It seems to me that most ordinary people only need a lawyer a handful of times in their lives- when they’re writing a will, for instance. And even there, a huge percentage of the work can be done by a paralegal or legal secretary, with precious little input from a real lawyer.
THAT kind of work probably COULD be done by a franchise operation.
But if you’re running a business or facing criminal charges, the stakes are high, and you don’t want a guy from a franchise. You want a top notch lawyer who knows how to save you big bucks or how to keep you out of jail.
What would be the advantage to buying a franchise of a law firm ( or a dental practice for that mater) ? A law firm doesn’t need to pay another company for the standardized procedures that a McDonald’s has for everything from cooking the fries to running the cash register. They don’t need to participate in giant advertising campaigns. They don’t need to have a standardized menu - no matter where you go or who the franchisee is , you know that Applebee’s will have the same menu but if you live in NY, you’re not likely to suddenly need to write a will while traveling in Nevada.
There are networks like 1 800 Lawyer - but they aren't franchises and shouldn't be confused with them. That long list of law firms scrolling down the screen each operate independently - they jointly advertise and share a referral number, but there is no franchisor ensuring that a particular location operates in accordance with a franchise agreement.
I think part of it has to due with the fact that a successful lawyer relies on his personal connections within the legal community (judges, DA’s, ADA’s, Police Officers, Law Professors, Former Colleagues). You can’t transfer those networks to a franchisee.