Sawan Patel is a shareholder and chair of the Corporate and Transactions practice group. He helps businesses grow by protecting their interests, promoting and selling their products and services, and franchising their brands. Clients appreciate his ability to provide responsive legal solutions that make practical business sense. As a business and franchise lawyer, Sawan protects his clients from startup through every phase of their growth.
Sawan advises clients on entity formation, contract review and drafting, commercial transactions, and purchases and sales of businesses. He works with businesses to promote and sell their products and services, including through contests and sweepstakes, product warranties, and other sale terms and conditions.
For businesses looking to grow and expand, Sawan advises on growth strategies such as distribution and sales arrangements and franchising. He counsels franchisors on structuring and operating their franchise systems, helping startup franchisors build new franchise systems and preparing annual Franchise Disclosure Documents and state registrations for established franchisors. He also advises franchisors on franchisee relationship issues, including defaults, terminations and transfers. Sawan’s clients range from startup franchisors to some of the fastest-growing brands in the nation, across industries including home improvement, healthcare, childcare, fitness and wellness, food service, consumer retail and hospitality.
Sawan is an active and contributing member of the American Bar Association’s Forum on Franchising and the International Franchise Association. He has been recognized as a Rising Star® – Franchise by Super Lawyers magazine, a Legal Eagle by Franchise Times, and is listed on the International Who’s Who of Franchise Lawyers list and the Best Lawyers in America® for franchise law.
Sawan is a perennial speaker and writer for the ABA Forum on Franchising and the International Franchise Association, has authored several Franchise Law Journal articles, and regularly speaks at annual conferences on a range of franchising topics. He also served as an Associate Editor of the ABA Forum on Franchising's Franchise Law Journal and as the Young Lawyers Division Liaison to the Governing Committee of the ABA Forum on Franchising.
Corporate Law
- Entity formation. Represent entrepreneurs in entity formations, including LLCs and corporations.
- Corporate governance. Advise clients in corporate governance and compliance matters, including governing resolutions, restructurings, buy-sell agreements, and ownership transfers.
- Mergers and acquisitions. Counsel clients during asset and business purchases and sales and mergers and acquisitions.
- Purchases and sales. Represent clients in purchases and sales of equipment and other property.
- Terms and Conditions. Develop product warranties and disclaimers, including under the Magnuson–Moss Warranty Act for manufacturers, distributors, and retailers, and terms and conditions of purchase and sale and for online applications.
- Contests and sweepstakes. Structure contests and sweepstakes, draft rules under state anti-gambling laws, and draft gift card/certificate disclaimers under gift card laws for retailers and franchisors.
Franchise Law
- Structure new franchise systems. Represent a variety of clients in franchising their brands, including preparation of initial franchise disclosure documents.
- Franchise and disclosure documents. Amend and update annual franchise disclosure documents, draft and revise franchise agreements, and register franchise offerings.
- Franchise system acquisitions and sales. Represent franchisors in acquisitions and sales of franchise systems and in conducting franchise due diligence.
- Sales representation arrangements. Represent clients in sales representation arrangements under state commission dealership laws.
- Supply arrangements. Represent distributors in distributor and supply arrangements (both domestic and international).
- Acquisition of franchised brand. Led due diligence for acquisition of international franchise brand, with focus on limitations on ability to grow the system. Performed analysis of franchised business model to identify strengths and weaknesses of franchise system, as well as economics of franchise relationships.
- Securitization. Served as specialized franchise counsel to franchisors in whole-business securitization transactions, including preparing franchise-related disclosure for private placement memoranda (PPMs), conducting franchise diligence on franchise agreements, Franchise Disclosure Documents and state registration compliance. Advised on effect of securitization structures on franchise system operations and franchisee relationships.
- William Mitchell College of Law (J.D., magna cum laude, 2012)
- Member, William Mitchell Law Review 2011-2012
- Dean Bruce Burton Award Nominee, Excellence in Legal Writing
- Dean’s List
- CALI Excellence Awards: Law and Business Clinic; Deals and Disputes Resolution: International Business; Corporate Finance
- University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Management (B.S., cum laude, 2009)
- Majors: Honors Finance, Honors Risk Management and Insurance
- Dean’s List
- Minnesota, 2012
- Hennepin County Bar Association
- Minnesota State Bar Association
- American Bar Association, Business Law Section
- American Bar Association, Forum on Franchising
- Young Lawyers Division Liaison to the Governing Committee, ABA Forum on Franchising
- Associate Editor, Franchise Law Journal, ABA Forum on Franchising
- International Franchise Association
- U.S. Elite List, Banking & Finance, Legal 500, 2026
- Franchise Legal Eagle by Franchise Times, 2020-Present
- International Who’s Who of Franchise Lawyers, 2018-Present
- Rising Star® - Franchise, Super Lawyers magazine, 2019-Present
- North Star Lawyer, Minnesota State Bar Association, 2013
- LegalCORPS Pro Bono Volunteer
