Franchising

Megan Woodward

Lawyer

Phone (03) 6235 5149

Specialities

Megan is a Lawyer within the Corporate and Commercial group at Page Seager. Her main focus areas of law include Finance and Security, Corporate Advisory, Energy and Resources, Franchising, Mergers and Acquisitions and Government.

Experience

Megan graduated from the University of Tasmania in 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts / Bachelor of Laws with Honours in Law. In 2009 she completed the Professional Legal Training Program and commenced employment at Page Seager. Megan spent a year working in the firm’s General and Commercial Litigation areas before moving to the Corporate and Commercial group.

Nathaniel Flinn

Associate

Phone (03) 6235 5125

Email nflinn@pageseager.com.au

Specialities

Nathaniel joined Page Seager in 2009 as a lawyer in the firm’s corporate and commercial group. His main focus areas of law include Franchising, Intellectual Property and Licensing, Corporate Advisory and Business Structures advice. This enables him to provide legal solutions to innovative enterprises and managers of intellectual assets, an area of continuing interest.

Experience

Nathaniel has worked in the legal services industry since 2001. He has provided commercial advice to corporate clients in many industries and market sectors.

Justin Hill

Partner

Phone (03) 6235 5143

Email justinhill@pageseager.com.au

Experience & Specialties

Justin is partner in our Corporate and Commercial Group. Justin specialises in general corporate and commercial law with an emphasis on corporate advisory, finance, mergers and acquisitions, trusts, corporate structures and restructures, superannuation and franchising. Justin also has experience advising on fundraising, ASX listing rules, directors’ duties and Corporations Law Compliance.

Background

Justin has a first class honours degree in Commerce, a Masters in Law from the University of Melbourne and a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment.

Before joining Page Seager in 2012 as a partner, Justin worked as in-house counsel for Deutsche Bank, a global investment bank, in Sydney for 5 years. Prior to working with Deutsche Bank, Justin was principal counsel in the institutional markets and investment division of National Australia Bank. Justin also practised for a number of years in the mergers and acquisitions team of a high profile international law firm.

Lou Gadsby

Franchise Clerk

Phone (03) 6235 5144

Email lgadsby@pageseager.com.au

Specialities

Lou has been working in the legal services industry since 1992 and initially joined Page Seager in 2001. She is a paralegal in the franchising team, and her role requires her to coordinate most aspects of franchising documentation produced for Page Seager’s franchisor clients. Lou is a long-serving and integral member of the franchising team. She works directly with the majority of the firm’s franchisor clients, ensuring that their new franchised businesses are launched efficiently and without complication.

Page Seager acts for a significant number of franchisors and franchisees in Tasmania and across Australia. Our franchising team is well-equipped to deal with all of the legal issues that arise in the franchising sector, including business structuring, intellectual property, corporate governance, compliance, documentation, disputes and acquisitions and dispositions. Our franchising lawyers have a comprehensive understanding of the laws and regulations that affect franchising including the Franchising Code of Conduct, the Competition and Consumer Act, Australian Consumer Law, the Trade Marks Act, duties, retail tenancy law, and contract law.

Franchisors

If you are a franchisor, Page Seager can assist you by:

Providing comprehensive advice about your strategic approach to franchising, including area development, master franchising, licensing, reseller and distribution arrangements
Ensuring that your franchise ownership structure is tax effective and that your franchising system and key intellectual property assets are adequately protected
Developing and implementing your franchising program, including preparation of all of your franchise documentation
Preparing documentation to secure leasing and licensing obligations
Monitoring compliance with the Franchising Code of Conduct, including assistance to
meet all of your disclosure obligations
Advising you about the scope of other laws that might affect your activities, such as the Competition and Consumer Act, the Australian Consumer Law, Duties Acts and retail tenancy laws
Managing sales, transfers, buy-backs, renewals and terminations
Providing comprehensive advice on disputes, mediation and enforcement

Franchisees

If you are a franchisee, Page Seager can advise assist you with:

All aspects of your purchase of a franchise business
All aspects of your business structure, including tax effectiveness and succession
Understanding and negotiation of your franchise agreement