Alcohol Beverage

Broad Industry Experience Informs Our Counsel

Whether you are a manufacturer, importer, wholesale distributor, real estate investment trust or retail vendor in the United States or abroad, you need experienced legal counsel to efficiently guide you through this unique, complex and heavily regulated industry.

Holland & Knight’s Alcohol Beverage Team serves the alcohol beverage and hospitality industries in all legal matters related to the production, distribution and sale of licensed beverages, including liquor law, the marketing and advertising of alcohol beverages, taxation, intellectual property, regulatory compliance and dispute resolution.

With an in-depth understanding of your industry and its challenges, we are adept at recognizing and rectifying potential issues before they develop into problems.

Insider's Perspective Earns National Recognition

Our Alcohol Beverage Team includes lawyers, government consultants and other professionals who have decades of wisdom and relationships gained through prior careers as industry regulators. This experience provides us with an insider’s perspective that enables us to serve our clients effectively and efficiently. In fact, our team recently received a No. 2 national ranking for Food & Beverage: Alcohol in the Chambers USA 2020 guide.

Relationships and Experience at All Tiers of Government

Navigating the complex alcohol beverage industry requires more than just an understanding of the applicable laws and regulations. It requires a working relationship with the administrators and government personnel who enforce those laws and regulations.

Members of Holland & Knight's Alcohol Beverage Team throughout the country regularly work with key Congressional committees, the U.S. Treasury's Alcohol Beverage Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) and other executive branch agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the U.S. Bureau of Customs & Border Protection and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

If you require representation or legislative advocacy at the state or federal levels, or need assistance to identify and resolve legal and regulatory issues at the local level, our Alcohol Beverage Team has the essential contacts and knowledge to help you achieve your goals.

Comprehensive Guidance for Alcohol Beverage Industry Clients

Our Alcohol Beverage Team advises domestic and international manufacturers, distributors and retailers on a full spectrum of legal issues related to alcohol law, including:

• regulatory compliance and licensing
• governmental relations and representation
• trade practices and customs matters
• defense against administrative or enforcement actions
• e-commerce and Internet marketing
• protection of intellectual property rights
• interstate and international trade and shipping
• bankruptcy and creditors' rights concerns
• marketing and advertising compliance
• dispute resolution, including litigation and appellate representation
• alcohol legislation and advocacy
• tax compliance and planning
• environment, land use and water laws

Our experience is complimented by our involvement in industry associations such as the National Conference of State Liquor Administrators (NCSLA). In addition, our team members regularly prepare articles and lectures on alcohol beverage laws and regulations.