Alcohol Regulatory Compliance

California’s tied house laws strictly limit how wine, beer, and spirits producers and wholesalers market alcoholic beverages, and particularly how they communicate and work with retailers. Tied house laws ban marketing conduct that is both legal and commonplace in other sectors of the food and beverage industry. To promote alcoholic beverages, industry members need to know when and how they can work within the long list of regulatory exceptions to these laws. The exceptions create opportunities to market wine, beer, and distilled spirits.

Common legal risks include tied house violations, improper promotions, and misleading ads.

Working with an experienced alcohol lawyer can help you maintain compliance, avoid negative licensing outcomes like fines or license suspensions, and take advantage of regulatory provisions that create opportunities for alcohol marketing.

Identifying the right lawyer to help your business overcome legal hurdles isn’t always an easy task, but it’s a critical one. To achieve the optimal outcome, it’s key to partner with a lawyer who understands your industry and the laws pertaining to your specific business inside and out. Someone who works efficiently and with a close eye on the agreed-upon budget. Someone who is not only responsive, but who communicates with you in plain English rather than legalese, so that you know what’s happening each step of the way. Someone you are comfortable with, and trust. Gillian is this attorney — and then some. Here are a few of the qualities clients say set her apart:

• Exclusive focus on alcoholic beverage law: Gillian’s entire practice is dedicated to helping businesses like yours — and has been for years. She works day after day to ensure clients’ compliance with a dizzying array of regulations, achieve successful litigation outcomes, and provide strategic guidance on various aspects of business operations.
• Transparent, predictable pricing: Gillian is clear from the start about the fees you can expect to incur based on your particular legal needs. For certain matters, including hearings and the creation of customized alcohol law manuals, she offers flat-fee arrangements.
• Plain English communication: Gillian excels at translating complex regulatory concepts and legal terminology into language clients can readily understand. You won’t need a law degree (or dictionary) to know exactly what she is doing on your behalf and why, and next steps.
• Proactive compliance strategies: Gillian is a firm believer in identifying and addressing potential compliance issues early on in order to avoid the major headache (and expense) of a violation or investigation down the road. Being proactive rather than reactive can save you precious time, money and other resources, enabling you to focus on growing your business rather than defending it.

Gillian doesn’t just handle alcohol law cases — she partners with everyday, ambitious business owners working to build thriving companies in one of America’s most regulated industries.