Practice Expertise
Areas of Practice
- Hospitality, Alcohol & Leisure Industry Group
- Upper Tier Industry Group
Profile
Brad Berkman is a member of the Hospitality, Alcohol and Leisure Industry Group at Greenspoon Marder LLP. He concentrates on providing guidance to all tiers of the alcohol beverage industry, including suppliers, wholesalers and retailers.
Brad's principal expertise is providing counsel to upper-tier industry members on legal, regulatory, and operational concerns within the framework of federal and state(s) beverage alcohol laws and regulations. Areas of focus include complex Tied-House issues, contract negotiations, drafting and disputes, trade practice concerns, brand owner, supplier and distributor matters, international trade of beverage alcohol and TTB and state alcohol beverage control issues. Brad has also advised third-party marketing companies, celebrity brand owners and influencers on many trade practice matters.
Brad is also extremely well-versed in complex retail alcohol license transactions involving the purchase and sale of hotels and assisted living facilities, among other types of venues. He is well-versed in related municipal zoning and land use issues and the administrative entitlement process. He has prosecuted many types of administrative entitlements, including conditional use permits and variance requests. He has appeared before many planning and zoning boards, special master tribunals, and city commissions, advocating at quasi-judicial proceedings for clients on a wide range of issues.
Brad has real-world experience, having started his career in the industry principally on the supplier side, having worked in various sales and marketing capacities of malt, wine and spirits manufacturers and brand owners. Combined, Brad has nearly thirty years of experience in all aspects of the industry.
As an additional note, Brad grew up in the business and has deep ancestral roots in the trade. His great-grandmother was a pioneer in the field who was one of the first women to hold a liquor "salesman's" license in the State of New York. She parlayed that start into a large, female, and eventually family-owned beer distributorship that served the five boroughs of New York City for many decades.
Brad regularly contributes to the firm's Hospitality, Alcohol, & Leisure Industry Group blog and hosts the Ardent Spirit podcast.
Brad's principal expertise is providing counsel to upper-tier industry members on legal, regulatory, and operational concerns within the framework of federal and state(s) beverage alcohol laws and regulations. Areas of focus include complex Tied-House issues, contract negotiations, drafting and disputes, trade practice concerns, brand owner, supplier and distributor matters, international trade of beverage alcohol and TTB and state alcohol beverage control issues. Brad has also advised third-party marketing companies, celebrity brand owners and influencers on many trade practice matters.
Brad is also extremely well-versed in complex retail alcohol license transactions involving the purchase and sale of hotels and assisted living facilities, among other types of venues. He is well-versed in related municipal zoning and land use issues and the administrative entitlement process. He has prosecuted many types of administrative entitlements, including conditional use permits and variance requests. He has appeared before many planning and zoning boards, special master tribunals, and city commissions, advocating at quasi-judicial proceedings for clients on a wide range of issues.
Brad has real-world experience, having started his career in the industry principally on the supplier side, having worked in various sales and marketing capacities of malt, wine and spirits manufacturers and brand owners. Combined, Brad has nearly thirty years of experience in all aspects of the industry.
As an additional note, Brad grew up in the business and has deep ancestral roots in the trade. His great-grandmother was a pioneer in the field who was one of the first women to hold a liquor "salesman's" license in the State of New York. She parlayed that start into a large, female, and eventually family-owned beer distributorship that served the five boroughs of New York City for many decades.
Brad regularly contributes to the firm's Hospitality, Alcohol, & Leisure Industry Group blog and hosts the Ardent Spirit podcast.
Education
- J.D., St. Thomas University of Law, 2006
- M.S., Forensic Science, George Washington University, 1991
- B.A., International Studies, American University, School of International Service, 1987
Areas of Practice
- Hospitality, Alcohol & Leisure Industry Group
- Upper Tier Industry Group
Professional Career
Articles
- Tips on Tips: Florida's New Law on Food Service Charges Effective July 1, 2026
- Tallahassee Passes Amended 561.20(4) Florida Statute Opening Licensure Opportunities To New, Bona Fide Restaurants In This State
- Out-of-State Direct to Consumer Sales Update
- Premium Cigars Deemed Not "Deemable"
- The 21st Amendment Enforcement Act & Retail Sales in Interstate Commerce Published in Grapevine Magazine
- The Hospitality Lawyers NYE Prayer
- A New Chapter for Tied House Laws: Burger King's Whopper Bar Wins Florida Alcohol License After 14 Years
- Hospitality, Alcohol, and Leisure Industry Client Alert - TTB Eliminates Distinction Between Standards of Fill for Distilled Spirits in Cans and Other Types of Containers
- New Cancer Warning Recommendations: What Alcohol Producers Need to Know
- The "Muni" Store
- Sustainable and Organic Wines-Alternatives, Opportunities and Compliance
- New Cancer Warning Recommendations: What Alcohol Producers Need to Know
- From the Sublime to the Ordinary - Art in a Bottle and Insurance Considerations Published in The Grapevine Magazine
- E-2 Visa and The Beverage Alcohol Industry in the U.S.
- A Short Primer on Exporting
- How Much is Too Much, or is One Never Enough?
- Certificates of Label Approval for Wines Published on The Grapevine Magazine
- Greenspoon Marder Launches Hospitality, Alcohol & Leisure Industry Group Blog
- Hard "Soft-Drinks" and their "Disruptor" Presence
- Scariest Trend in the Hospitality Industry
- CBMA Update Note - Administration of CBMA Tax Benefits for Importers to Transition to TTB
- Beware the Franchise Law Lurking Behind Your Distribution Agreement
- Greenspoon Marder Hospitality, Alcohol & Leisure Blog: FIFA FO FUM - A Glance at the World Cup and Alcohol Policy
- Greenspoon Marder Hospitality, Alcohol & Leisure Blog: The FTC and Some Advice
- Greenspoon Marder Hospitality, Alcohol & Leisure Blog: Update to Latest Round of US-China Tariffs Hit Wine and Spirits - California Winemakers Nervous
- How Private Labels Blur the Lines of Beverage Law
- The Issue is Moot-Sort Of.
- TTB Closed for Business...And We Know It's Bad for You.
- "Blair v Tenn" - Can A Retailer Ship Directly To Consumers?
- For Whom the Bong Tolls
- Changes to Alcohol Beverage Licenses After Initial Qualification
- Alcohol Beverage Producers See Potential in Cannabis and Cannabis Derived Products
- Alcohol Beverage Licensing Options-Alternatives to the Quota License
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