Bret Lowell, the Founder of Franchisor Pipeline, is an internationally recognized leader in franchise and distribution law and has counseled and represented clients across a broad spectrum of industries, including restaurants and food service, car rental, hotel and motel, automotive repair, health care, financial services, fitness, high tech, real estate, and retail. Mr. Lowell is also a Partner at DLA Piper (US), and is widely recognized for his acumen in connection with the buying and selling of franchisors.
Mr. Lowell has worked on both the sell-side and buy-side of transactions by providing strategic advice, document preparation, and due diligence reviews in connection with mergers, acquisitions, and public offerings of franchisors. Mr. Lowell also has extensive experience related to the analysis as to whether arrangements constitute “franchises”; drafting and negotiating domestic and international franchise, distribution, and license agreements; preparation and filing of disclosure documents; legal aspects of establishing franchise systems and the day-to-day operations of franchise systems; the requirements for termination, transfer, and renewal of franchises and dealerships; dispute resolution, including representation before federal and state government agencies, in mediation, and in other dispute resolution settings; franchisor / franchisee relations; and trademark and other intellectual property matters.
Mr. Lowell writes and speaks extensively on franchise-related topics in a variety of forums. He has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America, The International Who’s Who of Franchise Lawyers, and in Who’s Who in America. Mr. Lowell was also listed in the Who’s Who Legal: The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers and been named a “Best Lawyer” and a “Super Lawyer.” Franchise Times has named him to its list of “Legal Eagles,” and the respected English research firm Chambers & Partners recognizes him in America’s Leading Lawyers for Business as “an expert counselor” and as “a superb transactional lawyer.”