
Dealership General Counsel Plans
Legal Services for an Affordable and Predictable Monthly Price
LEGAL ESSENTIALS
For dealerships that need foundational legal protection.
Services Included:
Regulatory Compliance Audits - Twice per year review of sales, advertising, and employment practices.
Contract and Document Review - 3 contracts/agreements per month.
Employment Law Guidance - Basic complaince advice (no terminations or disputes)
Employee Handbook & Policy Review - Once per year.
Advertising & Marketing Compliance Review - Pre-review of up to 2 ads per month.
Access to Compliance Resources - Templates, checklists, and legal updates.
Consultation Time - Up to 2 hours per month.
Discounted Hourly Rate - 5% discount on services not included in the Legal Essentials plan.
LEGAL PROTECTION
For dealerships requiring ongoing support, contract negotiation, and proactive legal management.
Includes Everything in Legal Essentials, Plus:
Expanded Contract Review and Negotiation - up to 6 contracts/agreements per month.
Employment Law Support - Handling employee terminations, wage disputes, and disciplinary issues.
Franchise and Manufacturer Complaince - reviewing complaince with franchise agreements and OEM disputes.
Floor Plan & Lender Dispute Assistance - Legal guidance on audits and lender negotiations.
Expanded Advertising & Marketing Complaince - Pre-review of up to 5 ads per month.
Increased Consultation Time - Up to 5 hours per month.
Customer Complaint Response - Review and draft written responses for up to 10 consumer complaints per year that are filed with government agencies.
Custom Policy Review and Drafting - Draft or review one employment policy, advertising policy, or sales policy every three months.
Discounted Hourly Rate - 10% discount on services not included in the Legal Essentials or Legal Protection plans.
FULL COVERAGE
For dealerships that need continuous, high-level guidance without hiring a full-time attorney.
Includes Everything in Legal Essentials and Legal Protection, Plus:
Unlimited Contract Review and Negotiations - Ensuring the best terms with vendors, employees, and customers.
Manufacturer and Lender Dispute Resolution - Proactive management of OEM disagreements and audits.
Pre-Litigation Management - Handling disputes before they escalate into lawsuits, including government investigations arising from consumer complaints.
Customer Legal Strategy and Business Structuring - Advising on expansion, buy-sells, and risk management.
Unlimited Consultation and Priority Access - no hourly limits - same day response to legal concerns.
Full Consumer Complaint Response - Unlimited reviews of consumer complaints that are filed with government agencies and written responses to the complaints.
Board Meeting Attendance & Corporate Governance Support - Attend bi-annual dealership board meetings and draft corporate resolutions.
On-Demand Contract and Policy Drafting - No limits on the number of contracts reviewed or drafted.
Discounted Hourly Rate - 15% discount on services not included in Legal Essentials, Legal Protection, or Full Coverage Plans.
Open-Door Legal Policy
With our fractional general counsel model, you never have to worry about extra fees or hourly rates adding up. We encourage you to call or email anytime you have a question or concern—whether it’s a quick contract review or a bigger compliance issue—because it’s all covered in your monthly plan. This means you can focus on running your dealership without second-guessing whether a legal consultation is ‘worth the cost.’ We want you to reach out early and often, so we can prevent problems before they escalate.
Full Coverage Legal Services
Whether you need a form created, a consumer complaint answered, or you need legal advice on a situation, we have you covered for a single, predictable fee. These are some of the common areas that our Full Coverage plan covers for your dealership.
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Our consultation services provide quick responses to legal questions through a client portal, email or phone, along with scheduled consultations to address dealership-specific issues as they arise. Take advantage of our services by getting legal advice on issues before they become costly mistakes.
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Our employment law services offer guidance on wage and hour compliance, reviews of employment policies, assistance with employee discipline and terminations, and the drafting of relevant documents to ensure your dealership remains compliant with state and federal law.
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Our finance and insurance services include reviewing financing documents for compliance with the Truth in Lending Act (TILA), assisting with credit reporting issues, adverse action letters, and providing audit support to help dealerships navigate financial and regulatory challenges.
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Our privacy and data security services include reviewing your dealership's privacy practices, assisting with data breaches, drafting demand letters to third-party vendors, and managing communications with government agencies regarding privacy incidents.
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Our contract drafting services include reviewing, drafting, and editing your dealership's contracts and forms to ensure compliance and clarity, we also review and negotiate agreements with third party vendors.
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Our Contract Negotiation Support service provides legal guidance throughout the negotiation process, ensuring that your dealership secures favorable terms in agreements with lenders, vendors, or manufacturers. We help you navigate complex contractual language, mitigate risks, and protect your business interests while maximizing value. Whether you’re negotiating sales agreements, service contracts, or partnerships, we ensure that your contracts are fair, compliant, and advantageous to your dealership. This service empowers you to make informed decisions with confidence in every negotiation.
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Our OEM audit services include acting as an audit liaison, managing the audit process, attending audit result meetings, and providing strategic consultations to address audit findings, along with chargeback relief services.
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Our floor plan audit services assist dealerships in preparing for and managing lender audits by ensuring inventory compliance, resolving discrepancies, and providing support throughout the audit process to maintain strong relationships with financial institutions.
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Our insurance dispute services include assisting with the submission and resolution of disputes with insurance companies, offering pre-litigation support to protect your dealership's interests. We also offer insurance policy review and recommendations. We offer litigation services at a discounted rate for our subscriber clients if a dispute must be litigated.
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Our recall and defect management services provide assistance with handling vehicle recalls, offering guidance on defect disputes, and representing dealerships in pre-litigation matters related to alleged vehicle defects and warranties.
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Our consumer protection defense services include reviewing advertising and sales practices, analyzing consumer and government complaints, and drafting responses to Attorney General, BBB, and individual consumer complaints to protect your dealership from legal challenges.
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We offer comprehensive Regulatory Compliance support tailored to the automotive dealership industry. Our services ensure that your dealership’s sales and advertising practices comply with all relevant government regulations, including those enforced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). We provide on-demand audits, review marketing materials for compliance, and offer ongoing guidance to mitigate potential risks. Additionally, we help train your team to stay informed of legal requirements, protecting your business from fines, lawsuits, and regulatory enforcement actions.
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We offer business law support to help dealerships manage key agreements. This includes drafting and reviewing operating agreements, shareholder and equity agreements, partnership agreements, non-compete agreements, and non-solicit agreements. Our business law offerings are designed to protect your interests and provide clarity in your business relationships, ensuring compliance and minimizing risk.
Why Choose A Service Plan?
Save Money and Budget Predicably
With our service plans, your dealership can accurately budget its legal needs. Dealerships that wait until an issue gets out of hand run the risk of hefty legal bills and significant penalties. Avoid this pitfall with proactive legal services that address issues before they get out of hand.
Get Proactive Legal Services
The last thing you want to do when facing a legal problem is to spend time contacting lawyers. Many of these lawyers may not have the time to handle the matter and others will charge you a significant retainer fee before they begin doing any work. With our service plans, we attack your problem immediately.
Gain a Partner
Every dealership is unique. Throughout our representation, we get to know the ins and outs of your dealership operations, and we enjoy getting to know your team personally. With this knowledge and trust, we can more efficiently resolve issues and improve your dealership’s processes to reduce legal exposure.
Daily Issues Affecting Dealerships that Our Service Plans Cover
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Dealerships must adhere to various state and federal consumer protection laws. Issues can arise with false advertising, deceptive practices, failure to disclose material information about the vehicle, or misrepresenting vehicle conditions. Worse yet, Ohio's Consumer Sales Practices Act awards successful consumers 3X damages and attorneys fees. Our team will review the consumer allegation, conduct an investigation, make recommendations, and offer a detailed response to the allegations. In the event of litigation, our team of experienced litigators will be ready to represent you in court.
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Disputes often occur regarding warranties, including issues with repairs or replacement of defective vehicles. Lemon laws, which vary by state, protect consumers from vehicles with significant defects, and dealerships must navigate these laws carefully. We assist dealership clients in understanding and complying with lemon laws, while also providing guidance on warranty dispute resolution to minimize legal risks and maintain customer satisfaction.
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Problems can arise with financing arrangements, including the accuracy of loan terms, disclosure of interest rates, and compliance with the Truth in Lending Act (TILA). Dealerships must also handle issues related to credit reporting and financing fraud. We offer egal guidance to ensure dealership clients comply with TILA, manage accurate loan disclosures, and mitigate risks related to credit reporting and financing fraud, helping them avoid costly litigation and regulatory penalties.
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Dealerships need to ensure that vehicle titles and registrations are handled correctly. Errors or delays in transferring titles, handling liens, or completing registration paperwork can lead to legal complications. We help dealerships streamline their title and registration processes, ensuring compliance with state laws and reducing the risk of legal issues arising from errors or delays.
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Dealerships must comply with employment laws covering wage and hour issues, employee classification, discrimination, harassment, and wrongful termination. They also need to handle disputes related to commissions and bonuses for sales staff. We provide dealerships with legal support to navigate complex employment laws, resolve disputes related to compensation, and ensure compliance with labor regulations to protect against potential lawsuits.
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Issues often arise with sales contracts, including disputes over terms, conditions, and the enforcement of contract provisions. Dealerships must ensure that contracts are clear and legally enforceable. We assist dealerships in drafting and reviewing sales contracts to ensure they are compliant, clear, and enforceable, helping to prevent disputes and protect against potential legal challenges."
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Dealerships must comply with a range of regulations from federal, state, and local authorities, including those related to environmental standards, safety requirements, and advertising practices. We offer comprehensive legal support and staff trainings to help dealerships navigate these complex regulations, ensuring compliance and reducing the risk of penalties or legal action from regulatory authorities."
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Managing vehicle recalls and addressing defects in vehicles can lead to legal issues, especially if a dealership fails to handle recalls appropriately or if there are disputes about responsibility for repairs. We provide dealerships with legal guidance on recall management, ensuring compliance with manufacturer and regulatory requirements to minimize liability and resolve disputes related to repairs efficiently.
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Dealerships may face legal issues if customers believe they have been defrauded or misled. This can include issues related to vehicle history, odometer readings, or the condition of the vehicle. We help dealerships defend against fraud claims by ensuring compliance with disclosure laws and providing guidance on transparent sales practices to reduce the risk of legal disputes and protect their reputation. If litigation does occur we have experienced litigators ready to represent your interests.
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With the collection of personal and financial information, dealerships must comply with privacy laws and regulations to protect customer data and avoid issues related to data breaches or misuse. We assists dealerships in implementing strong data privacy practices, ensuring compliance with state and federal privacy laws, and minimizing the risks of data breaches and regulatory penalties.
Let’s Work Together
Email: info@dealershiplawsolutions.com
Phone: (330) 203-1109
Fax: (330) 456-3641
Canton Office Address
213 Market Avenue, N.
Suite 300
Canton, Ohio 44702
Hours
Monday–Friday
9am–5pm EST
