Les Wharton is Senior Counsel in the Atlanta office of Epstein Becker & Green, P.C (“EBG”). He is a nationally recognized franchise attorney who has held leadership roles in national and regional franchise and staffing organizations.

Before joining EBG, Mr. Wharton established his own legal practice where he advised clients in franchise law, mergers and acquisitions, and staffing industry matters, and served as an arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association. Previous to having his own firm, he was in-house counsel to Spherion Corporation, a leading publicly traded staffing company for 23 years, most recently serving as Vice President, Legal Affairs for the Franchise/License Division. Prior to joining Spherion, Mr. Wharton practiced corporate law, including franchise law, as an associate with the Atlanta law firm, Powell Goldstein LLP.

Mr. Wharton is a frequent speaker on franchise-related topics and has published a number of articles on franchising. He has spoken at the American Bar Association (ABA) Annual Meeting, the ABA Forum on Franchising Annual Forum, the International Franchise Association (IFA) Annual Convention, the IFA Annual Legal Symposium, Franchise Update’s Annual Franchise Program, and Southeast Franchise Forum Programs. He has testified at the request of the IFA before a Congressional Subcommittee on the FTC Rule on Franchising.
Mr. Wharton was the Chair of the IFA Legal/Legislative Committee from 2005-2006 and Chair of the IFA Corporate Counsel Committee from 2000 to 2006. He also chaired the IFA Legal Symposium Task Group planning the 2004, 2005 and 2006 IFA Legal Symposiums. He has served on the steering committee of the Corporate Counsel Section and on the selection committee for the Governing Committee of the ABA Forum on Franchising.

Mr. Wharton is an arbitrator and mediator for the American Arbitration Association, handling general commercial as well as franchise disputes. He has served on the Board of Directors of an automotive service franchise company headquartered in Atlanta.
Mr. Wharton served as a member of the Board of Directors of the American Staffing Association (ASA) in 1998 and 1999. He Chaired the Legal /Legislative Committee of ASA from 1995 to 2006. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Georgia Staffing Association as the Legislative Chair.

Mr. Wharton has done government relations work with both the franchising community and the staffing industry.

While in law school at the University of Georgia, Mr. Wharton was Editor in Chief of the Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law and President of the Georgia Society of International and Comparative Law. He completed a Summer Program in Mexico City through the University of Florida School of Law at Escuela Libre de Derecho in 1977.

At West Point, Mr. Wharton had an academic concentration in National Security Affairs. During his service in the Army, Mr. Wharton was an airborne qualified reconnaissance platoon leader with the 3/7th Cavalry in Germany, then a tank company commander in the 2/69th Armor at Ft. Benning.