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, andfinalizefranchise agreements, addenda, territory exhibits, and related legal documents.
• Process executed agreements, obtain internal signatures, and route completed documents to relevant teams.
• Maintainaccurateversion 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 forall theitems in the FDDacross multiple departments.
• Draft, review, and revise franchise agreements, purchase agreements, broker agreements, referral agreements, and agreements tofacilitatere-sales of franchise locations, ensuring compliance with federal and state regulations, as well as the company’s standards and policies.
• Manage andmaintaina database of franchise agreements, contracts, and related legal documents.
  
  

State Registration and Compliance Support

• Assistwith 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 bestpracticesand conduct training sessions on legal compliance matters.
  
  

Franchise Operational Support

• Provide ongoing support byaddressing legal inquiries, resolving disputes, andfacilitatingcommunication between franchisees and the legal team.
• Draftdefault notices for non-compliance of franchise agreements andcease and desist notices for trademark infringement,post termination violations, and others.
• Assistattorneys 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, includingmaintainingcalendars, scheduling meetings, and managing correspondence related to franchise matters.
• Escalateissues appropriately whendealing withterms, data inputs, or compliance factorsrequireclarification.
  
  

Process Adherence and Incremental Improvements

• Follow establisheddocumentationworkflows, naming conventions, and repository structures.
• Identifysmall,scope‑appropriate improvementsto templates, trackers, or filing systems.
• Maintainaccurateand 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
• ProcessManagement
• 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 aFranchised operationslegalsupport role(preferably in-house)
• Strong organizational andboth internal and externalcommunication skills
• Proficiencyin Microsoft Office and legal document management systems
• Ability to manage sensitive information with discretion and professionalism
• Comfortable working independently while collaborating across teams
  
  

Physical Demands and Working Conditions

Sedentary work. Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or negligible amount of force frequently or constantly lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects. Repetitive motion. Substantial movements (motions) of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers. The worker is required to have close visual acuity to perform an activity such as preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; extensive reading.

This is a full-time position. This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Learn more at BNI.com

An equal opportunity employer.