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Nancy Lanard is a franchise and business attorney based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She works with business owners and franchisees who are building, buying, or managing growing companies and need clear guidance along the way. With more than 25 years of experience, she approaches her work with a steady mix of practical thinking, plain language, and an understanding of what it is like to make decisions that carry real personal and financial weight.
Her work focuses on helping clients think through business structures, franchise relationships, and commercial space decisions in a way that feels manageable. In practice, this often means talking through documents, timing, and risk so clients know what they are agreeing to and why it matters. Clients often describe working with her as straightforward and collaborative. She listens carefully, explains things without shortcuts, and makes space for questions so people feel prepared instead of overwhelmed.
Before starting her own firm, Nancy spent years working as an in-house attorney for large national companies. One of those roles placed her inside a major franchise system, where she handled a wide range of business and operational issues and saw firsthand how corporate decisions affect individual owners. She earned her law degree from Villanova University School of Law after completing her undergraduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania and a graduate degree in education. That combination of legal training, business experience, and teaching mindset shapes how she approaches problem solving today.
Outside the office, she enjoys photography and spending time with her family, often with a camera nearby to capture everyday moments.
Bar Admission
- Pennsylvania State Court 1978
Education
- Villanova University School of Law, Villanova, Pennsylvania
- J.D. – 1978
- Honors: Top Ten Percent
- Honors: Dean’s List
- Honors: Law Review
- University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- M.S. – 1975
- Honors: With High Honors
- Honors: Dean’s List
- Major: Education
- University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- B.A. – 1974
- Honors: Magna Cum Laude
- Honors: Dean’s List
- Major: Spanish
Professional Associations
- American Bar Association, Member, Present
- Pennsylvania Bar Association, Member, Present
- Montgomery County Bar Association, Member, Present
- ABA Forum on Franchising, Member
- ABA Business Law Section, Member
- Montgomery County Bar Association, Member, Franchise Law Committee
- Montgomery County Bar Association, Member, Business Law Committee
- PBN (Professional Business Network), Member, Board of Directors
- Pennsylvania Bar Association, Solo and Small Firm Section, Member of Council
- Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Women in the Profession Committee, Member
Awards & Recognitions
- Pennsylvania Superlawyer
- Martindale Hubbel AV Preeminent
- Franchise Times Legal Eagle
- Suburban Life Magazine “Awesome Attorneys” Award for Business Law
- Avvo.com Superb Attorney