Alcohol 101: Alcohol Beverage and Distribution Law (Update)

The original "heavily regulated industry," doing business in the alcohol beverage field brings practitioners in contact with a number of unusual or unique legal concepts.  Developed and refined for over twenty years, attorney Marc Sorini has used his Alcohol 101 course to teach countless in-house lawyers, client board members, and private practitioners the fundamentals of this complex area of law. A lively speaker, Marc presents complex topics in an accessible manner with a combination of excellent organization, historical grounding, and memorable anecdotes. Alcohol 101 is a must for any lawyer seeking to enter this growing practice area.

Alcohol 101 provides a high-level overview of: 

• The overarching themes of U.S. alcohol regulation 

• The legal distinctions between types of alcohol

• The federal and state agencies that regulate the industry

• Distribution basics, including "control" versus "open" jurisdictions, the concepts of a "three-tier system," and franchise law protections for distributors

• Trade practice rules, including "tied-house restrictions, commercial bribery regulations, and other limits on industry marketing

• The categories of federal and state licensing (aka permitting) and general concepts underpinning licensing systems

• Excise taxation basics

• An overview of specific labeling and advertising rules applied to the industry

Learning Objectives:

1.  Provide a high-level overview of alcohol regulation in the United States

2. Review special alcohol law concepts like "control" jurisdictions, three-tier distribution, and "tied-house" restrictions

3. Identify potential issues when working with alcohol beverage clients or opposing parties