Both the name partners in the firm and the three of counsel associates have what would generally be described as transactional law practice. What this means is that all of the lawyers have devoted years to developing sophisticated practices in concentrated areas of the law, and your lawyer will not be unavailable for weeks on end because he or she is at court handling matters in litigation.
Franchise Law
Tom Branch handles the Franchise Law work at the firm and has been engaged in franchise matters since entering private practice in 1980. He represents both franchisors as well as franchisees. On the franchisor side, he prepares franchise agreements and Uniform Franchise Offering Circulars, and handles state filings, where required, for both franchise and business opportunity offerings. On the franchisee side, he assists people considering the purchase of a franchise, by reviewing the UFOC and its exhibits. On behalf of both franchisors and franchisees, Mr. Branch also deals with matters in dispute, including termination issues, non-competition covenants, buyouts and other matters. On behalf of all clients in the franchise arena, Tom Branch offers counseling and guidance, based on his many years of experience in the area. Having clients on both the franchisor and franchisee side gives Tom a better understanding of the needs and priorities of both. As a transactional lawyer and not a litigator, he works as a problem solver, seeking to find business solutions to business issues.
Transactions and Business Law
Both Rollin Mallernee and Tom Branch devote much of their time to matters that fit under the umbrella of Transactions and Business Law. This would include the formation of corporations and other legal entities; preparation and negotiation of leases and other contracts of many varieties; representing clients who are either buying or selling an existing business or starting a new one; preparing agreements among owners of a business. In representing local businesses of all sizes, both Rollin Mallernee and Tom Branch serve as general counsel and trusted advisor for a number of longstanding clients that own and operate many different types of businesses including radio stations, restaurants, commercial real estate projects, and the largest English as a second language educational enterprise in the Southeast. We pride ourselves in our loyalty and dedication to our clients and their needs.
Professional Sports Organizations
In 1973 Rollin Mallernee was asked to formally organize NBA athletic trainers as a professional association. The National Basketball Athletic Trainers Association became the first association of employees in professional sports that was not a union. The NBATA was so successful in providing a voice and means for NBA athletic trainers to transact business that it became the model for athletic trainer associations in the NFL, MLB and NHL. Rollin Mallernee organized and represents the Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society, Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society, Professional Hockey Athletic Trainers Society, Society of Professional Hockey Equipment Managers, and the NHL Coaches Association, Inc. Rollin Mallernee is an expert in negotiating sponsorship agreements with major companies that make products for sports. He is also an expert in athletic trainer employment contracts and pension benefits.
Other Practice Areas
Other areas of practice generally correspond to assisting the special needs of employees of our business clients that we serve in our primary practice areas. An important additional practice area is wills and trusts. If a client matter is beyond our scope of practice, we refer our clients to qualified lawyers either inside or outside our firm.
The other lawyers in the firm, Price Williams and Frank Bird, add valuable experience not only in the area of general corporate law, but also commercial real estate, taxation, and sophisticated estate planning and probate.
