creek CA) – non-medical in-home care services
*Sell It Online (Santee CA) - online auction drop-off store
*Tutoring Club (Discovery Bay CA) – tutoring centers
*Two4One Real Estate (Tucson AZ) - real estate brokerage services
*UCMAS USA (Huntsville AL) - mental development centers

Retail Franchises
*Bath Junkie (Fayetteville AR) – bath and body products
*ColorTyme (Dallas TX) – rent-to-own stores
*Discount Sport Nutrition Franchising (Dallas TX) – nutritional/health products
*Milk Money - (Maplewood NJ) - children's clothing consignment
*One Stop Nutrition (Phoenix AZ) - nutritional/health products, smoothies & coffee
7-Eleven (Dallas TX) – convenience stores
*Today’s Window Fashions (Frazier Park CA) – window treatments

Food Service Franchises
*Dutch Bros. (Grants Pass OR) – coffee stands
The Great Outdoors Sub Shops (Dallas TX) – sandwich shops
*Paciugo Gelato (Dallas TX) – gelato shops
Rocktonic (Truckee CA) – smoothie and coffee bars
*Shake’s Frozen Custard (Fayetteville AR) – ice cream stands
*Teriyaki Madness (Las Vegas NV) - teriyaki bowl quick service

* denotes current client (as of December 2004)

5. Industry Experience.

Franchise clients have been involved in a wide variety of industries, including:
  • battery stores
  • coffee shops
  • computer stores
  • convenience stores
  • delivery services
  • eBay auction drop-off locations
  • elderly care services
  • education / tutoring / mental development centers
  • fast food restaurants
  • fitness centers
  • frozen dessert shops
  • home improvement / repair / maintenance services
  • nutritional supplement stores
  • personal care products stores
  • real estate agencies
  • rental-purchase stores
  • sports bars
  • window treatments / blinds / shades / shutters

6. Professional Background.

Education.

B.S., Texas Tech University 1983.
J.D., Southern Methodist University School of Law 1987.

Bar Admissions.

California (2001)
Texas (1987)

Employment.

November 2003 to present
Principal in Vinson Franchise Law Firm
Incline Village, Nevada

September 2001 to October 2003
Principal in Robert E. Vinson, Jr. - Franchise & Business Attorney
Los Gatos, California

October 1987 to August 2001
Associate / staff attorney / partner with Strasburger & Price LLP
Dallas, Texas
Became partner in the firm's Franchise and Distribution Law Practice Group.

Associations.

Member of:
  • American Bar Association’s Forum on Franchising
  • State Bar Of Texas
  • California State Bar
Past chairman of
Dallas Bar Association Franchise and Distribution Law Section (2000).

Co-host of
International Franchise Association’s 2nd Tuesday Program in Dallas (1998 – 2001).

7. Speeches & Papers.

"Recent Developments in Covenants Not To Compete" at the International Franchise Association’s Annual Legal Symposium in Washington D.C. (2000)

“Marketing, Sales and Legal Requirements: How to Balance Enthusiastic Company Promotions with Legal Requirements” at the Direct Selling Association’s Legal and Ethics Seminar in Washington D.C. (2000)

“The Official Rules: A Primer on Sweepstakes Law for Franchise and Distribution Systems” to the Dallas Bar Association Franchise and Distribution Law Section in Dallas, Texas (1999)

“Franchisor-Franchisee Relationships” at the International Franchise Association’s Franchise Business Network in Houston, Texas (1997)

8. Hiring a Franchise Lawyer.

Franchise law is a specialized practice area. Most lawyers do not have the background and experience to provide competent advice on franchise law issues. Regardless of whether you are considering starting a franchise system as a new franchisor or buying a franchise as a franchisee, you will be devoting substantial time, money and effort to your new business. You really owe it to yourself to get an experienced franchise lawyer on your team early in the process.

Of course, I hope you will hire me to be your franchise lawyer. But, if you decide to keep looking, here are some important criteria to consider when selecting a franchise lawyer:
  • Your franchise lawyer should be a member of the American Bar Association’s Forum on Franchising (and regularly participate in or attend the Forum’s annual meeting).
  • Your franchise lawyer should be rated "AV" in Martindale-Hubbell Legal Directory. This signifies "very high to preeminent legal ability and very high ethical standards" as reported by peers in response to confidential questionnaires by the directory’s publishers.
  • Your franchise lawyer should specialize in franchise law. A good indication of this is the lawyer’s listing in Martindale-Hubbell. Beware of lawyers who seem to specialize in everything!
  • Your franchise lawyer should be able to discuss with you complex legal issues in words you inderstand.
  • Your franchise lawyer should be able to provide you with a list of recent client references regarding similar projects.
  • Your franchise lawyer should be able to tell you exactly who will be working on your project.
Here are 2 sources for helpful articles available online about selecting and hiring a lawyer in general:

American Bar Association’s Guide to Legal Help on the Internet

Legal Tips at Lawyers.com (includes dozens of articles about selecting and hiring a lawyer)