Franchise Attorney Outreach: Top 5
Research: Jason Drewelow
April 2026
Richard Greenstein
Chairs DLA Piper's Franchise & Distribution practice. Chambers has ranked it the #1 US franchise practice 11 straight years. Close to 40 years doing franchise work, mostly franchisor-side. Built a niche advising PE firms on acquiring and selling franchise systems.
He represented C2 Holdings in the sale of the C2 Education franchise system. His deal profile is exactly the kind where Haven comes up: PE buys a franchise system, portfolio company needs to build the next 10 locations, and nobody has solved the capital structure for the real estate.
Known clients and deals
The Haven connection
When a PE firm buys a franchise system through Greenstein, the portfolio company needs growth capital for new locations. That's Haven. He advises on both sides of franchise M&A, so he sees operators at the exact point where SBA doesn't work anymore and they need a different structure. Jones Day and DLA Piper are peer firms. Greg should check his Atlanta alumni for a connection.
Touch 1 email (Greg sends)
Rich,
Greg Jeffers, Haven Capital Partners, Franklin TN. Before Haven I was Managing Director at STORE Capital. Neil Albritton, our partner, ran acquisitions there. 500+ deals, $6B between us.
I'm reaching out because your franchise practice at DLA sits right where our product matters. When a PE firm acquires a franchise system and the portfolio company needs to build the next 10 locations, the real estate capital question comes up fast. SBA caps at $5M. Conventional debt ties up equity the operator needs for operations.
Haven fixes that. We acquire the property and fund up to 100% of the buildout. New development or sale-leaseback. The operator signs a net lease. Their capital stays in the operating business.
Not asking for anything today. Just want 20 minutes so the next time that question comes up in one of your deals, you know we exist.
Haven Capital Partners | havenslb.com
Warm path
Greg checks Jones Day alumni in Atlanta who practice franchise or corporate law. Jones Day and DLA Piper are peer firms. Likely someone in Greg's network knows Greenstein or can get him in the room.
STORE angle
Neil should check whether any STORE-era transactions involved DLA Piper as franchise counsel. If they crossed paths on a deal, this becomes a follow-up conversation, not a cold email.
April Mason
Office Managing Partner at Burr & Forman Birmingham. Franchise Times Legal Eagle six years running (2021-2026). Best Lawyers in Franchise Law 2023-2024. Practices in franchise M&A, compliance, and multi-unit operator counseling. Focused on restaurant/beverage and fitness.
She represented a PE firm acquiring Chicken Salad Chick (fast casual franchisor). She's also handled work for a Taco Bell franchisee, a global PE firm acquiring boutique fitness brands, and a day-time cafe franchisor. These are all operators who need buildings. That's Haven.
Known clients and deals
The Haven connection
Her clients are operators in Haven's range. Chicken Salad Chick is expanding nationally. Taco Bell franchisees need facilities. Boutique fitness brands need 20-35K SF single-tenant buildings. When those operators close their M&A deal and need capital for the next three builds, Mason is the attorney in the room. If she knows Haven, she makes the intro.
Touch 1 email (Greg sends)
April,
Greg Jeffers, Haven Capital Partners, Franklin TN. Before Haven I was MD at STORE Capital. Neil Albritton, our partner, was SVP and Head of Acquisitions there. $6B+ in net-lease deals between us, 700+ closed.
Your franchise practice is strong in restaurant and fitness M&A. Six years running on the Legal Eagle list. You're seeing the same thing we are: operators who are ready to grow, the franchise agreement is done, and nobody can solve the real estate capital.
Haven solves it. We acquire the property and fund up to 100% of the buildout. Sale-leaseback or new development. The operator signs a net lease. Properties $2M to $50M, anywhere in the US.
When the financing question comes up in your practice, I want you to have our number. 20 minutes. Happy to come to Birmingham or do a call.
Haven Capital Partners | havenslb.com
Warm path
Burr & Forman has a Nashville office. Greg checks whether he knows anyone at the firm through Jones Day or industry events. Managing Partner to Office Managing Partner is a peer conversation.
Escalation
Ed Christian is CEO of Burr & Forman. Chambers Eminent Practitioner. Handles franchise M&A for restaurant and retail clients. If Greg reaches out to Ed directly, Mason sees it as a firm-level relationship, not a random cold email.
Ronald T. Coleman Jr.
Four-time Best Lawyers "Lawyer of the Year" for Franchise Law in Atlanta (2012, 2017, 2020, 2025). Chambers USA rated for commercial litigation every year from 2010 through 2025. Represents national franchisors in disputes with franchisees and competing franchise systems. 30+ years at Bradley Arant.
Known work includes defending Cellairis Franchise Inc., enforcing trademarks for a national restaurant franchisor in bankruptcy, and handling restrictive covenant cases for a Fortune 500 diagnostic testing company. His litigation practice means he's deep inside the franchisor's growth strategy, unit economics, and expansion plans.
Known clients and deals
The Haven connection
Coleman is at Bradley Arant, same firm as Pat Alexander in Nashville. Jason has a path to Pat through Rob Leonard and CRE615. The ask: "Pat, your colleague Ron Coleman in Atlanta does franchise work. Can you bridge us?" One handshake in Nashville gets Greg in front of a top-tier franchise attorney in Atlanta. That intro doesn't feel cold because it isn't.
Touch 1 email (Greg sends, after Jason secures the intro)
Ron,
Greg Jeffers, Managing Partner at Haven Capital Partners, Franklin. Pat Alexander in your Nashville office suggested I reach out. My partner Jason Drewelow works with Pat through the Nashville CRE community.
Haven provides real estate solutions for growing franchise operators. New development, sale-leaseback, or both. We acquire the property, fund up to 100% of the buildout, and the operator signs a net lease. Our team came out of STORE Capital. $6B+ in net-lease deals, 700+ closed.
Your franchise practice means you're inside the growth plans of national franchisors regularly. When one of those operators needs to expand and the capital question comes up, that's Haven. Not asking for a referral. Just want 20 minutes so you know what we do.
Haven Capital Partners | havenslb.com
The path (Jason owns this)
Jason texts Rob Leonard. Rob intros Jason to Pat Alexander at Bradley Arant Nashville. Jason asks Pat to bridge to Ron Coleman in Atlanta. Greg sends the email referencing Pat. Two-hop warm intro.
Backup
If the Bradley Arant path stalls, Greg can go direct using Jones Day connections to Atlanta franchise counsel. Bradley Arant is well-known to Jones Day in the SE.
Joel Buckberg
Shareholder at Baker Donelson Nashville. Leads the firm's Commercial Transactions & Business Counseling group. Co-chairs the Hospitality Industry Service Team covering franchise, distribution, and hospitality. Franchise Times Legal Eagles since 2007. Hall of Fame 2016.
Before Baker Donelson he was EVP and Deputy General Counsel at Cendant Corporation. Led the $450M sale of STR Inc. to CoStar Group, the largest hotel industry transaction in 2019. His deal flow is franchise and hospitality M&A with PE involvement. He counsels on franchise program setup, system acquisition, and lender/securitization of franchise receivables.
Known clients and deals
The Haven connection
Buckberg is Nashville's most connected franchise dealmaker. He does franchise M&A with PE buyers. When those PE-backed portfolio companies need to build new locations post-acquisition, Haven is the capital structure. He's local. Baker Donelson is in Nashville. Greg and John can meet him for coffee. No travel, no logistics. The STR/CoStar deal shows he works at scale. He's not a small-firm generalist.
Touch 1 email (Greg sends)
Joel,
Greg Jeffers, Haven Capital Partners, Franklin. Before Haven I was MD at STORE Capital. Neil Albritton, our partner, ran acquisitions there. $6B+ in net-lease deals between us.
Your franchise practice at Baker Donelson and your Cendant background mean you're seeing franchise M&A deals where the portfolio company needs to build new locations after close. That's what Haven does. We acquire the property and fund up to 100% of the buildout. New development or sale-leaseback. The operator signs a net lease.
We're both in Nashville. Would like to buy you a coffee and spend 20 minutes walking through how we work with franchise counsel. No pitch, just want to be on your radar for when the real estate question comes up in a deal.
Haven Capital Partners | havenslb.com
Path
Local. Baker Donelson is in Nashville. Greg, John, or Jason can get a coffee meeting without any warm intro needed. Legal Eagles Hall of Fame and IFA Compliance Program chair means he's visible at franchise industry events.
IFA angle
Buckberg chairs the IFA's Compliance Program. Greg or John attending an IFA event creates a natural introduction. Nashville franchise community is small enough that this is a one-degree connection.
Roland Baggott III
Former General Counsel of Smoothie King Franchises. Managed legal for the entire system: 270+ franchised units across 32 states. Left to start his own franchise boutique in Nashville. Super Lawyers 11 consecutive years (2015-2025). ABA Forum on Franchising member.
Now acts as outside general counsel for franchise systems. Represents both franchisors and franchisees. Start-up franchisors, mature franchisors, sub-franchisors, regional developers, multi-unit franchisees, single-unit franchisees. He sees the full lifecycle. When a multi-unit franchisee he represents needs to build the next location, he's the one advising on the structure.
Known clients and deals
The Haven connection
Baggott is a boutique firm. He picks up the phone. He's not behind three layers of associates at a 500-attorney firm. His outside GC role for franchise systems means he's advising operators on expansion decisions daily. When a multi-unit Smoothie King franchisee (or similar) needs capital for the next build, Baggott is the attorney on the call. He's Nashville local, he represents both sides, and his client base includes exactly the 3-to-15-location operators Haven is built for.
Touch 1 email (Greg or Jason sends)
Roland,
Greg Jeffers, Haven Capital Partners, Franklin. We're in the same town. Before Haven I was MD at STORE Capital. Our team has $6B+ in net-lease deals between us.
Your Smoothie King GC background and your boutique practice mean you're advising multi-unit franchisees on growth decisions regularly. When one of those operators has the franchise agreement signed and needs capital for the building, that's Haven. We acquire the property, fund up to 100% of the buildout, and the operator signs a net lease.
We're neighbors. 20 minutes over coffee. Want to make sure you know we exist for when the real estate question comes up with one of your clients.
Haven Capital Partners | havenslb.com
Path
Local boutique firm. No warm intro needed. Jason or Greg can call directly. Boutique practitioners respond to peer-level outreach faster than big-firm attorneys. This should be a phone call, not an email.
Smoothie King angle
Smoothie King is a QSR franchise that needs facilities. Baggott knows the unit economics, the costs, the expansion math from the inside. Lead with that common ground.