Melissa A DeBarbieris

I am a senior counsel attorney in the Saxton & Stump Franchising, Licensing and Distribution Group with nearly 15 years of experience.
I work closely with franchise owners and distributors regarding intellectual property, licensing, regulations, and compliance matters. I leverage my in-depth knowledge of the unique challenges and opportunities within the franchising and distribution sectors, and provide legal assistance to help clients lay a solid foundation for brand expansion. My duties involve drafting, negotiating, and finalizing a broad range of business documents for franchise operators, including memoranda of understanding and letters of intent, in addition to agreements for joint ventures and partnerships, franchise and licensing agreements, contracts for vendors and services, distribution and sales representative deals, and confidentiality agreements.

Before working exclusively as a franchising attorney, I also represented commercial real estate developers on purchase and sale agreements, lease agreements, entity formation, corporate governance and compliance, labor and employment law matters, and trademark maintenance and management.