NEW ORLEANS – Baker Donelson’s Matthew P. McLaughlin has been selected to serve on the faculty for the University of Vermont Business of Craft Beer Professional Certificate Program. One of only a handful of schools in the country to offer this type of program, the University of Vermont will launch the program in the spring 2016 semester. McLaughlin will be involved in the "Fundamentals of Craft Beer" course, which will focus on craft beer trends, styles, branding, merchandizing, marketing, finance, beer regulations and distribution.
McLaughlin, who chairs Baker Donelson's craft brewery and craft distillery industry focus team, has extensive expertise working with regional craft breweries and craft distilleries in all aspects of their operations. He advises industry participants on business entity formation, ownership structure, startup financing and expansion financing, and files and registers trademarks and protects all forms of intellectual property. McLaughlin oversees the land use approval process for the construction and operation of craft breweries and craft distilleries, and drafts and reviews distribution agreements, licensing agreements, and employment-related agreements. He advises clients on Alcohol and Beverage Control (ABC) and Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) license applications and the filing of other necessary federal and state permits. He regularly consults craft breweries, craft distilleries, and brewpubs on alcohol and beverage laws, and he advises craft breweries, brewpubs and others in the industry on economic development incentives, and legislative and policy matters that impact the alcohol industry.
