Gordon Drakes | Fieldfisher
Skip to main content
Select location
Professional background

Professional background

I have advised on high-profile and innovative deals in the retail, food & beverage, leisure and entertainment, services, healthcare and education sectors. With over 18 years of experience, I can help clients with their strategic planning and ensure that they avoid common pitfalls and maximise the commercial opportunity, part of which involves navigating them through complex international regulatory and local law issues.

I am very proud that our team is ranked consistently in the top-tier for commercial contracts, franchising and licensing by Chambers & Partners, the Legal500 and Who's Who Legal.

  • Who's Who Franchising 2024 ranks me as a "Global Elite Thought Leader"
  • Legal 500 2024 ranks me as a Leading Individual for Franchising (the Fieldfisher franchise team is Tier 1)
  • Chambers & Partners UK ranks Fieldfisher in Tier 1 for franchising, and has done for the last 17 consecutive years.
  • Gordon is a member of the British Franchise Association's Legal Committee, and Fieldfisher has been a BFA accredited law firm since 1997.
Awards & recognition

Awards & recognition

Legal 500
Fieldfisher had created our entire franchise agreement and all the related documents such as the adoption agreement, nondisclosure, etc. Gordon and his team are very professional and supportive, as we are new in the field and have little experience in legal procedure and contracts, they answered our questions in-depth patiently. It is something certainly very appreciated. The team is also very responsive and organized. You can always find the key person for your questions.
Legal 500
Gordon Drakes has not only a profound knowledge of franchise law, but he is also willing to share and teach our team. It’s not easy to work with someone who has no legal background like me. Gordon supported us through the whole contract negotiation process and provided to-the-point answers, arguments, and negotiations to the counterpart. He never hesitates to support us and give us quick feedback and suggestion.
Legal 500

Highly recommended for his incredibly specialised repertoire in franchising law and is held in high esteem for his incisive handling of complex franchising and hospitality matters.

Chambers UK

Gordon is very good at franchising; he understands it inside-out.

Authored pieces

All Resources
Franchising Distribution, Agency and IP Licensing
Insight

Vodafone franchise settlement: managing network-wide risk

02.09.2026
Vodafone's settlement with 62 former franchise partners highlights the risks franchisors should consider when making network-wide changes to commissions, deductions and compliance measures.
Learn more
Franchising Distribution, Agency and IP Licensing
Insight

Franchise case: when commercial disappointment is not misrepresentation

26.08.2026
Learn more
Retail and Consumer
Insight

Statements of work: SOWing the seeds of successful retail digital transformation

31.07.2026
Learn more
Retail and Consumer
Insight

Retail digital transformation: why legal should be involved early

31.07.2026
Learn more
Franchising Distribution, Agency and IP Licensing
Insight

Scaling a franchise: where the legal friction really starts

17.06.2026
Franchising can be a powerful growth model — but the same contract that enables scale is also where disputes are born. Here’s where UK franchise agreements most commonly break down, what franchisees underestimate, and how multi-unit expansion changes the legal dynamics.
Learn more
Lawyers I've worked with
Find a lawyer

What others say…

Legal 500
Gordon Drakes has not only a profound knowledge of franchise law, but he is also willing to share and teach our team. It’s not easy to work with someone who has no legal background like me. Gordon supported us through the whole contract negotiation process and provided to-the-point answers, arguments, and negotiations to the counterpart. He never hesitates to support us and give us quick feedback and suggestion.
Legal 500

Highly recommended for his incredibly specialised repertoire in franchising law and is held in high esteem for his incisive handling of complex franchising and hospitality matters.
Chambers UK

Gordon is very good at franchising; he understands it inside-out.