• People

    Advanced Search

  • Services
  • All Services

  • Tara A. Speer

    Tara A. Speer

    Shareholder

    Tara A. Speer is a Shareholder and member of Stark & Stark’s Business & Corporate Group, where she focuses her practice primarily in the fields of franchise, employment, and trademark.

    Ms. Speer helps franchisors manage all aspects of the franchise relationship including handling state registrations, advising on day-to-day franchisee relations, and preparing disclosure documents, franchise agreements, development agreements and supplemental documentation. Ms. Speer regularly counsels franchisors on compliance matters and franchise system management.

    Ms. Speer also provides employment planning and counseling services to corporate clients. This includes drafting employee polices and handbooks, review of existing policies to ensure compliance with existing law, drafting employment agreements, separation agreements, confidentiality agreements, and restrictive covenant agreements, as well as providing general day-to-day assistance with human resource matters. Ms. Speer strives to provide her clients with the best advice to maximize protection and minimize liability exposure.

    Additionally, Ms. Speer routinely assists clients with trademark analysis and research. She counsels clients regarding the feasibility of trademark registrations and assists them with their band protection goals through initiating and responding to USPTO filings.

    Prior to joining Stark & Stark, Ms. Speer gained experience as a law clerk for an insurance defense firm where she did extensive research and brief writing on a variety of insurance related matters.

    Ms. Speer’s combined skills offer clients a valuable resource. She is able to take an interdisciplinary approach to client issues and provides advice utilizing her expertise and knowledge base from a number of different fields. As a result, clients can come to expect efficient and insightful representation.

    Bar/Court Admissions

    • New Jersey 
    • New York
    • U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey

    Education

    • J.D., Seton Hall University School of Law, 2008
    • B.A., New York University, 2003

    Thought Leadership

    Publications

    Honors & Awards

    • New Jersey Super Lawyers Rising Stars List issued by Thomson Reuters (Methodology)
      • 2017; Franchise/Dealership

    * No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.

    Professional Organizations

    • New Jersey State Bar Association – Insurance Law Section, Employment Law Section
    • American Bar Association – Forum on Franchising
    • International Franchise Association

    Community Organizations

    • Kiwanis Club of Hackettstown – Past President
    Business & Commercial Law Blog
    January 8, 2026
    Beginning December 8, 2025, New Jersey implemented a significant change to how employers must report employee separations to the New Jersey...
    Business & Commercial Law Blog
    March 16, 2012
    Suffering a first party insurance loss or facing a lawsuit from a third party can be two of the most difficult and unsettling experiences for an...
    Firm News
    July 1, 2017
    The law firm of Stark & Stark has announced that five Associates were elected Shareholders effective July 1. These new Shareholders are Marshall...

    Firm Highlights

    Stark & Stark Joins Growing Coalition of Law Firms in Defense of Constitutional Principles and the Independence of the Legal Profession

    Stark & Stark has joined hundreds of fellow law firms across the country in filing an amicus brief supporting Perkins Coie, WilmerHale, Jenner...

    Stark & Stark Attorneys Recognized as New Jersey “Super Lawyers” and “Rising Stars” in 2026

    Stark & Stark is pleased to announce that 15 of its attorneys have been selected for inclusion in the list of 2026 New Jersey Super Lawyers,...

    Bruce Stern, Esq. Secures $1,000,000 Settlement in Motor Vehicle Collision Case

    Bruce Stern, Esq. recently secured a $1,000,000 settlement in a motor vehicle collision case.* “This case highlights how quickly things can go...

    Deborah Dunn, Esq. Elected to Board of Directors for Angel Flight East

    Stark & Stark is pleased to announce that Deborah Dunn, Esq., Shareholder and Civil Trial Attorney, has been elected to the Board of Directors...

    Michael Jordan, Esq. Joins the Board of the Lawrence Township Community Foundation

    It is our pleasure to announce that Michael Jordan, Esq. has joined the board of the Lawrence Township Community Foundation, an organization...

    Stark & Stark Opens Newtown, Pennsylvania Location

    Stark & Stark announced the relocation of its Yardley, Pennsylvania office to a new location in Newtown, PA. The new office is now open and...

    Joseph Lemkin, Esq. Named to ROI-NJ Influencers: Power List 2026 – Law

    Stark & Stark is proud to share that Joseph Lemkin, Esq., Shareholder, has been named to the 2026 Influencers: Power List in the Law category...

    Jeffrey A. Krawitz, Esq. and Michael C. Ksiazek, Esq. Secure $1,000,000 Settlement in Medical Malpractice Wrongful Death Case

    Jeffrey A. Krawitz, Esq. and Michael C. Ksiazek, Esq. recently secured a $1,000,000 settlement in a medical malpractice wrongful death...

    Joseph Cullen, Esq. and Nicole Durso, Esq. Secure $2,000,000 Settlement in Personal Injury Matter

    Joseph Cullen, Esq. and Nicole Durso, Esq. recently secured a $2,000,000 settlement in a personal injury matter involving a pedestrian who was struck...

    Stark & Stark Welcomes Susan L. Swatski, Esq. to the Firm

    Continuing in its mission to provide its clients innovative legal solutions to meet their needs, Stark & Stark PC, announced today that Susan L....

    Tim Duggan Wins Eminent Domain Challenge – Case Dismissed

    We are pleased to share that Tim Duggan of our Condemnation, Redevelopment, and Eminent Domain Group was successful in protecting the owner of a...

    James Creegan, Esq. Appointed to Board of The 200 Club of Mercer County

    It is our pleasure to announce that James Creegan, Esq. has been appointed to the Board of Directors of The 200 Club of Mercer County, an...