Babette Märzheuser-Wood

Babette Märzheuser-Wood is a Partner at Dentons, serving as Global Head of the Franchise Group and Managing Director of Franchise Advisory, specializing in Mergers and Acquisitions with a focus on global franchise, distribution, agency, and concession agreements, as well as IP‑driven joint ventures.

Babette advises clients on the strategic use of licensing and franchising for international expansion in emerging and established markets, using both traditional and innovative structures. Her work includes Master Franchise Agreements, Area Development Agreements, Hotel Management Agreements, Disclosure Documents, and Franchise Registration, with transactional experience in over 100 countries. She has been global franchise counsel to a world‑leading car rental operator for over 15 years, and has advised luxury brands, serviced office operators, hotel owners, schools, restaurants, and sports clubs on international franchise and joint venture projects across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and the Americas.

She holds an LL.B from the University of Bonn (1988) and the University of Tennessee (1985), and studied Russian at the University of Cologne (1986). She is dual‑qualified as a Lawyer (Rechtsanwalt) in Germany (1991) and as a Solicitor of England and Wales (1993), and is a Foreign Registered Lawyer in Poland (2019).

Babette is consistently ranked as a leading practitioner: Band 1 by Chambers Global and Chambers UK for Franchising, and is recognised by The Best Lawyers in the United Kingdom for Franchising Law, having been named "Lawyer of the Year" in Franchising Law for London (2018). She is also recommended by the International Who's Who of Franchise Lawyers and The Legal 500, and is an associated editor of the Franchise Law Review.