Overview

Practice Areas

Corporate & Securities  •   Litigation  •  

Industry Experience

Franchise Law  •  

Marisa Rauchway leads the Franchise Team at CSG Law and serves as a strategic legal advisor and partner to the local, regional and national franchise community.

As both a seasoned corporate attorney and litigator, Marisa assists clients in navigating legal issues both in and out of court, including prospective franchisees, current single- and multi-unit franchise operators, and franchisors. Her clients span a wide variety of industries, including hotel and hospitality, gas station and fuel distribution, childcare, gym and fitness, medical, luxury watches and jewelry, food and beverage, motor vehicle dealerships, appliance and entertainment.

In her corporate practice, Marisa advises prospective franchisees throughout the purchase process, routinely reviews franchise disclosure documents and negotiates franchise and multi-unit/area development agreements. She also provides counsel in connection with franchise portfolio expansion and sales and transfers, and advises on both smaller-scale purchases, as well as on large-scale, regional and national multi-unit transactions.

Marisa also represents franchise, retail and distributor clients in both pre-litigation and litigation matters, throughout the country and abroad, in all facets of disputes between and among franchisees, franchisors and members of the supply chain industry. Marisa often represents clients in connection with claims pursuant to the New Jersey Franchise Practices Act and termination disputes, as well as in commercial landlord-tenant matters and member/shareholder disputes.

Marisa has spoken on franchise topics throughout the country, including at events hosted by Hospitality Lawyer, the International Franchise Association and the International Franchise Expo.

She obtained a Certified Franchise Executive™ designation from the Institute of Certified Franchise Executives in 2016, as well as a Franchise Management Certificate from Georgetown University. Marisa also served as co-chair of the New York/New Jersey Chapter of the Women’s Franchise Network, part of the International Franchise Association, from 2016 to 2021.

Marisa is a member of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) Allied Attorney program.


Honors

  • Included in NJBIZ, Leaders in Law (2023)
  • Included in ROI-NJ, Influencers: Women in Business (2023)
  • Selected to the New Jersey Super Lawyers list, Franchise & Dealership (2021-2023)
  • Included in New Jersey Law Journal, New Leaders of the Bar (2019)
  • Selected to the New Jersey Super Lawyers – Rising Stars list (2017-2018)

Award Methodology
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Involvement

  • Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) Allied Attorney, Program Member
  • New York/New Jersey Chapter of the Women’s Franchise Network, Co, Chair (2016-2021)
  • Institute of Certified Franchised Executives, Certified Franchise Executive (2016)
  • District V C Ethics Committee Essex County – West Essex, Member, appointed by the New Jersey Supreme Court (2014-2018)
  • International Franchise Association, Supplier Member

Education

  • Boston University Law School (J.D., 2008)
  • Georgetown University (Franchise Management Certificate, 2016)
  • Princeton University (B.A., 2004)

Admissions

  • New Jersey
  • New York
  • U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York

Newsroom

Publication

Franchise Law 101: FAQs

Winter 2023
Event

International Franchise Expo: Transitioning from a Single Unit to a Multi-Unit Franchisee

June 2022
Event

International Franchise Association’s Legal Symposium: Maximizing Recovery in a Franchise Case

May 2022
Publication

Franchising Freedom! Inside the Mind of the Prospective Franchisee

September 6, 2020