Hall Booth Smith Creates Alcohol Beverage Law Practice Group

Hall Booth Smith, P.C. has created a new practice group to help clients navigate the complex and frequently changing federal, state and local laws governing alcoholic beverages.

The Alcohol Beverage Law Practice Group will help ensure that clients are in compliance with all rules surrounding the sale, distribution, importation, marketing and manufacturing of beer, wine, spirits and other alcoholic drinks that were made legal when Prohibition was repealed in 1933.

HBS formed this new group in response to client demand amid frequent changes in legislation, state rules and regulations, and local ordinances that can be difficult to track and comply with as well as court rulings interpreting or applicable to same.

The new Alcohol Beverage Law Practice Group is led by Partners Michael S. Meyer von Bremen, who serves as Chair, and Scott Cole, who is Co-Chair. They work closely with Danielle Hall, an Associate in Charlotte, North Carolina, who is a recognized expert on alcohol laws and previously served as general counsel for a wine import and distribution company.

The Alcohol Beverage Law Practice Group works with businesses that produce and sell alcohol on the full spectrum of legal and regulatory matters such as obtaining federal and state licensing, gaining approval from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax Trade Bureau (TTB), obtaining Certificate of Label Approval (COLA) and complying with on-premise consumption laws.

HBS also assists companies on operational issues including forming businesses, creating partnerships or joint ventures, negotiating importation and distribution agreements, pursuing economic incentives, selecting and procuring sites, handling zoning issues, registering brands and trademarks, and creating employee policies, training programs and handbooks.

“Alcohol laws will continue to evolve as new federal, state and local rules are proposed, and we are pleased to form this new practice area so clients can rest assured that they will be in full compliance,” said Meyer von Bremen, who is based in HBS’s office in Albany, Georgia. Earlier in his career as a five-term State Senator, Meyer von Bremen wrote and co-sponsored legislation pertaining to Georgia’s alcohol laws.

About Hall Booth Smith

Established in 1989, Hall Booth Smith, P.C. (HBS) is a full-service law firm with six regional offices strategically located throughout Georgia, as well as offices in Birmingham, Alabama; Charleston, South Carolina; Asheville and Charlotte, North Carolina; Jacksonville, North Palm Beach and Tallahassee, Florida; and Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee. Experienced across a wide range of legal disciplines, HBS attorneys pride themselves on providing knowledgeable, proactive, client-specific counsel to individuals, domestic and international corporations, state and federal agencies, and nonprofit organizations. The firm’s promise: “Serving to Achieve Excellence.” To learn more, please visit: www.hallboothsmith.com.