I recently became a Franchise Legal Administrator.  I have been a Paralegal for over 15 years and I have a wealth of knowledge and experience, however franchising is very new to me.  Unfortunately, I did not have the privilege of being trained by my predecessor and I have basically jumped right in without any real training at all.  I am trying my best to catch on and get up to speed on my own however this is uncharted territory for me.  Please advise as to what options I may have as far as the following are concerned: training seminars/classes/workshops (and or materials); and materials that give instructions on the Legal Process as it relates to the job of a Legal Administrator.  Thank you.

Andrea Harrison
Legal Administrator
The Melting Pot Restaurants, Inc.
Franchise Support Center
8810 Twin lakes Blvd.
Tampa, Florida 33614
(813) 425-6224
aharrison@meltingpot.com

Sorry for the delay in responding...  if you feel comfortable with online courses, I'd highly recommend laceName w:st="on">IFAlaceName> laceType w:st="on">UniversitylaceType>'s online compliance program.  For $125, it is a great value and really helped me get my feet wet.  Visit: http://www.ifa-university.com/home/.  If you have an attorney who specializes in franchise distribution, they will likely also have compliance materials and potentially a program you can participate in or review.  Finally, you may want to dig around the ABA Forum on Franchising Site: http://www.abanet.org/forums/franchising/home.html.  I keep the Franchising Law Journal coming - a great resource and have a compliance manual that was well worth the price paid.  Hope this helps a bit.  The description of the Franchise Compliance Program at laceName w:st="on">IFAlaceName> laceType w:st="on">UniversitylaceType> is below. 

Good Luck!

Regards,

Jamie

Franchise Compliance Program (for members)

Overview         Syllabus

This course has also been designed for use by franchisors, attorneys, and consultants to augment your training and orientation programs for those individuals involved in the franchise sales and disclosure process. If you are interested in implementing this program in your company, and receiving Certification that your company has adopted this standards-based program, please contact John Reynolds at (202) 662-0764, e-mail john@franchise.org. There are many sources of additional information about franchising and the franchise sales compliance process, including – the IFA website at www.franchise.org and the Federal Trade Commission’s Franchise Guide at www.franchise.org/resourcectr/aquire-a.asp. Notice: The International Franchise Association and the IFA Educational Foundation are not offering legal, financial or any other professional advice or endorsements by providing the information contained in these online courses. Individuals who are considering starting a franchise business, or prospective investors who are considering acquiring a franchise, are encouraged to obtain legal advice from a qualified franchise attorney. Copyright 2001

OBJECTIVE Franchise Compliance Program 300 ICFE credits(Core-Legal) This course is designed for franchise executives, managers, compliance officers, paralegals and attorneys, franchise brokers and consultants–especially those individuals involved in the franchise sales and disclosure process (see Introduction and Overview for additional information.) At the end of each segment of this course, you will find an exercise to evaluate your understanding and knowledge of the subject matter. At the end of the course there is a review and final test. Upon successful completion of this test, you will receive a Certificate of Course Completion for 300 CFE credits (Core). This certificate may be applied toward receiving the Certified Franchise Executive(CFE)designation.

CATEGORY COURSES

TYPE Online

DESIGNATION 300 CFE Core credits

PRICE $125.00

Jamie Griffin, CFE

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