Franchise Paralegal

Company Overview:

BNI is the world’s leading business networking and franchising organization, with a presence in 76 countries worldwide and a mission rooted in helping professionals build meaningful, long‑term relationships that drive business growth. Guided by our Givers Gain® philosophy, we believe that collaboration, care, and contribution create stronger businesses and stronger communities.

At BNI, you’ll work in a tech‑enabled, globally connected environment, collaborating with colleagues from diverse cultures, backgrounds, and experiences. This role offers opportunities to support a global franchise system, engage with teams and stakeholders across multiple regions, and may include occasional travel in support of international events or initiatives. We invest in lifelong learning, provide opportunities for continued professional growth, and empower our people to build fulfilling careers while helping members around the world expand their networks and increase their impact.

Position Summary:

The Franchise Paralegal is responsible for supporting the preparation, execution, and compliance of franchise legal documentation across multiple jurisdictions. This role plays a critical part in franchise development transactions by ensuring franchise agreements, disclosure documents, and country and state registrations are accurate, compliant, and completed in accordance with federal and state franchise regulations.

Working closely with Legal, Franchise Development, Finance, and Operations, the Franchise Paralegal manages document workflows, supports FDD updates and registrations, and maintains regulatory records throughout the franchise lifecycle. The role requires sound judgment, strong attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple priorities while safeguarding confidential legal materials and supporting ongoing compliance efforts. The role provides a great opportunity to work on diverse legal matters in multiple international jurisdictions 

Franchise Documentation and FDD Compliance 

• Prepare, revise, and finalize franchise agreements, addenda, territory exhibits, and related legal documents.
• Process executed agreements, obtain internal signatures, and route completed documents to relevant teams.
• Maintain accurate version control across FDDs, agreements, and templates.
• Track FDD delivery dates and ensure compliance with FTC and state‑specific disclosure timing requirements.
• Support preparation of annual FDD updates, including coordination of data for all the items in the FDD across multiple departments. 
• Draft, review, and revise franchise agreements, purchase agreements, broker agreements, referral agreements, and agreements to facilitate re-sales of franchise locations, ensuring compliance with federal and state regulations, as well as the company's standards and policies.
• Manage and maintain a database of franchise agreements, contracts, and related legal documents.

 State Registration and Compliance Support

• Assist with preparing, submitting, and tracking initial franchise registrations and annual renewals.
• Maintain calendars for registration deadlines, deficiency letter responses, and amendment requirements.
• Maintain organized digital archives for all state correspondence, approvals, and receipts.
• Support internal compliance audits and documentation requests from Legal or Finance.
• Maintain data accuracy for monthly and quarterly reporting related to franchise sales documentation, stay informed on franchise laws and regulations, industry standards and best practices and conduct training sessions on legal compliance matters.

Franchise Operational Support

• Provide ongoing support by addressing legal inquiries, resolving disputes, and facilitating communication between franchisees and the legal team.
• Draft default notices for non-compliance of franchise agreements and cease and desist notices for trademark infringement, post termination violations, and others.
• Assist attorneys in franchise-related litigation matters by conducting research, preparing legal documents, and coordinating with outside counsel as needed.

Cross‑Functional Coordination

• Liaise with Legal, Franchise Development, Finance, and Operations to gather required information and resolve discrepancies.
• Provide clear, structured communication on document status, outstanding requirements, and compliance timelines.
• Perform various administrative tasks, including maintaining calendars, scheduling meetings, and managing correspondence related to franchise matters.
• Escalate issues appropriately when dealing with terms, data inputs, or compliance factors require clarification.

Process Adherence and Incremental Improvements

• Follow established documentation workflows, naming conventions, and repository structures.
• Identify small, scope‑appropriate improvements to templates, trackers, or filing systems.
• Maintain accurate and compliant data within enterprise platforms (e.g.,FranConnect, SharePoint, PandaDoc).
• Ensure confidentiality and integrity of all franchise and legal documents.

Any additional duties needed to help demonstrate our core values, drive our vision, and fulfill our mission.

Competencies:

• Critical Thinking 
• Communication 
• Process Management
• Quality Management
• Organizational Skills
• Interpersonal Skills 
• Risk Management
• Strategic Thinking 
• Analytical Thinking

Qualifications:

• Paralegal certification or equivalent legal training 
• 4–6 years of experience in a Franchised operations legal support role(preferably in-house)
• Strong organizational and both internal and external communication skills
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and legal document management systems
• Ability to manage sensitive information with discretion and professionalism
• Comfortable working independently while collaborating across teams