About Richard Edwards
I'm the founder of Whites Legal, a law firm specialising in advising bars, restaurants, cafes, pubs and hospitality businesses. Advice on things like:
Planning stages: setting up the companies behind the hospitality business, advising on the purchase and getting the lease right;
Opening: finalising the purchase and opening, getting employees employed properly;
Challenges: employees misbehaving, liquor licensing and planning, lease disputes;
Growing: opening additional locations and franchising; and
Getting out: exit strategy, succession planning, advising on the sale through to settlement.
It started at uni. Like so many other students, I made a living through working in cafes, restaurants and bars, even entering into a couple of cocktail competitions (
Tom Cruise in Cocktail, I am not).
I've worked in a variety of legal fields, including buying and selling businesses, marketing advice, franchising and disputes with franchisors, media litigation and defamation.
I noticed there are so few sources of legal advice for hospitality businesses. I saw bars, restaurants, cafes and pubs with a need to be better advised so they can make better decisions.
I founded Whites Legal to focus on issues and opportunities in the hospitality industry. Loving good food and good drink certainly helped. While I was at it, I discarded the old fashioned and inappropriate billable hour. In its place is agreed, fixed pricing.
After work, you can find
me playing Ultimate Frisbee. I've played at national level eight or so times, including as captain. While you can tell that I take Ultimate Frisbee very seriously, I don’t expect others to.
At home, I'm the cook of the house, cooking for my wife and daughter.
You can find me on
0402 066 206, at
richard@whiteslegal.com.au, tweeting
@WhitesLegal and writing for
Small Plates.
You can always tempt me out from behind the desk with a coffee or a glass of wine.
