Michael Best & Friedrich

Michael Best is dedicated to our client’s success. We’re a full-service law firm with more than 350 lawyers and technical professionals who work in collaborative, interdisciplinary practices to serve clients around the world.  The firm has thrived by providing a diverse team of professionals with the experience, skills and relationships necessary to help each client achieve its goals. Michael Best has a nationwide reach with 17 offices across the U.S. Our Agribusiness, Food & Beverage practice represents more than 130 clients in every part of the industry. We serve clients at every link in the food production and distribution chain: growers, processors, makers, distributors, and retailers of food, feed products, and ingredients; as well as trade associations, equipment manufacturers, packagers, restaurant management companies, and other industry service providers. Our work involves M&A, real estate, environmental and other regulatory compliance, food safety, recalls, labeling/claims, intellectual property, labor and employment, litigation, commodity contracting and logistics, and more. In the last two decades, a wave of seismic shifts, driven by consumers, scientists, and regulators, has swept the food and beverage business into an era of new opportunities — and the risks that come with them. Leaders of a food enterprise of any size now must anticipate dietary trends and consumer confidence, understand technology, and move fast, without running afoul of evolving regulatory requirements or exposing themselves to potentially devastating litigation. In the face of unprecedented change, the attorneys at Michael Best bring a calming perspective forged through years of experience across the industry. Our skill in navigating the most sensitive scenarios stems not only from our deep knowledge of the law, but also from a firm grounding in the science behind food production, derived from decades working alongside both food companies and regulators. Our attorneys understand the unique concerns of the industry because many have backgrounds in agriculture, food and beverage chemistry, and food and beverage production and processing. We have extensive experience in industry-specific areas such as association governance, biotechnology, flavorings and other additives, commodity-based lending, interstate transportation, product labeling, and product distribution. We are leaders, active participants, and sponsors of top organizations supporting the growth and longevity of the industry. We continually monitor new developments in the law and are able to work with legislators and regulators to implement changes that improve our clients’ ability to compete in the marketplace.