When Franchise Brands acquired ChipsAway in 2008, working with the Directors and others gave me a more detailed understanding of the legal issues around franchising. Examining the legal language and details behind our processes really fascinates me. You’re not just thinking on behalf of Franchise Brands, but also on behalf of the franchisee. Pulling together different strands – i.e. the franchise agreement, the system, trademark, brand protection, health and safety, GDPR – and understanding how they sit together is something I’ve found real enthusiasm for.
After asking the Directors about completing a law degree, they gave me their full support to balance a 4-year part-time course with my role. I followed this up with a 2-year Masters in Commercial Law, which included a dissertation on franchise trademarks. The Masters equipped me well to be involved in the IPO. It was such an interesting process, with external people needing to understand and verify the information on the business. We dealt with very detailed questioning to provide the level of information required. Following that, I started a group role taking responsibility for franchise agreements and national contracts.
Having worked through the IPO process and a number of acquisitions, I found that I was ready for the next challenge and the Franchise Brands Board supported my request to sit my SQE1 and SQE2 (Solicitor’s Qualifying Exams, part 1 and 2). After a part-time preparation course for each, I passed first time (thankfully!) and progressed my application with the Solicitor’s Regulatory Authority and was admitted to the Solicitor’s Register in August 2024. I was very proud to then be promoted to Group Head of Legal.
