UC Davis School of Law Hosts Successful Wine and Spirits Law Academy

The UC Davis School of Law International Law Programs hosted a highly successful international Wine and Spirits Law Academy that drew participants from Australia, Italy, Germany, France, Chile, China and the United States to UC Davis on September 8-10.

The event was made possible through the support of co-sponsors such as the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science, UC Davis Extension's Center for International Education, the Confucius Institute at UC Davis and the Wine & Law Program at the University of Reims (France), the California International Law Center, Edrington Americas, Dickenson, Peatman & Fogarty, Reed Smith, CBH Rechtsanwalte, Interpatent, and Strike & Techel.

The Wine and Spirits Law Academy included presentations from leading scholars, practitioners and entrepreneurs from the Americas, Europe, and China who focused on bridging the gap between international markets. Participating industry professionals improved their understanding of international wine regulations and their ability to represent and conduct business across borders.

Topics included global wine and spirits market analysis, global issues facing wine entrepreneurs, comparative aspects of import/export law, current trends in U.S. regulations, and social media in the global wine market. The conference also featured a private tour and dinner at Napa Valley's Merryvale.

Speakers included:

• Judge Kenneth Starr, chief executive officer of Baylor University
• Theodore Georgopoulos, associate professor at Reims Law School
• Tracy Genesen, recently selected as a "Top Women Litigator" by the Daily Journal
• Stephen Stern, senior commercial litigator

Program Speaker Tracy Genesen, General Counsel of Edrington Americas, shared her thoughts on the Academy. "This was the bringing together of a global community of wine and spirits lawyers who were able to exchange ideas and thoughts on next steps," Genesen said. "The key speaker, Kenneth Starr, inspired us to collaborate in moving the industry forward, including opening up more free trade areas globally, within in a very tightly regulated industry."

Beth Greenwood, Executive Director, International Law Programs, noted, "The UC Davis School of Law was honored to hold this important three-day conference that drew wine law experts from our faculty, the UC Davis campus, and legal experts from around the world.  We plan to hold a follow-up Wine and Spirits Law Academy as we expand our collaboration with campus and overseas partners to provide new educational opportunities in this important area of law."

For more information, contact Associate Director Alice Warrick at [email protected] or (530) 757-8569.