Chris Wormald is a partner and joint head of our
Franchising & Licensing Group, as well as Head of our
Retail Sector Group. He specializes in all aspects of
franchising, advising companies considering franchising and
alternative expansion options, joint ventures and strategic
alliances, ranging from major corporations considering
re-engineering and international expansion, and government
organizations, to small start-ups. He works across commercial
sectors – specializing in the retail, restaurant and service
sectors, but also works with businesses and other organizations
wishing to "clone" their activities and so expand, in the IT,
insurance and financial services, manufacturing, distribution and
the public and not for profit sectors, including "social
franchising". Chris is consistently rated in the Chambers,
Legal 500 and Legal Business Guide to Legal Experts
directories as a leader and expert in franchising. Who’s Who
Legal, the “Official Research partner of the International Bar
Association” has ranked Chris in its shortlist of “Most Highly
Regarded Individuals” globally, one of the very few lawyers outside
North America to have been recognized there.
Before joining Field Fisher Waterhouse Chris led the Eversheds'
franchising team for 12 years before bringing their top commercial
franchising specialists with him to join Field Fisher Waterhouse's
"equal top" franchise team four years ago. Before that, Chris,
originally a 5 year international tax and commercial lawyer at City
of London law firm Simmons & Simmons, had been a Vice President
and General Counsel at McDonald’s EMEA for 10 years. He therefore
understands the needs and perspectives of retailers and restaurant
businesses particularly well.
Chris has advised major national and international brands on
expansion into most parts of the world, and on the development of
franchise programmes and alternative re-engineering and expansion
techniques. He is retained as leading counsel to a number of
major domestic and international brands and the investors in them,
advising on all aspects of the development of their networks and
the structuring of and ongoing relationships with their
franchisees, investors and business partners. He also occasionally
advises franchisee groups in connection with their relations with
their franchisor.
He is also a Director of FFW Consulting LLP, a wholly-owned
affiliate of the law firm, which provides non-legal assistance to
companies and brands considering re-engineering their operations,
or expanding into new markets using structures involving third
parties.
Chris belongs to a number of legal and business organizations,
and writes and speaks frequently both in the UK and overseas on
legal and business aspects of franchising. He was a member of the
Legal Committee of the British Franchise Association until its
abolition, and is a member of the IBA Franchise Committee, and the
ABA Franchise Section. He co-authored for specialist UK
publishers The Guide to Franchising in UK Pubs and
Restaurants and is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of
the International Journal of Franchising Law. He is
Co-General Editor of “Alternative corporate re-engineering –
Building businesses through third party relationships and expansion
into new markets”, and co-author of the introductory chapter
“Alternative Strategic Techniques for the Board Agenda”
published by Sweet & Maxwell in 2011. Chris has lived and
worked in Brussels and Frankfurt and speaks French and German.