Danielle M. DeFilippis, Rashmee Rayna Sinha, Stephanie S. Spangler, and Michael J. Locke, of law firm Norris McLaughlin, P.A., will present “Food Law 101,” a food and beverage panel discussion, for WeWork Food Labs. The event will take place on Thursday, May 16, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., at WeWork 148 Lafayette Street in New York.
The presentation will cover a variety of legal issues encountered by food and beverage startups. DeFilippis will discuss basic contract issues that arise between food and beverage companies and external and internal parties. Sinha will cover key labor and employment law issues and updates for startup companies in the food and beverage industry. Spangler will speak on intellectual property issues that food and beverage companies face in the operations of their company, and Locke will speak on corporate formation, governance, and equity issues that are commonly faced by startups and early-stage companies. WeWork Food Labs is a first-of-its-kind innovation space and global platform dedicated to startups impacting the future of sustainable food. For more information, please click here.
DeFilippis, Co-Chair of the firm’s Intellectual Property Law Group and founding member of the Food, Beverage & Hospitality Group, focuses her practice on intellectual property matters and litigation. She represents individual and corporate clients in all phases of litigation, from commencement through trial, and regularly serves as lead counsel in cases before federal and state courts, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and alternative resolution forums. She has represented clients in a variety of industries, most notably, food and beverage, liquor, jewelry, and cosmetics. She has handled cases involving trademark and copyright infringement, false advertising, commercial disparagement, business torts, deceptive trade practices, Lanham Act claims, state and federal unfair competition laws, and other business disputes. She is an author for Norris McLaughlin’s trademark, copyright, and unfair competition blog, More Than Your Mark, www.morethanyourmark.com. DeFilippis received her J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law and her B.A. from The Pennsylvania State University.
As a logical, strategic, and pro-active employment defense attorney, Sinha has a proven track record of extricating clients from suit in the early stages of litigation. She primarily handles claims under Employment Practices Liability Insurance, Directors and Officers and Errors and Omissions polices related to discrimination, harassment, retaliation, failure to accommodate, whistle-blower, and wrongful discharge on the basis of protected categories (i.e. age, sex, disability, race, gender, national origin, religion, pregnancy etc.).
Sinha represents employers from industries including healthcare, construction, financial services, property management, insurance, technology, transportation, building services, hotel and hospitality, retail, manufacturing, power and energy, and pharmaceutical.
Sinha is experienced in all areas of employment litigation in both federal and state courts. She has defended administrative proceedings and regulatory compliance investigations before numerous employment practice agencies including the EEOC, and the federal and state Department of Labor and the Department of Health. Sinha counsels employers on employment and compliance issues including employment policies, contracts, discipline, terminations, leaves of absence, accommodations, complaints, investigations, benefits, proprietary information, restrictive covenants, reorganizations, and executive compensation.
Sinha is a member of the Labor of Employment Section of the American Bar Association and the New Jersey State Bar Association. She is also a member of the Legal Committee, Fairways Community Condominium, Teaneck, New Jersey, as well an active member of the Professional Liability Underwriting Society, the Commerce Industry Association of New Jersey, the Mahwah Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Asian American Hotel Owners Association, and the Asian Indian Chamber of Commerce. Sinha earned her J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law, and her B.A. from Boston University.
Spangler, Co-Chair of the firm’s Cannabis Law Group and a member of the Food, Beverage & Hospitality Group, focuses her practice on trademark and copyright litigation, prosecution and enforcement. She appears in state and federal courts and before the USPTO’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board in opposition and cancellation proceedings. She counsels clients in industries including startups, technology, food and beverage, cannabis, and arts and entertainment. She is a co-author for the firm’s trademark, copyright, and unfair competition law blog, More Than Your Ma®k, and the firm’s Cannabis Law Group blog, Legally Grown.
Locke focuses on providing counsel to small businesses in all phases of their corporate existence, from formation through merger and acquisition. Locke also works closely with clients as they grow and expand their businesses, offering advice and legal guidance in connection with customer and supplier agreements, terms and conditions of use (for both physical and digital products), inter-business relationships (including joint ventures), export regulations, securities regulations, litigation support, and more.
Locke is especially focused on working with businesses that seek to bridge the gap between commercial success and environmental or social responsibility. He has counseled clients in forming “benefit corporations” (also known as “B-corps”) and drafting corporate governing documents for those seeking to maximize profitability and have a positive effect on their communities while simultaneously minimizing their environmental impacts.
Locke also has experience assisting larger corporations conduct cross-border transactions, including the international purchase and sale of goods as well as the international purchase and sale of assets and equity. Locke earned his J.D. in 2013, cum laude, from Brooklyn Law School, and his B.A. in 2010, magna cum laude, from Rutgers University.
Posted in: Danielle M. DeFilippis, Food & Beverage Law, Intellectual Property, Michael J. Locke, News, Rashmee Rayna Sinha, Stephanie S. Spangler | Tags: contract law, corporate law, employment law, food and beverage, food and beverage entrepreneurs, food and beverage industry, food and beverage law, Food Labs, Food Law, governance, Intellectual Property, startups, WeWork, WeWork Labs Food Labs
