John Chambers - Consultant

John has specialised in franchising for over 20 years.

He thinks of himself as a business man first and a solicitor second. His “no nonsense, practical, commercial approach” is appreciated by clients as much as is his unrivalled knowledge of the franchising sector.

He read law at University College London and worked in the City of London for Mitsui, a Japanese trading company, and in the Middle East for Turner & Newall Plc.

John then worked in sales and contract management roles in the oil industry, first in the UK and then abroad before deciding that he could provide more commercially focused and practical advice than he was receiving from lawyers. He re-trained as a solicitor and worked for two leading international law firms prior to setting up Chambers & Co in 1998. After establishing himself as one of the UK’s leading franchise lawyers and acting for 20% of the franchisors in the UK, Ashtons Legal acquired the practice in early 2012.

John is a former member of the now disbanded British Franchise Association Legal Committee, and regularly speaks on franchising law both at home and abroad.

As a recognised expert in his field, John was invited to contribute to the 2022 edition of Franchise – the 16th edition of expert research and analysis produced by renowned publishers Getting the Deal Through. This involved giving an overview of the legal landscape in UK Franchising.