Margaret Lai – Relive Health

Chief Legal Officer Margaret Lai drives Relive Health’s legal strategy, ensuring the company’s rapid expansion aligns with healthcare and franchising regulations. Her litigation, transactions, and franchising expertise positions her as a vital force behind Relive’s success.

Margaret Lai | Relive Health | Chief Legal Officer

Relive Health, a pioneer in personalized health, wellness and anti-aging services, aims to extend lifespans from the inside out. Relive offers a comprehensive range of treatments and emphasizes preventative care, sustainable health plans, and individualized support for clients’ self-care journeys. Their innovative approach goes beyond traditional medical aesthetics and drip bars, fostering long-term relationships with clients seeking transformative results.

Expanding the reach of holistic wellness

Relive is in an aggressive expansion phase, having doubled the number of open health center locations from 12 to 24 in 2024 alone, building on their impressive 160 executed franchise agreements. The company’s unique business model, which includes access to licensed MDs and DOs, distinguishes it from competitors by offering clients medically supervised, holistic care. Lai plays a vital role in franchise development, overseeing the Company’s legal matters. Her responsibilities include negotiating vendor contracts and franchise agreements, preparing the Company’s Franchise Disclosure Document, and managing all employment and complaint matters.

Lai is deeply involved in the sales process, often attending discovery days and evaluating potential partners to align with Relive’s vision. Her leadership in building a robust franchise infrastructure ensures franchisees receive comprehensive support, from operational training to legal guidance.

“By cultivating partnerships with franchisees who share the company’s mission, we help secure Relive’s long-term success in a competitive market,” Lai says. Among the many projects Lai oversees, one inspiring initiative is the concept of Relive pop-ups or micro-versions of their services. These smaller-scale operations aim to bring Relive’s offerings into gyms and other businesses, extending their reach beyond the traditional 1,400-2,300 sq. ft. medical centers. While this project is still in the planning stages, Lai’s involvement in conceptualizing and addressing the legal aspects highlights her commitment to innovation and adaptability.

Relive has partnered with a company to support franchisees in navigating corporate practice of medicine (CPOM) statutes and compliance requirements. This collaboration provides franchisees with resources to locate medical directors, comply with legal standards, and manage associated documentation. Lai’s proactive approach to addressing these challenges ensures that franchisees can focus on delivering high-quality care while adhering to stringent regulations.

Navigating evolving healthcare

Lai’s legal acumen touches every facet of Relive’s operations. She drafts and reviews contracts, vendor agreements, franchise agreements and area representative agreements. Working closely with external counsel, she mitigates risks and ensures Relive complies with ever-evolving healthcare and franchising regulations. Lai’s prior experience as a franchisee gives her a unique perspective on franchise agreements, enabling her to address concerns and foster collaborative relationships between franchisors and franchisees.

Under Lai’s leadership, Relive’s legal team consists of herself and her highly skilled paralegal, Meredith Burkey. Lai also utilizes interns and contract employees as needed. Despite the small size of her team, Lai ensures that they operate efficiently by leveraging AI tools for contract management and templating, streamlining the handling of a large volume of documents.

Relive Health’s recruitment strategy emphasizes finding individuals who align with the company’s mission and fostering long-term team members. The organization’s supportive culture, which recognizes and rewards contributions, has helped Relive maintain strong employee retention.

One of the biggest challenges is adapting to the constantly evolving healthcare landscape, especially with the growing interest in medical weight loss, regenerative medicine, and other cutting-edge treatments. Despite these challenges, the most rewarding aspect of the work is witnessing the transformative impact on clients. Expanding services allows more people to access specialized, life-changing care.

“Looking to the future, I am committed to remaining in the health and fitness industry, with plans to serve on advisory boards and continue driving innovation in the field,” Lai says.

From passion to practice

Lai’s passion for law and policy took root during her high school and college years, where she cultivated an interest in legal issues and enjoyed voracious reading. This intellectual curiosity led her to pursue a law degree at Ohio State University.

She began her legal career at a boutique firm, focusing on commercial litigation and serving as outside counsel for General Motors. In 2009, Lai relocated to Miami, passed the Florida bar, and joined a prestigious firm led by Roy Black. Seeking to specialize further, she transitioned into franchising, spending a year and a half honing her expertise before partnering with a friend who had launched a practice near the Treasure Coast.

As a fractional counsel, Lai broadened her skill set by balancing litigation and transactional work, serving small businesses in regions underserved by law firms. Her versatility and dedication attracted the attention of Relive Health, where she initially handled franchising work and negotiated a significant 11-territory deal. The company invited her to join as chief legal officer, recognizing her talents.

Today, Lai works remotely from Las Vegas, balancing a dynamic legal career with family life alongside her husband and their two young sons. Outside of work, Lai is a lifelong runner, finding joy and balance in the discipline of the sport. Her journey reflects a thoughtful progression of success rooted in a passion for law and a commitment to delivering impactful results.