From Farm to Market: Legal Help for the Farmer

Co-Sponsored by the ISBA Agricultural Law Section, 1.0 hours MCLE credit
Original Program Date: March 16, 2022
Accreditation Expiration Date: March 15, 2024 (You must certify completion and save your certificate before this date to get MCLE credit)

During the pandemic, consumers flocked to local farms in hopes of finding reliable food products and safe outdoors entertainment. Farms expanded to meet this increasing demand and operations re-tooled to enter the agritourism and direct-sales market. But, this expansion also creates more legal vulnerability than many farmers realized. Get the information you need to help correct the common misconceptions that your farmer clients have about forming an LLC or corporation to manage their liabilities. Food law attorneys, agricultural counsel, general practitioners, and new lawyers with basic practice experience who attend this online program will better understand:

How and why direct-market farms have unique considerations within the most common issues of a small business advisor;
The most significant legal risks that farmers face regarding employment law compliance, especially when moving from commodity production to direct market sales;
How to minimize the risks facing farmers without having to become an employment law attorney;

The complexity of food safety liability risk exposure for direct-market farms, as well as strategies to help your farmer clients make the most of the new tools they have to manage these risks; and much more.

Program Coordinators: Lynne R. Ostfeld, Lynne R. Ostfeld, P.C., Chicago, and Molly L. Wiltshire, Arent Fox Schiff, Chicago.
Program Moderator: Lynne R. Ostfeld, Lynne R. Ostfeld, P.C., Chicago.
Program Speaker:

Hot Topics in Food Labeling...

Hot Topics in Food Labeling: Plant-Based Products and the Federal Regulation of Cell-Based Meats          
1.0 hour MCLE credit
Original Program Date: Tuesday, October 19, 2021
Accreditation Expiration Date: October 18, 2023 (You must certify completion and save your certificate before this date to get MCLE credit)

Don’t miss this hot-topic issue regarding food labeling requirements for plant-based products and the regulation of cell-based (cultivated) meat. Agricultural law attorneys, animal law practitioners, food lawyers, and local government counsel with all levels of practice experience who attend this seminar will better understand:

The current and pending litigation regarding the labeling of plant-based products;

The intersecting agencies’ regulation of cell-based meats;

How the proposed regulations may impact both the industry and the consumer; and much more.

Program Coordinator/Moderator: Molly L. Wiltshire, Schiff Hardin LLP, Chicago.

Program Speaker: Laura Braden, Lead Regulatory Counsel, The Good Food Institute, Washington D.C.

About the Speaker: Laura Braden is the Lead Regulatory Counsel of the Good Food Institute (GFI), which is among the organizations advocating to shape the regulation of plant-based and alternative meat products. She joined GFI from Wiley Rein, where she worked on a variety of regulatory and litigation issues as a consulting counsel. Laura has also worked at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and at Fish & Richardson P.C. She has extensive experience in complex federal trial and appellate litigation, regulatory work, and strategic counseling.

Illinois Foods: Pesticide Use, Exposure, and Worker Protections          

Co-sponsored by the ISBA Environmental Law Section, 1.0 hour MCLE credit

Original Program Date: September 14, 2022

Accreditation Expiration Date: September 13, 2024 (You must certify completion and save your certificate before this date to get MCLE credit)

Don’t miss this in-depth look at the agricultural foods produced in Illinois and the pesticides involved in their production. Agricultural law attorneys, environmental practitioners, food law lawyers, human rights counsel, labor and employment attorneys – and anyone interested in obtaining a better understanding of pesticide use in Illinois – who attend this online program will learn:

How Illinois differs from other states in managing pesticides;

The current legal issues involving agricultural pesticides in Illinois;

Which state and local agencies have jurisdiction over pesticides;

The compliance and reporting issues involved in pesticide use;

The ongoing litigation involving repeated pesticide exposure to migrant workers from Texas who worked in central Illinois;

The work being done under an USEPA grant to survey state farm workers on pesticide safety and awareness;

The proposed modifications to Illinois’ pesticide enforcement regulations (specifically to enhance compliance incentives); and much more.

Program Coordinator/Moderator: Molly L. Wiltshire, Arent Fox Schiff, LLP, Chicago.

Program Speakers: Lauren Dana, Supervisory Attorney, Immigrants and Workers’ Rights Practice Group, Legal Aid Chicago, Chicago; Lisa Palumbo, Director, Immigrants and Workers’ Rights Practice Group, Legal Aid Chicago, Chicago; and Sam Tuttle, Legal Action Chicago, Chicago.

Illinois Liquor Licensing Overview  

1.0 hour MCLE credit
Original Program Date: May 17, 2022
Accreditation Expiration Date: May 16, 2024 (You must certify completion and save your certificate before this date to get MCLE credit)

Join us from the comfort of your home or office with for this online program that examines the federal, state, and local processes for obtaining a liquor license in all three tiers. Business advice attorneys, food law lawyers, general practitioners, and local government counsel with basic to intermediate levels of practice experience who attend this seminar will better understand:

The process for manufacturer liquor licenses;

How to obtain distributor liquor licenses; and

What retailers need to do to obtain a license to sell alcohol.

Program Coordinators: Robert B. Anderson, Bahr Anderson Law Group LLC, Wheaton, and Molly L. Wiltshire, Arent Fox Schiff, Chicago

Program Moderator: Patrick N. Wartan, Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP, Chicago

Program Speaker: Robert B. Anderson, Bahr Anderson Law Group LLC, Wheaton

You Are What You Eat - Or So You Think: The Legal Impact of Humane, Green, and Climate-Friendly Product Advertising          

Presented by the ISBA Environmental Law Section, ISBA Food Law Section, and ISBA Animal Law Section

Co-sponsored by the Chicago Bar Association Food and Beverage Law Committee, the Chicago Bar Association Environmental Law Committee, the Chicago Bar Association Animal Law Committee, and the Seventh Circuit Bar Association
3.0 hours MCLE credit

Original Program Date: March 10, 2023

Accreditation Expiration Date: April 12, 2025 (You must certify completion and save your certificate before this date to get MCLE credit)

The development and implementation of regulations regarding environmental claims ( see, e.g., 16 C.F.R. Part 260) and the evolution of consumer protection law have raised issues concerning consumer deception and corporate accountability. For instance, the terms “sustainable” and “humane” have proliferated as consumers become more conscious of the climate and environmental impacts of their purchases. Don’t miss this panel discussion that examines the current trends regarding “sustainable” and “humane” representations, the limits on a company’s ability to engage in this type of marketing in the face of environmentally harmful business practices, and whether or not the law will hold companies liable for engaging in “green-”, “humane-“ and “climate-washing.” Topics include:

The recent litigation in the 7th Circuit and other cases regarding deceptive product labeling and advertising;

The litigation trends, corporate responses, and potential pathways for these type of cases moving forward;

How current Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) standards and future disclosure requirements may interact with ongoing litigation and become an increasing focus area of law and policy.

Program Coordinator: Jane E. McBride, Attorney at Law, Springfield

Program Moderators: Jane E. McBride, Attorney at Law, Springfield

Program Speakers: Randall S. Abate, The George Washington University Law School, Washington, DC; Jamie Crooks, Fairmark Partners, LLP, Washington, DC;  Terrence J. Dee, Winston & Strawn LLP, Chicago;  Christopher J. Esbrook, Esbrook P.C., Chicago;  Adam Prom, Dicello Levitt, Chicago; and P. Renee Wicklund, Richman Law & Policy, Utah.