RJ regularly advises clients on complex national licensing issues arising from mergers, acquisitions and corporate restructuring. He also provides general licensing counsel, oversees litigation, citations and hearings, and assists clients in complying with tied house and trade practice laws.

His practice also involves advising clients on the legality of national beverage alcohol promotions and marketing and conducting seminars for industry members regarding liquor liability and related restaurant and beverage alcohol management issues.

RJ is Co-Chair of the ABA Alcohol Beverage Subcommittee and a founding member of the Alliance of Alcohol Industry Attorneys & Consultants, a group of professionals whose practices are focused in the alcohol beverage industry.


Recent Experience

  • Fogo de Chao in its acquisition by Rhone Capital
  • KKR & Co. in its strategic investment in Lemonade Restaurant Group
  • Foreign pension investment manager in its bid for European brewery assets to be sold by Anheuser-Busch InBev NV
  • Golden Gate Capital in its restructuring of Red Lobster restaurants

Bar Admissions

Pennsylvania


Education

University of Dayton, JD

  • cum laude
  • Articles Editor, Law Review

University of Dayton, BA


Publications/Presentations

  • Moderator: “Let’s Get Crafty”
    NCSLA Regional Conference – Atlantic City, NJ – 9/2018
  • Moderator: “The Future of Craft Beer – Can the Explosive Growth of Craft Beer Be Sustained, or Are We Approaching Peak Craft Beer?”
    NCSLA Regional Conference – Traverse City, MI – 10/2016
  • Panelist: “The Stills are Coming – Small Craft Distilling, Craft or Artisan Distillers, Emerging Industry Trends that Regulators Will Have to Deal With”
    NCSLA Regional Conference – Kansas City, MO – 10/2008
  • Moderator: “Legal Cannabis & Alcohol, Synergy or Discord?”
    NCSLA Annual Conference – Waikoloa, HI – 6/2018
  • Moderator: “Should Marijuana Be Regulated Like Alcohol?”
    NCSLA Regional Conference – Austin, TX – 9/2016
  • Moderator: “Prepare to Board the Cannabis Rocket Ship”
    NCSLA Annual Conference – San Diego, CA – 6/2015
  • “Regulating Marijuana Like Alcohol?! The Saga Continues”
    NABCA Annual Legal Symposium on Alcohol Beverage Law & Regulation – Alexandria, VA – 3/2015
  • Moderator: Legalization of Marijuana Panel
    NALCP Annual Conference – Indianapolis, IN – 10/2014
  • “Suds in the City: PA Beer Laws”
    Duquesne Club Liquor Law Presentation – Pittsburgh, PA – 4/2018
  • “The Licensing Process: How to Obtain a Restaurant License to Sell Beer and Wine in Your Stores”
    PFMA (PA Food Merchants Association) Annual Conference – Hershey, PA – 5/2017
  • “Obtaining Liquor Licenses for Convenience Stores”
    Convenience Store Dealer Association Presentation – Cranberry, PA – 4/2017
  • Panelist: Wine Summit Panel
    PFMA (PA Food Merchants Association) Legislative Conference – Harrisburg, PA – 10/2016
  • “Beer in Your Store: A Step-by-Step Guide”
    PFMA (PA Food Merchants Association) online webinar – 5/2016
  • “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Liquor Law in PA… But Were Too Sober to Ask”
    Paralegal / Legal Assistant Forum – Philadelphia, PA – 10/2013
  • Moderator: “Retailer Role in Tied House & Trade Practice Matters”
    NALCP Annual Conference – San Diego, CA – 10/2017
  • Moderator: “The Third (Party) Rail – The Role of Unlicensed Third-Party Providers”
    NCSLA Regional Conference – Indianapolis – 10/2017
  • Moderator: “Strength Through Flexibility: The Three Tier System of the Future?”
    Craft Brewers Association Conference – Portland, OR – 4/2015
  • Moderator: “What’s Behind All These Private Labels?”
    NCSLA Annual Conference – San Antonio, TX – 6/2014
  • Moderator: “Navigating the Maze: Promotion, Marketing and Trade Practices”
    NABCA – Washington, DC – 3/2005
  • Moderator: “The State of the Industry in Today’s Dynamic Marketplace”
    NCSLA Annual Conference – Denver, CO – 6/2017
  • Moderator: “When Innovation Meets Regulation”
    NABCA Annual Legal Symposium on Alcohol Beverage Law & Regulation – Alexandria, VA – 3/2017
  • Moderator: “Ask the Regulator” Panel
    NALCP Annual Conference – New Orleans, LA – 10/2016
  • Moderator: “Cutting Edge Retail Practices – Balancing Consumer Demand, Market Forces & Regulations”
    NCSLA Annual Conference – Chicago, IL – 6/2016
  • Moderator: “Prohibition: The Legacy of the Days of Speakeasies & Bootlegging
    NALCP Annual Conference – Austin, TX – 10/2015
  • Panelist: “Control from a Different Angle”
    NCSLA Regional Conference – Palm Harbor, FL – 10/2014
  • “Keeping in Compliance in an Evolving e-Storage e-World”
    NALCP Annual Conference – Las Vegas, NV – 10/2012
  • Moderator: “Mobile Delivery Apps – An Overview of What They Are, How They Do What They Promise & The Issues They May Present for Regulators”
    NCSLA Regional Conference – Baltimore, MD – 10/2015
  • Panelist: Responsibility, Regulation and Social Media Applications – the New Wild World of Alcohol Delivery Apps On Demand
    NABCA Administrators Conference – Des Moines, IA – 10/2015
  • Moderator: “Internet Direct Ship – The Next Generation”
    NCSLA Regional Conference – Atlantic City, NJ – 10/2103
  • Panelist: “The Legal Hurdles that Retailers Face”
    CLE International Wine, Beer & Spirits Law Conference – San Diego, CA – 9/2013
  • Panelist: “Why Do You Want to Know Who I Am? Complex Ownership versus Licensing Requirements”
    NCSLA Annual Conference – Honolulu, HI – 6/2013
  • Alcohol Service Awareness Overview Presentation
    Texas Roadhouse: Alcohol Service Awareness Summit – 3/2012
  • Panelist: “Responsible Alcohol Beverage Training: Striving for Excellence”
    NCSLA Annual Conference – Las Vegas, NV – 6/2011
  • “Are We There Yet? How Retail On-Premises Alcohol Sales Have Performed Like a Bear”
    NABCA Annual Conference – Phoenix, AZ – 5/2011
  • “From Mars and Venus? Communicating with Investors Regarding Liquor Licensing Issues”
    Hospitality Law Conference — Houston, TX – 2/2011
  • “Large Venue Events … With Alcohol”
    NCSLA Annual Conference – New Orleans, LA – 6/2010
  • “Bridging the Gap – Selling Alcohol at a Hotel You’ve Taken Over on Short Notice”
    Hospitality Law Conference – Houston, TX – 1/2009
  • “Trends at the Retail Licensee Level”
    NABCA Board of Directors Meeting – Miami, FL – 1/2009
  • Panelist: “Out From Behind the Bar”
    NCSLA Annual Conference – Chicago, IL – 7/2008
  • “Retail-On Premise Licensing Issues”
    NABCA Administrators Conference – Philadelphia, PA – 10/2007
  • “Resting Easy When Minors are Afoot: Minors and Alcohol in Your Hotel:
    Hospitality Law Conference – Houston, TX – 2/2007
  • Panelist: “What’s the Truth About Underage Consumption?”
    NCSLA Regional Conference – New Orleans, LA – 10/2006
  • “The Use of Alcohol in Hotel Marketing: On-Premise Promotions from Manager’s Receptions to Room Packages (and Almost Everything in Between)
    Hospitality Law Conference – Houston, TX – 2/2006
  • Moderator: “Mastering the Monster: On-Premises Licensing Experts Share Their Experiences in the Disparate World of Alcohol Regulation”
    NCSLA Conference – Broomfield, CO – 3/2005
  • “The Straw that Stirs the Drink: Liquor Licensing Across America”
    Hospitality Law Conference – Houston, TX – 2/2005
  • Panelist: “Alcohol Regulations & Airlines: A Regulatory Quandary”
    ABA Administrative Law Conference – Santa Fe, NM – 4/2013
  • “Airlines & Liquor Licensing State & Federal Considerations”
    A4A Litigation Committee Meeting – 2/2013
  • “Common Carriers & Airplanes: Federal v. State”
    NABCA Annual Legal Symposium on Alcohol Beverage Law & Regulation – Arlington, VA – 3/2102