Food and Beverage
Why Cooley
We serve as legal partners and brand ambassadors to 240+ leading food and beverage clients, giving us an in-depth understanding of the unique challenges facing the industry. From representing Peet’s Coffee & Tea for 18+ years through its 2001 IPO and 2012 sale to prosecuting and enforcing Sazerac’s worldwide trademark portfolio, we help industry-leading companies build and protect their enterprises.
Corporate
We represent marquee food and beverage clients in primary corporate and securities matters, from company formation, financing and real property transactions through strategic transactions, public offerings and corporate governance. Our deep roots in technology uniquely position us to assist consumer brands as they develop and expand their online presence to reach a broader customer base.
Areas of Practice
- Company formation
- Equipment leasing
- Financings
- Licensing
- Mergers and acquisitions
- Product distribution and vendor agreements
- Public financings and private placements
- Real estate, land use/zoning and leasing
- Sale and purchase of assets
- Strategic partnerships
- Tax
Litigation
Our diverse litigation capabilities include the representation of clients in the food/beverage production, processing and distribution sectors when they are confronted with disputes, claims and adversarial situations that arise in the course of doing business. We have advised our clients on claims and disputes ranging from breach of contract actions, insurance coverage matters and false advertising claims to potentially catastrophic bacterial outbreak incidents that trigger class action lawsuits and even criminal investigations.
Areas of Practice
- Antitrust litigation
- Class action defense
- Contract and license disputes
- Employment litigation
- Privacy litigation
- Restructuring, bankruptcy and creditors’ rights
- Securities litigation
- Tax controversy
- White collar defense
Regulatory
Cooley is adept at advising on the thorniest legal issues that arise when innovation and regulation collide. Our team counsels clients at all stages of development on a range of product safety, compliance and risk management issues and works with lawyers across practice areas to provide in-depth advice regarding product labeling requirements, product recalls, insurance and indemnification issues. We also offer guidance on the rights and responsibilities and the management of legal risks associated with the online aspects of doing business, including employment, privacy, consumer rights, network security and online contracting.
Areas of Practice
- Antitrust counseling
- Corporate governance
- Employment and benefits
- Environmental due diligence and liability
- Export control and international trade regulations
- Privacy and data protection counseling and data breach response
- Product liability
Intellectual Property
Cooley has one of the largest and most active trademark, copyright and advertising practices in the country. Our fully integrated IP prosecution, counseling and litigation practice tailors solutions and legal strategies to meet each client’s unique needs and stage of development. We understand the critical importance of brand identity and advise clients on all aspects of protecting and enforcing their intellectual property.
Areas of Practice
- Brand positioning
- Copyright and design protection
- IP diligence pertaining to deals, financing and transactions
- IP litigation (patent, copyright, trademark, false advertising, licensing, trade secret and domain name)
- Patent and trademark prosecution and strategic counseling
- Portfolio management and monetization
- Post-grant, opposition and UDRP proceedings
- Technology transactions and licensing